Historical Note
The Sea Scouts is an Exploring Division of Boy Scouts of America, and the units are known as "Ships." They have been a presence in San Francisco since the early 1920s where the program began operating out of the Marina Yacht Harbor. They moved to Aquatic Park in 1942, initially to a small pier north of the current Base, and finally to it's current location in late 1945 or early 1946. The structure that is now the Base was built and occupied by the U.S Army during the Second World War. The original San Francisco Sea Scout Ship # 120 depicted in many of the photographs was named Navigator (lifeboat: 30 ft.). The later photographs depict the replacement whaleboat acquired in 1949.
Oscar Johnson joined the Sea Scout Ship #120 Navigator in 1938. From 1946 to 1990 he was an officer of the Ship, and in 1948 was the skipper of Navigator . The Aquatic Park Sea Scout Base is still occupied by the Sea Scouts, and sits within the boundaries of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
From the guide to the Oscar Johnson Photographs of Sea Scout Ship, Navigator, (120), 1938-1950, (San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (Calif.))
