Sea Captains: San Francisco 1800s

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James Ransom Rideout

May 7, 1899, Marysville Appeal, Marysville, California

Captain Rideout Dead

Succumbs to an Attack of Pneumonia at Sausalito

San Francisco Bay. 1899.

Captain James Ransom Rideout, a former resident of Marysville, died at his home in Sausalito on Thursday, regretted by his many friends and acquaintances.

Captain Rideout was a native of Maine and 71 years of age, and was a brother of N. D. Rideout and Benjamin Rideout of San Francisco, of Mrs. Justus Greely of Marysville, and of Mrs. Thresher of Stockton.

When he lived in this city in early days he had a residence in the First Ward, and was very popular with his fellow citizens.

Deceased was elected County Treasurer in 1867 and took charge of his office in March, 1868, and held the office for one term, two years. J. Fred Eastman was his deputy, and afterwards succeeded him as Treasurer.

For many years Mr. Rideout was Captain of the freight and passenger boats that ran up the Sacramento and Feather Rivers.

He leaves a wife, two sons, and a daughter, who is a renowned sculptor, to mourn his demise. He was a man of genial impulses, and possessed of many sterling traits of character, and was always ready to give a helping hand to a friend. His death resulted from a severe attack of pneumonia.

The internment will take place at Sausalito today.

The Great Ocean: Pacific Worlds from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush
David Igler 
The Pacific of the early eighteenth century was a place of baffling complexity, with 25,000 islands and seemingly endless continental shorelines. But with the voyages of Captain James Cook, global attention turned to the Pacific, and European and American dreams of scientific exploration, trade, and empire grew dramatically. By the time of the California gold rush, the Pacific's many shores were fully integrated into world markets-and world consciousness. The Great Ocean draws on hundreds of documented voyages as a window into the commercial, cultural, and ecological upheavals following Cook's exploits, focusing in particular on the eastern Pacific in the decades between the 1770s and the 1840s. Beginning with the expansion of trade as seen via the travels of William Shaler, captain of the American Brig Lelia Byrd, historian David Igler uncovers a world where voyagers, traders, hunters, and native peoples met one another in episodes often marked by violence and tragedy.

The Authority to Sail: The History of U.S. Maritime Licenses and Seamen's Papers
Robert Stanley Bates, George Marsh (Editor), John F. Whiteley (Forward) (Batek Marine Publishing, 2011; Nominated in 2012 for a Pulitzer Prize)
This book depicts important aspects of our maritime history as a result of original research done by the author, Commodore Bates, the holder of an unlimited master's license who has enjoyed a distinguished fifty-year career in both the Coast Guard and the American Merchant Marine.

The U.S. Coast Guard issues all Captain Licenses for U.S. Ports.
Note: Other countries have different regulations, i.e. the RYA (Royal Yachting Association), conducts certification for Britain and Ireland. As of 2011, they did not recognize the USCG certification; certification through their courses was required.

Master Unlimited is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of a vessel any gross tons. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws. All persons on board, including officers and crew, other shipboard staff members, passengers, guests and pilots, are under the captain's authority and are his or her ultimate responsibility. The STCW defines the Master as Person having command of the ship.

The Sea Chart
The Illustrated History of Nautical Maps and Navigational Charts

John Blake
The sea chart was one of the key tools by which ships of trade, transport and conquest navigated their course across the oceans. Herein is a history and development of the chart and the related nautical map, in both scientific and aesthetic terms, as a means of safe and accurate seaborne navigation. 150 color illustrations including the earliest charts of the Mediterranean made by 13th-century Italian merchant adventurers, as well as 18th-century charts that became strategic naval and commercial requirements and led to Cook's voyages in the Pacific, the search for the Northwest Passage, and races to the Arctic and Antarctic.

Get Your Captain's License. Fifth Edition
Charlie Wing
Considered the quickest, easiest, and least expensive way to prepare for the U.S. Coast Guard captain's ratings exams required for anyone who takes paying passengers on a boat, and useful for serious boaters who want to save money on insurance. 350 pages of seamanship and navigation tutorials. More than 1,500 questions and answers from the Coast Guard exams. Includes an interactive CD-ROM with all 14,000 questions and answers in the USCG database, so you can take an unlimited number of practice exams