''Pilot'' is a pilot boat and

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

in San Diego, California. She was launched in 1914 in San Diego, built in the local boatyard of Manuel Goularte. She is a 52-foot wooden diesel powered vessel. She was the first powered pilot boat in San Diego. She served as the official pilot boat of

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...

for 82 years, with no more than three consecutive days of downtime. During World War II, the Coast Guard used her as a pilot boat and patrol boat. She received six six-month service chevrons. She was donated to the

Maritime Museum of San Diego The Maritime Museum of San Diego, established in 1948, preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on the San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is the '' Star of India'', an 1 ...

in 1996 and underwent restoration. ''Pilot'' now hosts educational tours of San Diego Bay, and sometimes accompanies other historic vessels (most notably, '' Star of India'') into and out of the bay.

References

Harbor vessels of the United States Museum ships in San Diego Maritime Museum of San Diego National Register of Historic Places in San Diego Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in California San Diego Bay {{SanDiegoCountyCA-NRHP-stub