Historical or Biographical Note
Collection of miscellaneous blueprints created by the donor includes a plan of the United States cruiser no. 5, San Francisco, which was built by Union Iron Works (San Francisco, Calif.) in the late 1880s, and launched October 1889. The USS San Francisco was renamed Yosemite in 1931, and scrapped in 1939. San Francisco was a "protected cruiser," a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armored deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above. For details of the vessel's service history, see the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_San_Francisco_(C-5)
From the guide to the Robert P. Giblon blueprint collection, 1888-1889, undated, (San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department)
