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U.S.S. San Francisco Memorial Internship
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Under the mentorship of the Park Curator, the intern researched the history of the U.S.S. San Francisco Memorial, located at San Francisco’s lands end and dedicated to the crew of the naval warship U.S.S. San Francisco. The U.S.S. San Francisco was a heavy cruiser which was damaged during a fierce battle with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, with great loss of life. The monument, which was built in the 1950s, is a meaningful cultural icon for veterans and their families, as well as a point of interest for park visitors. Because the monument was built with private funds on city land which became a part of the national park, the technical issues regarding its treatment and preservation were complex. The project involved researching city and federal records in order to create a physical and political history of the memorial. The intern researched general World War II commemoration to help construct a sense of time and place for the memorial, as well as specific information about the memorial. Research consisted of visiting various archives and speaking with curators and historians about the memorial. The final products of the research included a provenance report and a site bulletin for park visitors. The work of the intern was valuable in assisting the National Park Service in properly managing the site of the memorial, which is still a focus of ceremony each Memorial Day. In addition to the U.S.S. San Francisco Memorial research, the intern had several opportunities to accompany park service staff on various assignments and outings, in order to gain a better understanding of the day-to-day work performed by the National Park Service staff at Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Dates
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