The General Management Plan for Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, which was approved by the City of Richmond and adopted as part of the Richmond General
Plan 2030, envisioned the southern tip of historic Shipyard 3 as an “Historic Engagement Area,”  where visitors could actually explore or see up close World War II sites and structures, including the graving docks, the Whirley Crane, the Riggers Loft and the
Red Oak Victory.

 

One of the Action Items (NP11.F0 in the City’s General plan is to, “develop a plan to promote the cultural and historic resources in Richmond, especially the Rosie the Riveter/WWII
Home Front National Historical Park … to develop and implement the program.”  Until about three years ago, the Shipyard 3 “Historic Engagement Area” was headed that direction. The Bay Trail had been extended to provide pedestrian and bicycle access to the
area. The Red Oak Victory had become a popular attraction with well-attended year-round events including pancake breakfasts, WWII movies, dances, July 3 fireworks, Fleet Week and many others. The Riggers Loft was open as a wine and cider bar several days a
week and hosted numerous public and private events, drawings as many as 20,000 visitors annually during its last years.

 

Now, a subset of the Richmond Museum Association, led by Fred Klink and Mark Epperson, has persuaded some City Council members, the port director and Congressman Garamendi that
the Red Oak Victory has to be moved to a different location. Klink and Epperson’s motivations are based on unfounded projections that the proposed new location adjacent to the Ferry Terminal parking lot will result in massive increases in visitation fees,
rising from the current $21,000 annually to hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is no basis for this prediction, and such a move would tear the heart out of the Shipyard 3 Public Engagement Area.

 

They predicted that most patrons of the free Rosie the Riveter Visitors Center would walk nearly half a mile to the relocated Red Oak Victory and pay $20.00 for a tour. They
characterized the current Red Oak Victory berth as hard to find, but before it was forced to close, the adjacent Riggers Loft hosted more patrons than the Rosie the Riveter Visitor’s Center.

 

A big part of the Red Oak’s dearth of visitors is the fact that it is open only a few hours a week on Saturday and Sunday, as well as periodic special events. The unwelcoming
sign out front says “CLOSED.” and that it is only open on Sunday, even though the ship’s website says Saturday and Sunday. There is no wayfinding signage outside of the port area that directs potential visitors to the Red Oak Victory.

 

If you want the public to visit the Red Oak Victory, it has to be open to the public.

 

Despite that, Trip Advisor rates the SS Red Oak Victory
as one of
Richmond’s top attractions as well as
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park (rated #1). The
Riggers Loft Wine Company, although closed for three years, is still rated in the top 10.

 

Following is a review by a Red Oak Victory visitor:

 

We visited Red Oak Victory during the late summer. We drove up and spent the morning in Vallejo at LCS-102 and then toured Red Oak Victory in the afternoon. Red Oak
Victory is one of the most internally immaculate museum ships I’ve been on – the engine room is a marvel in particular, as well as the steering station aft (which I have never visited on another Victory or Liberty ship – and I have been on SS John W. Brown
and SS American Victory on the east coast). We had the privilege of being shown around by the head docent, Alan, who was a wealth of knowledge. The setting for the museum is also excellent, the big eerie storage warehouse next door and the historic crane next
to the ship all help the visitor envision what this shipyard looked like in WWII. It is the most intact site remaining of the storied Kaiser Shipyards. Parking was very easy, finding the ship was easy (driving around a massive lot of Subarus), and bathrooms
were readily available. The exterior of the ship shows some rust due to the harsh salt & wind, but don’t let that fool you – overall the ship is in great shape and walking the decks is an adventure worth taking. The ship is only open once per week so I recommend
contacting them ahead of time to ensure your visit actually coincides with their open hours. This is a must-do if in the Bay Area whatsoever. It really gives you a feeling for what these merchant marines did during WWII, the marvel that Victory Ships were/are,
and how Richmond contributed to the war effort. Plus, Red Oak Victory was actually a navy ship (for transporting ammo) in WWII, so that’s an added bonus. Neatly enough, I found out that the 5-inch gun on the stern was actually the old training gun from Treasure
Island that was displaced by the recent redevelopment there. Cool way to pass on some San Fran history to a ship that needed a more appropriate gun!

 

Figure 1 – The Red Oak Victory is closed Monday through Friday and open a few hours Saturday and Sunday, but the sign says it is open only on Sunday.

The City forced the Riggers Loft out of business. Once a vibrant and popular waterfront venue, its former public space is now deserted.

 

It is also no secret that the City Council relentlessly pursued the eviction of the Rigger Loft Wine Company after they had negotiated a resolution to their rent dispute with
the city attorney. It became more about moving them out than resolving the rent issue. Ironically, the City has spent more on the eviction process than the entire amount of delinquent rent claimed.

 

Figure 2 – Riggers Loft area formerly occupied by Riggers Loft Wine Company wine bar and event venue August 6, 2026)

Figure 3 – Event when Riggers Loft Wine Company was open

Figure 4 – Riggers Loft area formerly occupied by Riggers Loft Wine Company wine bar and event venue August 6, 2026)

 

Figure 5 – Event when Riggers Loft Wine Company was open

In 2026, the City entered into a $299,797 contract with Liftech to conduct a preliminary planning and design study for relocating the Red Oak Victory to Ford Point, near the Rosie
the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park Visitor Center.  Although this has been characterized as just a study with no foregone conclusions, both
the port director and Mayor Martinez have already publicly made their support of the relocation clear.

 

Mayor Eduardo Martinez said while this is only a study, ultimately, the ship will need to be moved as part of a plan to revitalize the Port of Richmond. “The Red Oak Victory Ship
needs to move, so it’s going to move,” Martinez said. “It needs to move to revitalize the port.” (Grandview Independent, April 29, 2026).

 

“He [Mayor Martinez] supports revitalizing the port, moving the Red Oak Victory ship closer to Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, and strengthening
the connection between downtown and the ferry terminal.” Grandview Independent, April 1, 2026)

 

In the previous passages, “revitalizing the Port,” means building an offshore wind support facility.

 

Supporting the move, the port director repeated the questionable claims by Fred Klink and Mark Epperson that there would be a dramatic increase in revenue
for the Red Oak Victory,

 

“In the move could generate additional funds and increase annual revenue … in a nutshell, they are getting about $150,000 a year. Their forecast, if the ship was at Ford Point,
would be upwards of close to a half million dollars,” Gerard said. (Grandview Independent, April 29, 2026).

 

Looking long-term, Gerard said moving the ship could free up a port basin that could be rented out for commercial use and generate
revenue for the port. (East Bay Times, February 26, 2026)

 

In 2025, the City accepted a grant from the State of California for $750,000 to pay for “Port of Richmond Offshore Wind Terminal Conceptual Design and Preliminary
Engineering,” indicating the City was considering potential significant changes to its Port properties, including Point Potrero Marine Terminal.” The RFP was posted April 25, 2025, and due May 30, 2025. The was only one respondent, Moffatt & Nichol. The City
Council approved a contract with Moffatt & Nichol on December 16, 2025 (Resolution 177-25) with an end date of June 30, 2030. There is nothing in the grant language, the RFP, or the contract authorization with Moffatt & Nichol that recognizes the fact that
Shipyard 3 is part of Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a California Historic Landmark, all of which should be recognized as both opportunities and constraints in any study.

 

If Richmond residents want to preserve the integrity of the City’s incomparable WWII collection of hand-on artifacts and promote the Rosie the Riveter WWII
Home Front National Historical Park, we need to let the City Council know how important this is and not to remove and disperse these priceless memories of a war that changed the world for the better and the critical role Richmond played in the victory.