National Liberty Ship Memorial - SS JEREMIAH O'BRIEN Review

Amazing old World War 2 ship, got a whole history lesson from a veteran of the war himself, James. He s 92 and volunteers his time to teach people about the history of the boat and he knows his stuff. What an incredible man. Got to walk around the entire ship myself and see some really cool stuff, even the engine room which I m pretty sure I wasn t supposed to be in I got into some places that seemed pretty closed off (my fault) still was an incredible day haha

Compared to the Pampanito (submarine) next door, the ticket price here definitely was worth the length of the tour. However, the entire heritage site was really badly managed. It was peak tourist time when renovation and painting would continue on, the kitchen was actually making hot dogs for some private events, and the ship lacked a lot of explanation boards that describe what you are seeing. Essentially, you walk onto a historical boat without any explanation or history and somehow need to make sense of it all, all while your illusion broken by people "fixing" and renovating the boat.

There are definitely jewels of the tour. The engine room is unique, there's a great WW2 museum in the lower level, etc. However, the entire presentation looked liked a junkyard. Visitors simply cannot get in the illusion that they were roaming around a WW2 ship. Also it would've been amazing to know exactly what role this particular ship played in D-Day at Normandy.

Somehow all the presentation coming together felt badly managed and presented. A lost opportunity I would say. Won't probably return even with tourists visiting from out of town.

In September 2002, my husband and myself were at the start of our California holiday from the UK. On the eve before we were leaving for Lake Tahoe we read that the SS Jeremial O'Brien was due into port. The next morning from our hotel in Fisherman's Wharf we could see the ship had docked. We decided to visit before leaving. When we got to the wharf they were cleaning the deck etc so thought we wouldn't be able to visit. My husband spoke to someone on board and even though they were not ready to accept visitors, because we were leaving they kindly allowed us to board. It was a fascinating visit and my husband was so happy as it was a perfect ending to a fantastic visit to San Francisco.

A must see experience in San Francisco. The story of the ship and simply being on this vessel is an incredible experience. The volunteers are absolutely awesome people, and they were delighted to fill me in on anything that came up. Make sure to check out the engine room and the crew quarters...and everything. See everything. Great for anyone interested in history.

A rare view: the famous liberty-ship. And in very good condition thanks to motivated and passionate volunteers. Enjoyed very much the self-guide tour, which gives you sufficient information about the ship. More details can be found in the museum area. Very interestingly done! One gets a good idea of life at sea on board such a ship. For me a must visit when in San Francisco.

Both the ship and the sub are cool. I ve been in both but at separate times so I can t tell you which is better. The Jeremiah O Brien definitely has more to it and is much cooler then the sub for its historic value. The sub is unique because you can walk inside it and view every room (some are through glass and you can t go inside). Whatever one you do, or if you do both, I assure you that you won t be disappointed!

25/10/2014

Submarine you can have a tour inside the submarine and ticket can be obtained upon arrival

Very cool experience to visit a functioning ship from D-day! We were lucky to visit the engine room which is huge. The museum itself was not that great but the overall impression is great.

Took my daughter here on memorial day to teach her some military history. It was an amazing experience and I didn't know this ship was in active duty during wwII. Wish we could have gone to more areas of the ship, lots were closed but still a great time

We had gone on a San Francisco bay cruise (highly recommended) and saw this ship docked at pier 45. It is a fully restored WWII merchant marine ship. I looked up the history of the ship and decided we had to see it. My father served in the Army Air Corps and spent 4 years in England during the war. He told stories of sailing on a ship like this.
This ship was rescued from the moth ball fleet and fully restored to sea worthy condition. It even made the trip back to Normandy for the recent anniversary. You can explore the ship on a self guided tour.
It is a trip back in time. This ship was built in 1943 and looks like it did when in active duty. I was impressed and amazed. It's probably not for little kids. For us big kids there is metal stair and ladder climbing to see everything . There is a museum on board which was very well done.
This ship is a national treasure. It's well worth the price of admission.