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SAN FRANCISCO — There’s no better way to get a feel for nautical history than on the water, and there may be no better place to do it than San Francisco Bay. 

The bay offers dozens of floating museums from the behemoth USS Hornet aircraft carrier in Oakland to tiny, century-old fishing vessels in San Francisco. 

Maritime National Historical Park in San Francisco has one of the largest collections of historic ships in the world, including a popular, relatively new arrival, the USS Pampanito, a World War II submarine. 

“I believe ours is the largest collection in the world,” says Darlene Plumtree of the Maritime Park Association. “No matter how you measure it — by tonnage or number of vessels — I’m pretty sure the Hyde Street exhibit is the biggest anywhere.” 

At the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf, the exhibit has more than 100 ships and boats. In addition to the Pampanito, the Maritime Park’s large attractions include the Balclutha, an 1886 full-rigged sailing ship, schooners, ferries and tugboats from the late 1800s. 

San Francisco may have the largest collection, but Oakland has the biggest boat. 

The USS Hornet, an Essex-class aircraft carrier docked at the former Alameda Naval Air Station, is a floating community, staffed by 3,500 sailors during its working years, now a combination museum, dance hall and public meeting house in its retirement. 

The Hornet played a part in three of the most significant events of the 20th century: World War II, the Apollo space mission and the Vietnam War. 

The USS Hornet is the eighth warship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name Hornet, a tradition that started in 1775. 

On the main visitor level not far from the museum entrance a sign says: “Neil Armstrong’s first footsteps on earth after walking on the moon.” 

On July 24, 1969, the Hornet scooped the Apollo 11 space capsule and the first men to walk on the moon, Armstong and Buzz Aldrin, out of the sea when they returned to earth. 

Several aircraft are on display on the hangar deck and occasionally make it to the flight deck aboard the only working plane elevator remaining on an Essex-class carrier. The Hornet stages living ship demonstrations during which former crew members show what life aboard a working ship was like. 

During its working days, the action on the Hornet centered in two spots — the flight deck where planes were catapulted into the air and landed again, and the combat information center, the dark nerve center that kept track of the action. 

“This room could generate a lot of tension,” said Bill Lewis, a pilot who flew off similar carriers during World War II and now volunteers as a docent on the Hornet. 

“The CIC was really the heart and the brains of what these carriers were trying to accomplish,” Lewis said. 

During World War II, the first Hornet aircraft carrier served as the stage for Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle and 16 B-25 bombers that bombed Tokyo in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Hornet was sunk six months later at the Battle of Santa Cruz. The next and current carrier Hornet was commissioned in 1943 and launched bombers and fighters during World War II. 

In Vietnam and during the Cold War, the Hornet served more as a submarine tracker and intelligence gatherer. 

Visiting the Hornet is like a walk on the wide open plains, plenty of fresh air, room to stretch. 

The Navy’s counterpart in terms of room to stretch is the USS Pampanito sub. 

“It’s a little cramped, it always smells of diesel, and when you’re under way it’s extremely noisy, but you talk to sub vets and you’ll hear them say that’s really the only way to go to sea,” said John Scalzi, who served on a boat similar to the Pampanito in the Vietnam war. 

The Pampanito is one of the last diesel-powered subs. Modern boats are powered by nuclear reactors. 

Scalzi, who served six years on diesel subs in the 1960s and ’70s, said his time underwater was the most significant time in his life. 

In addition to veterans like Lewis on the Hornet and Scalzi on the Pampanito, whose experience lends credence to museum tours, many boats offer audio and video programs as well. The Pampanito’s self-guided audio tour is excellent, with interviews of crew members woven artfully between music and radio broadcasts. 

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If You Go ... 

GENERAL AND TICKET INFORMATION: 

— San Francisco Maritime Museum, 900 Beach Street, at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf. The museum is part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park that includes the fleet at Hyde Street Pier. SF Maritime National Historic Park: (415) 556-3002 

— USS Pampanito, World War II submarine, and SS Jeremiah O’Brien, last active survivor of 1944 D-Day invasion of Europe, Pier 45, Fisherman’s Wharf. USS Pampanito: (415) 561-6662. SS Jeremiah O’Brien: (415) 441-3101. 

— USS Hornet, moored at Alameda Point, formerly Alameda Naval Air Station, Oakland. USS Hornet: (510) 521-8448. 

ON THE NET: 

— San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park: www.nps.gov/safr 

— USS Pampanito and other vessels: www.maritime.org 

— SS Jeremiah O’Brien: www.ssjeremiahobrien.com 

— USS Hornet: www.uss-hornet.org