Barge 1

George Schneider (Email to Nauticapedia 07/12/2021) stated "PACIFIC RESPONDER and the other MSRC vessels are using one of two outfitting piers remaining from the Kaiser Shipyard. The other pier is occupied by Foss. Their headquarters is on BARGE 1 (271019). This is no ordinary barge. There's now a steel belt around her waterline, but she's a concrete barge from WWII. This vessel was built by Concrete Ship Constructors of National City CA, at the site that later became the San Diego reserve fleet and now is the southern portion of the Naval Station. This vessel was a Maritime Commission vessel, designated B5-BJ3. The B5's were essentially duplicates of the Navy's steel YFNB and APL hulls. This was one of two completed as machine shop barges for the Army, and originally designated FMS 1. This vessel also seemed to be known by her Maritime Commission name CERIUM. This vessel was sold in 1956, and picked up by Pacific Towboat & Salvage Company of Long Beach to be their repair shop. Foss bought PT&S, and eventually moved the barge to Richmond. Although the concrete hulls built in a hurry during our wars had the reputation of cracking and breaking up easily, those that survived continue to cure, and at this point the concrete hull on a vessel like BARGE 1 is almost indestructible."