Page 123 - Historical Study of Yerba Buena Island, Treasure Island and Their Buildings

Captain Culp, Commanding Officer of the newly approved Section Base, established the base by
bringing the Delta Queen. a paddlewheel river boat, down the Sacramento River to Treasure
Island and tying her up at the ferry slip. The Delta Queen be~ame the temporary barracks and
training facility for the personnel of the "Local Defense Force" on the Island. The Supply
Officer's account gives a sense of the situation at this early time of military presense:

"The Supply activities of the 'Delta Queen Navy' consisted primarily of messing
and this was accomplished after strenuous cleaning of the galley spaces. Grease
was so thick that the best efforts failed to dislodge all of it, with the resultant
galley fire, which thoroughly did the job of eliminating this grease hazard.
The office consisted of flat boards on saw-horses, which had a tendency to fall
apart at the passing of each rowboat. When requisitions were made for desks the
answer was, 'what for?' Finally, by begging, pilfering, and other means, sufficient
equipment was acquired to permit some semblance of an office."

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FIGURE 45. The Delta Queen. Circa 1941.
Note: The Delta Queen had been making regularly scheduled runs between San Francisco and
Sacramento, until, in 1941, Captain Culp procured the vessel for use by the newly established
Section Base at Treasure Island. The Delta Queen served as temporary offices, barracks,
training facility and galley until permanent building were erected on the island.

September 1, 1995 Historical Study of Y erba Buena Island, 2-19
Treasure Island, and their Buildings