Historical Timeline
1892
In 1892, seventeen year old Thomas Crowley launched the first of many companies which would one day be a fixture of the San Francisco Bay. Using $80 he had saved, he purchased a used Whitehall boat, and in so doing entered the competitive boating business of the time. His inaugural boat was just eighteen feet long and less than five feet wide, and he rowed it alone through the waters of the bay. Tom, like other boatmen in the area, transported not only miscellaneous goods and supplies, but also professionals whose work relied upon such travel. Serving the ship traffic twenty-four hours a day, Tom soon expanded his fleet to three Whitehalls.


1906
Reinvesting his profits brought by the Whitehalls, Crowley soon bought several gas-powered launches which were bigger, faster and more efficient than those upon which he had previously relied. This new company was incorporated in 1906, and was to be called the Crowley Launch and Tugboat Company. During the 1906 earthquake the fleet transported some of the coin and dollar deposits for the Bank of Italy (now the Bank of America) vault from the burning City of San Francisco in milk cans to the Berkeley Pier. There was just one escort as the Bank did not want to call attention to all this cash. Needless to say, we had no problems and customer expectations were exceeded! However, in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, many ferry services halted their operations. Crowley’s operations not only continued, but in fact increased, as his boats continually crossed the bay carrying people and their belongings from the battered streets of San Francisco. One of his launches actually anchored in the middle of the Bay, full of securities from several damaged banks. Tom Crowley, through these times, continued the expansion of his business. With his purchase of the Piper-Aden company he now controlled a fleet of scow-schooners, boats made specifically for the trafficking of materials such as grain, lumber and sand. Simultaneously, he entered into the tugboat business, competing with much larger companies such as Shipowners and Merchants Tugboat Company.
1913
In 1913, planning started for the Panama Pacific International Exposition, a World’s Fair to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. Crowley Launch and Tugboat Company played an integral role in the execution of the event, offering up manpower and equipment as supplies were taken to the Exposition. It also was Crowley’s first attempt at offering excursions on San Francisco Bay to visitors of the fair. This included exclusive sightseeing excursions via ferry to the U.S. Battleship Oregon, which at the time docked in the bay. Two double-deck boats, the Crowley 17 and Crowley 18, were constructed for this purpose.

