NAVAL SHIPYARD SPOONS

                                                                                                      mare Island naval yard spoons



Mare Island was the first US navy shipyard on the Pacific Coast.
Land was purchased in Vallejo, California in 1851.
The base was very active  during the Spanish American War, World War 1 and World War 2.
89 naval ships were constructed at this shipyard

The bear on the handle of the top spoon is similar to other spoons featuring the Calif. bear. A number of 'bear' variations are found


                                                                                          mare island gate spoonmare island dry dock spoon

                                                                                                                                                    The left spoon features the gates at the entrance to Mare Island.
                                                                         The Right spoon features the new dry dock at Mare Island. The dry dock, built with granite blocks, took 19 years to construct and was finished in 1891.



both of these spoons were made by Mayer Brothers

What better way to honor Naval shipyard history than by collecting artifacts from shipwrecks like furniture, spoons, coins, and other items. Sometimes the Navy will even use privately-owned boats, similar to expedition yachts, to look for historic shipwrecks that might contain these tyles of Naval artifacts. Most of the time, they end up on display in Navy museums for people to see.

 


Return to Exhibits index