Tours of the ships did not allow for video on and in the ship. Pictures could be taken of the exterior and selected internal areas. The Monsoor was docked on the side that faced Pier 39 and presented itself very well in the morning light
The Shoup and McCain were docked on the other side of Pier 35 and its views are obstructed. There are no clear views from streetside Embarcadero either as the facades of Pier 35 and 33 are connected and blocked line of sight
I have time before they begin to let people in for the ship tour at 10am. Its 7:45 and the line hasnt started yet. S head on view of the ship behind the fence.
The number designation of the ship identifies itself on the bow. The forward 155m gun just behind its designation. Would have been nice if they could have elevated one of the barrels instead of leaving them concealed.
The conning tower has vital equipment around it. It is very minimal when compared to the Arleigh Burke class
The strip of windows is the bridge. We passed the CIC room on the way there but were not allowed to take pictures. The CIC is what you would see in movies as a darkened blue lit room with many computer workstations all facing the large monitor framed by smaller ones
Patrol boats and security making sure no one gets closer than they should except through the tour
The aft facing 30mm chain guns. We were not allowed on neither the front deck nor the deck where these are mounted
The Shoup and McCain, because they are the same class of ship, alternated the days they were available for tours. One line leads to all ships. You can tour one or the other. Then call it a day or line up inside the pier for the other ship without having to go to the back of the line. 150 people were allowed in at a time and groups of 10 were led on each ship
The line did start to form at 8:30. The queue was full by the time they began to let people in. As I walked out after the tour, I heard the wait from the end of the line was about 2 hours but the line spilled out into the street from the barricades
I was about 10 feet from the edge of the pier and another 20 feet from the ship. I had to really crane my neck and back to get a picture of the top of the conning tower
The monolithic appearance made it hard to tell if I was taking pictures of the back or the front when I reviewed them. Front facing city. Back pointing to the bay.
The gangway to the ship deposited us on the deck of the helipad.
The tour begins at the hangar bay. The 30mm guns are above it and the conning tower in the background.
The hangar bay can accommodate a Seahawk helicopter and a few UAVs. The Seahawk is the naval version of the Blackhawk.
Memorial to Michael Monsoor, the ship's namesake. Monsoor was a Navy SEAL who jumped on a grenade in Iraq in 2006. He saved the lives of other SEALs that were around him. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2008 for his selfless deed and this ship bears his name.
Passed the CIC and onto the bridge. The captain's chair is a big draw for those who wanted to take a picture while seated on the most commanding of chairs.
At the heart of the bridge are 2 stations. Above and around this center console are monitors displaying images from around the ship.
This gives the crew visual access to all parts of the ship from bow to stern
Of course, the better view is from the windows around the bridge. Almost 270 degrees from port to starboard.
Out the front of the windows are the two 155mm turrets. A skosh more to the left and we can take out Coit Tower, Transamerica Pyramid or Salesforce Tower
The stairs in between levels are pretty steep. Some participants were definitely afraid to go down facing forward, opting to face the steps so they dont get sppoked. I feel the same about ski lift chairs. Going up facing the mountain feels like the ground is so close. Going down facing away makes the ground seem like its so much further down. But, I perservered.
An open missile bay on the port perimeter of the deck
That was it for the tour of the Monsoor. Going back into the pier and heading over to the Shoup.
