USS Lucid - (MSO-458)
International Call Sign: November-India-Lima-Whiskey
The Stockton Historical Maritime Museum is established to preserve the rich history of the maritime industry of Stockton, California which began in the 19th century. This industry started with freight shipping and passenger transportation from the San Francisco Bay to a departure point into the Gold Rush county of the Mother Lode. Stockton prospered providing a maritime way point for points south, east and north.
As the maritime industry grew, so did the need to build ships and vessels to meet the needs of this shipping industry and provide some of the finest sailing ships, motor yachts, and military craft.
This rich industry bred numerous supporting companies and provided upwards of 30,000 jobs at peak ship building activity during World War II.
Many Stocktonians and their descendants can trace their livelihood and successes back to these companies that relied upon the strong maritime industry.
The USS Lucid Restoration Project
In 2010 a new museum was founded with a unique mission statement: to provide, maintain and manage a maritime museum dedicated to the cultural heritage and historic recognition of the downtown waterfront.
The Stockton Historical Maritime Museum has acquired the former USS Lucid MSO-458, and a collaboration agreement was established with the San Joaquin County Office of Education to join with the museum in restoring this historic vessel as a floating museum ship with direct historical relevance to the diverse shipbuilding history in Stockton.
The Lucid is an "Aggressive Class" oceangoing minesweeper and a true sister ship (exact copy) of three vessels built for the US Navy in Stockton at the Colberg Boat Works in the early 50's. Built in 1953 by "Higgins" in New Orleans, LA; she served her country for 24 years until 1976.
The museum ship is currently berthed at the "Building Futures Academy" site, where SJCOE students will be directly involved in all phases of this exciting project. Opportunities to learn and practice skills developed from woodworking preservation and finishing, drafting, electrical, plumbing and metal fabrication, to historical research will all be presented.
Upon return to its original appearance, the Lucid will be moved to become a representative part of the historic downtown waterfront area, near Weber Point, where over a thousand boats and ships were built from the 1850's thru the 1980's.
There, the museum ship will become a permanent icon, open to the public for tours and special events. She will serve to honor Stockton's maritime and shipbuilding history, the men and women who labored there, and those who served aboard the small vessels that were such a big part of the US Navy.
