Part of the hull and rudder of the whaling ship Niantic, also on display at the Maritime Museum. The ship carried prospectors and settlers to California for the Gold Rush; once arriving in San Francisco, the crew left to try their luck. The Captain, bowing to the economic realities, had the ship grounded and pulled ashore, sacrificed her masts and yards as supports to keep the hull upright, and turned it into a storehouse and hotel.

Reuse/repurpose/recycle - not a bad strategy, eh?

It's an interesting story, so here's the wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niant.....haling_vessel)

You know something?

I think it's time I hiked up to Ghirardelli Square and had some lunch.