http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/22/BAVP1E2O3N.DTL

Pretty interesting. Northern CA was actually a Russian fur trade colony before it was a state. the Mexicans and Russians were uneasy neighbors before the bear flag revolt. Its interesting that the Russians came to our aid during the civil war. I wish I had time to go to SF and take a look at this ship. the historical significance of this is just awesome to me.

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The article doesn't point out that the Russians were afraid of war breaking out with England and/or France in 1863. New York and San Fran were safer ports to winter in than any Russian ports.
After winter '63, the Russians left and never made another gesture towards the US during the ACW.

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Greg Schwall

1983 300SD - 465,000 miles

It will be at Pier 30-32 for guided tours the ONE day, this coming Thursday from 10am- to 1pm.


I am going down there at 9am because my SF dentist needs to see me, a back tooth just fell out, ahead of a crown job scheduled next month. First such disaster in my life. < groans >

Seeing the warship is my treat afterwards; I hope I can find my digicam in time..


Back in 1990 just before the end of communism, the Soviet fleet docked in SF at the Embarcadero, for a week. I went on board with a bag of USA souvenirs, and some booze. I palmed the the Captain of one of the boats a big bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila.

You should have seen his eyes!!! He could not speak English but said WAIT!! And he brought me a bottle of inexpensive Russian vodka, which I kept for years, till ex wifey stole it along with all the rest of my liquor collection and everything else she could grab.


IF I CAN FIND THE CAMERA I will post pic's here....

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Now tha is a cool story Jim.

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Greg Schwall

1983 300SD - 465,000 miles

Well, I didn't know they were involved in our Civil War, but I knew somehow we got entangled in theirs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entente_intervention_in_the_Russian_Civil_War

...probably didn't sit too well with the eventual winner...

Jim B- cool story. I would really like to see that ship. Please post some pix if they don't confiscate your camera...

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

for those of you who found this ship interesting, here is some more Bay Area - Russian news.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100623/NEWS/100629836/1350

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So, I went to SF to meet see this Russian ship... I saw it, from the Pier
I was waiting in line with every person in SF. there were a lot of Russian people, and ex military people. it was an interesting crowd. I spent 3 hours with them.



I called Jim B who was still at the dentist, and told him to join us. He called about 30min later and told us he was there and looking for us. I didn't see him for a while so I called him again. Jim had managed to use his Ninja Skills and walk right past the line of thousands and get through the Russian security guys and was about the go on bored the ship! I told him, "go for it!" he was one of the lucky ones, because after waiting in line for 3 hours this guy came out and told us the ship was closed.


We did get to see some of the Russian sailors, who were truly enjoying San Francisco.



As the crowd was dispersing I met up with Jim.



Jim took us on a cruise through SF in his Mercury, which was quite comfy, and preformed very well when it came to getting around the city. I can see now why they are cabs and cop cars. Jim is a pro when it comes to SF. we must have drove around for 2 hours, and never once did we get stopped in traffic. we saw the side of SF that only someone with experience in that city would know.

Haight - Ashbury


Lombard St.


the flat iron building


Dianne Feinstein's house


All in all it was a fun day. Thanks Jim!!!

Here are some pictures of the Russian ship from the Pier.

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Russia briefly had a fort on the island of Kauai, well before the US annexed the Hawaiian Islands.

Interesting and awesome pictures!

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hum.....
1987 300TD 311,000M Stolen. Presumed destroyed

As Nik said, I did a mean thing, (I absolutely HATE IT when people do this !!) but I "jumped the queue", sneaked in at the front of the line, and got in and got onto the boat. But then again, I came from about 3 hours away too...like many others did...

The news of its arrival, only briefly mentioned in the SF Chronicle, it was brought here by Russian President Medeyev in connection with his trip to nearby Silicon Vally Ca to drum up business there, days before, and news of the boat, being in SF for a couple of days, but ONLY for visiting by Americans, from 10-1 the day we were there, must have spread like wildfire in the Russian communities, for it brought out every single Russian in San Francisco and West Sacramento, waiting in the line, and once on the boat mostly Russian was spoken by sailors and visitors alike.

Security was SUPER tight; Russian security was heavy; the SFPD had about 6 people at the gate and actully individually wanded EVERY single visitor and their bags and you had to show ID at the gate before you could get in.

The US NCIS ("Naval Criminal Investigative Service") was there in force too, up from san Diego in force (undercover) <----Which I know because they had parked their cars (new Buicks, Chryslers, Mercury's, some of them rented, one identical to mine with the almost same License number, so it was an Avis rental) on gthe dock, and the NCIS placards on the dash.


The visit was complicated further because there was only ONE steep gangplank, VERY hard to climb, up and down, for the visitors, especially older people and litle children. Only one person could go up or down at a time, so getting up or down it, required one way traffic, each way.

And the Russian ones that got on, stayed on board way too long, but wanted to gab in Russian to the Russian officers, who were eager to talk to them in Russian, also.

So all in all it was a general cluster**** except for a few like me that cheated.

But you could mostly only just walk around the perimeter of the deck, and see up close what the picures Nik took, depict. The helicopter on the stern had the rotors folded back like a ducks wings. The gun barrels were plugged with soviet stars, so we were safe!!

Everything was spit shined and all brass was polished, so unlike the warships in 1990 where everything was run down and you could walk around inside the boat.

I saw some Russian sailors shopping in Chinatown before I got to the boat, on my way from the Dentist, so they were lucky to get shore leave along with the officers. But it was short, as the boat sailed for Russian waters the next day. They spent heavily judging from what I saw..

It was a typical San Francisco day, cold and foggy, so unlike Nik and friends, that came in t shirts and shorts from HOT Sacramento, I had on a jacket, and long jeans, because I know SF can get chilly in summer, and almost freezing on the boat in the water.

Though I been down there a couple of days earlier with this girl I like and it was much sunnier and warmer.


So Nik and the crew all piled into my newly acquired '09 ex-Avis rental Mercury Grand Marquis, and went to lunch at SF's most famous Burrito place "Tacqueria Cancun" and stuffed our faces with really good really cheap Burritos, and then toured SF in "Zbigniew Mercury" - our upscale taxicab for the day -




..where I showed them Noe Valley, Glen Park, Twin Peaks, Upper Terrace with the landmark obelisk that marks the geographical center of the city, Ashbury Terraces with the huge houses, the Haight, Presidio Terrace (where Sen Feinstein resides), Pacific Heights, where the consulates are, the richest place, in SF, Fort Point, (UNDER the Golden Gate Bridge, where I had had my wedding pic's (some of them) shot, then through the Marina to Little Italy, Russian Hill, and a few other places. (SOOOO much to see in SF)


It was a surprise and a LOT of fun to be contacted by another {each Parts member and do a little tour of SF with them.

I felt pretty bad they missed being on the Russian warboat, after coming all that way in waiting so long in the line in bad weather.

I really love SF and was so glad to give Nik & Co. a quick tour of my birthplace city and where I mostly lived till a few years ago. I hope in some small part it made up for missing the chance to board the Russkie warship.

SF is a fun place to be, I love the place, and I go back quite a lot.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)