The Ohioan

H. Mallette Dean

This Mallette Dean woodengraving has the "Federal Art Project" oval blindstamp in the lower right corner. The image depicts the stern of US Naval ship the "SS Ohioan" sticking out of the waters off San Francisco in 1936.

On October 8, 1936, the Ohioan ran aground near Seal Rock at the Golden Gate, the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Attempts to free the ship were unsuccessful and, because of the close proximity of the wreck to San Francisco, the grounded Ohioan drew large crowds to watch salvage operations. Angelo J. Rossi, the mayor of San Francisco, toured the wreck on 19 October. The Ohioan's hulk caught fire in March 1937, and the wreck broke into two pieces in a storm in December. As late as 1939, some of Ohioan's rusty steel beams were still visible on the rocks.