The Coronado Historical Association's New Exhibit Delves into the Fascination History of Coronado's Beloved Ferries

Many people who grew up in Coronado in the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s have fond memories of riding the ferry to and from downtown San Diego. The boats they rode on were operated by the Coronado-San Diego Ferry Company, once a subsidiary of the J.D. & A.B. Spreckels Company. The Coronado-San Diego Ferry Company had a monopoly to service South Island, thanks to a provision in the original land deed dating back to 1885.

However, another ferry company serviced the commuter traffic to North Island—the Star & Crescent Boat Company. This company is one of the longest still-operational ferry services on San Diego Bay.

Captain Rufus M. Creswell started a passenger ferry service between San Diego and Ballast Point in 1893. There were no roads to Point Loma at the time. By 1898, Creswell had added another boat to his line, the Point Loma, which was used by the government to carry supplies to Fort Rosecrans, then under construction. By 1908, the Point Loma Ferry Company acquired the Star Boat Company. The expanded business now provided additional harbor excursions and passenger ferries to San Diego, Point Loma, and the Coronado Islands of Mexico.

In 1915, the Point Loma Ferry Company merged with its rival, the Crescent Boat Company, and changed the name to Star & Crescent Boat Company. This new 16-boat fleet provided transportation between Roseville in Point Loma, Fort Rosecrans, Imperial Beach, and the Coronado Islands with deluxe harbor tours.

Famously known in Coronado as the “nickel snatchers,” due to the 5 cent fare in the 1940s, were the military traffic ferries operated by the Star & Crescent Boat Company.

Commuter service started soon after the U.S. Army Air Corps established Rockwell Field with the onset of WWI. After the war, ferry service to North Island slowed but significantly increased in the early 1940s during WWII and the growth of Naval Air Station North Island. By 1945, Coronado’s population had grown to 25,382—up from 6,932 before the war. The ferry service also included night operations. When Capt. Creswell died, his stepson Oakley J. Hall assumed control of the company and continued to build on the company’s interests. During his tenure, Hall expanded the Star & Crescent Boat Company to provide services associated with San Diego harbor’s recreational activities, including ferry service, tugs, shipbuilding, and petroleum acquisition. Hall built a waterfront empire that contributed greatly to the expansion and development of the Port of San Diego.

In 1967, Captain Hall, then the company’s sole shareholder, passed away. The Star & Crescent Boat Company remained in operation with descendants of the Hall family. The completion of the Coronado Bridge in 1969 forced ferry service to come to a halt. Under California law, ferries were banned from operating within ten miles of a toll-crossing so as not to compete with the bridge tolls then financing construction bonds. This ended what was reported at the time as the most frequent ferry service in the United States, with 338 crossings per day and an approximate average of 8,000-plus vehicles carried daily. In 1972, the shipyard site was sold to San Diego’s Campbell Industries.

By 1976, the excursion fleet had been transferred to a new corporate entity using the Star & Crescent name. Other floating assets had been sold off, ending the company’s involvement in the tugboat sector.

In 1986, when the $47 million bond used to finance the construction of the San Diego-Coronado Bridge was paid off, the way was open for the return of ferry service operated by the Star & Crescent Boat Co. on July 1, 1987. In 1990, the Star & Crescent company changed its name to San Diego Harbor Excursion. In 2011, the name was changed again to Flagship Cruises and Events, a banner under which the company continues to operate into its second century in business.

To learn more about the history of ferry service to Coronado, visit the Coronado Historical Association’s latest museum exhibit, Ode to the Ferry.