Long-time residents of San Joaquin County will know some of Stockton’s lore as a major ship builder, of both river-going and ocean-going craft. Newer residents may not know the history; a recently arrived Korean War-era minesweeper and the Stockton Historical Maritime Museum aim to change all that.
When heading west on Monte Diablo in Stockton, sharp eyes will see on the Stockton Deep Water Channel a gray, formerly formidable United States Navy minesweeper, undergoing repair and refinishing. It's located just southeast of Louis Park, and a project of the Maritime Museum.
The USS Lucid, MSO 458, built in New Orleans in 1953, is a match to three minesweepers built in the heyday of Stockton shipbuilding by Colberg Boat Works. Each ship was 172 feet in length, had a 36-foot beam, displaced 620 tons and drew only 10 feet of water (designed to operate in rivers, as well as deep ocean).
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