0:00:02 > 0:00:07I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:07 > 0:00:10with my faithful Appleton's guide.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18it will direct me to everything that's novel, beautiful...
0:00:19 > 0:00:21..memorable and curious...
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- ..in the United States. ALL:- Yee-ha!
0:00:25 > 0:00:30As I travel through this vast continent, I'll discover gold
0:00:30 > 0:00:36and silver, movies and microchips, oil and oranges,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and learn how America's most famous railroad
0:00:39 > 0:00:42conquered the wild landscapes of the West.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29I continue to explore San Francisco
0:01:29 > 0:01:32using one of the city's many transport systems.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37These streetcars, not to be confused with the more famous cable cars,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41represent a moving museum of vintage vehicles.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45They've been acquired from far-off places, from Philadelphia,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Minneapolis, Hamburg, and Milan.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51This one has signs written in Italian.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56They all seem at home here now, in a city whose transport is as diverse
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and exotic as its population.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09My route has taken me over the Sierra Nevada Mountains,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12via the wineries of the Napa Valley
0:02:12 > 0:02:15to today's destination, San Francisco.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20From here, I'll travel inland to the majestic natural beauty of Yosemite
0:02:20 > 0:02:24National Park. I'll return to the Pacific coast, and head south,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27visiting Monterey and San Luis Obispo,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31en route to the City of Angels, Los Angeles.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35My final destination, just north of the Mexican border,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37will be San Diego.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Today, I begin in San Francisco's famous Chinatown.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49I'll explore the city, before taking in the ocean view at Land's End,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53returning to finish on the calmer waters in San Francisco Bay.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Along the way, I'm branded with misfortune by a fortune cookie...
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Argh! My hands are burning! Ow! Ow!
0:03:03 > 0:03:07..I learn of an extraordinary 19th century civil rights case...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10It was in all the newspapers that an African-American would have
0:03:10 > 0:03:13the audacity to sue one of the most politically-connected,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16richest families in Northern California for discrimination.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20..and turn my hand to handball.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24I'm going to have a cardiac arrest!
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I'll leave my heart in San Francisco!
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Appleton's tells me that there are about 30,000 Chinese
0:04:03 > 0:04:05in San Francisco.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10In the Chinese quarter, they hold undisputed possession of several
0:04:10 > 0:04:15blocks, and the houses are crammed from sub-cellar to attic.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Today Chinatown is a major tourist attraction,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20and a culinary hub,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22but I get the impression that in Appleton's day,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26even the Chinese who had built the Transcontinental Railroad
0:04:26 > 0:04:28were not treated well.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01Chinatown is located between the mansions of Nob Hill and the
0:05:01 > 0:05:05financial district, and is the oldest Chinatown in North America,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08dating back to the mid-19th century.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25I've arranged to meet Sue Lee,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28of the Chinese Historical Society of America.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Sue, here we are in the centre of Chinatown, and yet
0:05:33 > 0:05:36this plaque tells us that the first American flag in San Francisco
0:05:36 > 0:05:38was raised here. Tell me about that.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Well, in 1846, the US wanted California as a state,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47so John Montgomery of the USS Portsmouth planted the American flag
0:05:47 > 0:05:53here in July 1846 to assert US authority in this territory.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56When were the Chinese first attracted to San Francisco
0:05:56 > 0:05:59- in numbers?- Large numbers of Chinese began to come to California when
0:05:59 > 0:06:02they heard about the Gold Rush.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And so the Chinese population exploded in 1851.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09So did they immediately settle in this area?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12This was the part of San Francisco that was closest to where the ships
0:06:12 > 0:06:16landed and so, as the Chinese came off the ships, they would
0:06:16 > 0:06:20come up to Portsmouth Square and they would find lodging around
0:06:20 > 0:06:24the square. So this is where Chinatown began.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Further waves of Chinese were attracted to build
0:06:26 > 0:06:29the Transcontinental Railroad, is that right?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32The Chinese were recruited to come to build the Central Pacific
0:06:32 > 0:06:37Railroad, which is the western portion of the Transcontinental.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41And 12,000-15,000 Chinese worked on that railroad.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And without the Chinese, it wouldn't have been completed in record time.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Chinese labourers did the dangerous work of blasting through
0:06:49 > 0:06:52the treacherous terrain of the High Sierra Mountains.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Receiving lower wages than their white counterparts,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01they also had to pay for food, accommodation and tools -
0:07:01 > 0:07:03things the white workers were given free.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13So once the Chinese have built the railroads,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- how they treated by the Americans? - They were treated very poorly.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18They were discriminated against.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- Why?- You know, Chinese have always been seen as perpetual foreigners.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25They dressed differently, they spoke a different language.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30And then in 1882, the US Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act,
0:07:30 > 0:07:36which specifically banned the immigration of Chinese labourers.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38And how long was that on the statute book?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The Chinese Exclusion Act lasted 61 years,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and would not be repealed until 1943.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Which is quite shocking.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58In the 19th century, white labour feared the Chinese,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00partly because they worked so hard.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03And here, in every nook and cranny, there is a business.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05The Chinese community is so entrepreneurial.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Some making cookies. And some, I dare say, making fortunes.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19In business since 1962, the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company
0:08:19 > 0:08:22has foretold millions of fortunes.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25I'm intrigued to learn mine.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- Hello, Kevin. I'm Michael. - Hey, how are you?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Very nice to see you. So, you're making huge numbers
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- of fortune cookies. - Yeah, 15,000 per day.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- 15,000!- Hand-folded. - Do they have to be hand-folded?
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Hand-fold, we are the old school, original.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Do you want to see your fortune of the day?- Yes, I'd love to.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45What does it say?
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It says...
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Your colourful character will take you far!
0:08:50 > 0:08:52- Colourful!- Yes, nice colour.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Where does the fortune cookie come from?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- San Francisco creation. - Really? Not from China, then?
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- No such thing.- If you ask for a fortune cookie in China,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02they will look at you, like... What are you talking about?
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- Is it easy to fold them? - Oh, yeah, for me it's easy.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- Do you want to try? Do you want to go on?- Sure, I'd like to.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Thank you very much.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Now, how do I start? Take up the fortune.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19The fortune and put it in the middle and fold it down.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21OK, that doesn't look too difficult.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Wow, it's hot!
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- Like that?- OK, fold.- Oh, you've got to do it quickly because it's...
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Argh! My hands are burning!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Ow, ow!
0:09:33 > 0:09:37Four second, if you can't get it done, it goes to the waste can.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Ah, ah, ah! Ouch!
0:09:41 > 0:09:44This is absolutely impossible because they are just so hot.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47You can't hold on to them for long enough to complete the job.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49OK, just one more go.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Fold!
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- What are you making, wonton?! Let me show you.- All right.- OK.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Kevin, you are incredibly fast, but you must have asbestos fingers.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13- No more feelings. Numb. - Your thumbs are numb, are they?
0:10:13 > 0:10:15- No more.- Yes, I can imagine.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And the reason why the lady wears the gloves, those are silk gloves.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Gloves of silk. You cannot use rubber because they will melt.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25You didn't offer me any silk gloves, I notice!
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Because I thought you were a tough man, so you've got it!
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Well, now you know the truth! I'll let you get on with your work.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Thank you very much. Colourful. - Colourful, that's me.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38As well as being an important area of commerce,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42Chinatown is also a distinctive community,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45where language, culture and traditions are preserved.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- Hello.- Yes? - Sorry to interrupt you.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Are you part of this school here?
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Oh, yes. We are teaching the Chinese martial art.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The more they do it like that, so they get used.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Something comes up and they automatically move forward.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17So, for instance, if I try to attack you, what's your...?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- Oh! Right!- I just go ahead, just like that.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- OK.- That's very effective.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26You bring your hand up, OK, like this, OK?
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Just don't think of anything.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33If you stay there, lay there, you will feel heavier.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38And when you feel heavier, your mind says, no, I've got to keep it up,
0:11:38 > 0:11:42keep it up. That means your body is strong,
0:11:42 > 0:11:46you get stronger, see? You get stronger, you see.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- That's it. Simple.- First lesson, first lesson.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51You're learning so fast!
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- Thank you so much! - Enjoy.- Thank you.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Leaving Chinatown,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07I'm guided by a reference in my Appleton's to the Olympic Club,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09which is just a few blocks away.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Established in 1860,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16it's one of the oldest private athletic clubs in America.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Early members include writer Mark Twain and Transcontinental Railroad
0:12:20 > 0:12:24tycoons Charles Crocker and Leland Stanford.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27There are facilities for many sports,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30including one I've never played before.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Handball. I'm meeting one of the sport's top players, Emmett Peixot.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37Nice shot.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- Emmett.- Yeah.- Hello. - How's it going?- I'm Michael.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Nice to see you, Michael.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I hadn't anticipated finding handball in San Francisco.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Who brought it to the city?
0:12:51 > 0:12:56It was the Irish that actually brought handball to the city, around
0:12:56 > 0:12:571850 or so, and from there on out,
0:12:57 > 0:12:59it started to become more and more popular.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02How far back does the game go, do you know?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05The earliest mention is in Greek poetry back BC.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10So it's a very old sport. There's definitely a lot of public
0:13:10 > 0:13:14mentions of the sport in the 1400s and 1500s in the UK.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17In principle, each player is meant to hit the ball in turn, is that right?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20That's correct, yeah. So one player hits, the next person hits,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23very much like tennis, a similar strategy to tennis as well.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Right. I'm rather long in the tooth myself, I'm well into my 60s,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31but I'm slightly encouraged cos I see some of your players here, well,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33are probably even a little bit older than I am.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37That's right. We have a list of players that are well over 80.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Absolutely amazing.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42The secret to eternal youth! I need to investigate.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Hi, guys.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- May I interrupt a moment?- Sure.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50So how long have you been playing handball?
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Erm, 70 years.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- Seven zero years I've played in.. - 70 years!
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I played in boarding school in Sydney, the Christian Brothers,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- they had a court there from Ireland. - I've just been doing the arithmetic.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06You've been playing 70 years, you started when you were a teenager,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08you are in your mid-80s?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- 84!- What's the great attraction of this sport?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Why do you go on and on with this? - Number one is conditioning,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17it keeps you going and keeps your mind going, as well as your body.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And the number two is camaraderie. Because no matter what you do,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23they'll never let you be proud of it. They'll just insult you every time!
0:14:23 > 0:14:26And that mentally is very refreshing.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Inspired by these guys, I'm going to take on Emmett.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Emmett has been singles champion one, two, three,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11, 12...
0:14:46 > 0:14:5012 times. I don't think the result of this match is in doubt.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- So here I am, Emmett. - How's it going?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Now, do you have any general words of advice for me?
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Yes, the most important thing to remember is never take your eye off the ball.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Even when I'm hitting the ball, never take your eye off the ball.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13- The second most important thing to remember is move your feet as much as you can.- Good to go!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- OK, so how do we start this? - You're going to swing low to high.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22So you're going to get a little lower with your knees, just like that. Now, watch that ball.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Your goal is to try and hit it right there in your hand, OK?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Drop, step, swing.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Wow! Nice shot.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32There you go.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Yeah! And that's actually...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36You won the point on that one. Here you go.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45A serve must hit the front wall first,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48after which players hit the ball in turn, without letting it bounce
0:15:48 > 0:15:50more than once.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56The first to score 21 points wins the game.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Good, move those feet. That's perfect. Nice shot.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03You!
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Nice.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Excellent, that's a perfect pass.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19- Nice shot.- Phew, I'm going to have a cardiac arrest.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I'll leave my heart in San Francisco!
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I'm ending my day in Nob Hill,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39a neighbourhood that in the 19th century became a favoured spot
0:16:39 > 0:16:42for rich tycoons, such as Mark Hopkins,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45a financier of the Central Pacific Railroad.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51I'm getting a sundowner at the panoramic top floor bar
0:16:51 > 0:16:53of his eponymous hotel.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58Mark Hopkins built an extraordinary Gothic mansion,
0:16:58 > 0:17:01here at the top of Nob Hill. It was made entirely of redwood,
0:17:01 > 0:17:07and not surprisingly, it perished in the earthquake and fire of 1906.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09But this hotel was built in its place,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and it bears the name of Mark Hopkins.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And this bar is one of the great destinations in San Francisco.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And it's called Top Of The Mark. And top of the evening to you.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54This morning I'm making my way out of town to an area
0:17:54 > 0:17:57known in the 19th century as the Outside Lands.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Appleton's urges me to visit the beautiful park surrounding
0:18:04 > 0:18:08the residence of Adolph Sutro, called Sutro Heights.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13To the right of the Cliff House are public baths, established by
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Adolph Sutro and water is drawn direct from the ocean.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19But in this beautiful place, an ugly incident occurred.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23And as so often in American history, it had to do with race.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I'm travelling to the western side of the peninsular on which
0:18:31 > 0:18:35San Francisco sits, to a place known as Land's End.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Overlooking the Pacific Ocean,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42it's the sight referred to in my Appleton's,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45but what he described is no longer there.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54I'm meeting National Parks Ranger Rick Penn.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01What an amazingly beautiful spot.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Rick, we're looking down on what I suppose are the ruins
0:19:09 > 0:19:13of the great Sutro Baths. What sort of facilities were there here?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Sutro was a hydraulic engineer,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17and he could manipulate water like no-one.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20That's how he made his millions of dollars, not so much as a gold
0:19:20 > 0:19:24miner, but someone who provided the equipment for other people to get
0:19:24 > 0:19:25gold or silver out of the ground.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29He built four different pools, which were flooded by the ocean.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34And one of the quotes in the San Francisco Examiner from 1897 said,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37"Not since the glory days of Rome have there been baths like these."
0:19:40 > 0:19:45As well as the swimming pools, the vast complex housed restaurants,
0:19:45 > 0:19:50a museum, and viewing platforms to accommodate thousands of people.
0:19:53 > 0:19:54The baths were open to the public,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57but what was meant by "the public" in the 1890s?
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Even though the newspaper article said that this was a gift to all
0:20:01 > 0:20:04of San Francisco, I don't think the Chinese-Americans got the memo
0:20:04 > 0:20:07on that, or the African-Americans, or the Mexicans,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10because people of colour could come to the baths and they could go
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and have a drink or a Sarsaparilla and view the sights,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16but when it came to getting a swimsuit and going to swim,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19they were denied that. And because of that denial,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23a small fledgling group in San Francisco of African-Americans sued
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- Adolph Sutro.- Tell me about this discrimination case, then.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Oh, the John Harris versus Adolph Sutro case was a big deal in 1897.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32It was in all the newspapers,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35that an African-American would have the audacity to sue one of the most
0:20:35 > 0:20:39politically-connected, richest families in Northern California for
0:20:39 > 0:20:41discrimination at the Sutro Baths.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Across the United States,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47segregation had become the law of the land.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48But in 1897,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52the relatively freethinking state of California passed
0:20:52 > 0:20:56the Dibble Civil Rights Act which prohibited discrimination
0:20:56 > 0:21:01in restaurants, bathhouses, public transport and movie theatres.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06It was this legislation that formed the basis of the John Harris' case.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08What was the incident that led to the case?
0:21:08 > 0:21:12John Harris had come to Sutro Baths with a couple of friends.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16They were white Americans. And they wanted to go and swim in the baths.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19So they paid for their ticket, and when they went to get their bathing suit,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22the attendant would give the bathing suit to the two Irish-Americans,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25but not to John Harris. And they refused him.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30Harris was embarrassed and he left and went back to his organisation,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and they asked him to go back again on July 4th,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35a very patriotic day in American history.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39He did go, he got rebuffed again, and then they decided they were
0:21:39 > 0:21:41going to sue the Adolph Sutro organisation
0:21:41 > 0:21:46- and Sutro Baths for 10,000. - What was the result of the trial?
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The jury heard the evidence, but the jury even asked the judge,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52"Do we have to follow the law?"
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And the judge said, "Of course you have to follow the law!"
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And so they said, we hold for the plaintiff, he was discriminated against.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01Now, when it came to the actual money,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05the jury went back to the judge and said, "How little can we give him?"
0:22:05 > 0:22:08And the judge says, "Well, according to the law,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10"no less than 50 per incident."
0:22:10 > 0:22:14So they gave him 100, not the 10,000.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17But a precedent had been set, and this story, I think,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20is more than just a legacy of beautiful ruins,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23but something that came out of the ruins that is alive today
0:22:23 > 0:22:25and with us today.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31California's somewhat progressive civil rights laws would,
0:22:31 > 0:22:37almost 70 years later, inform the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40which is still on the statute books today.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55When San Francisco exploded as a city
0:22:55 > 0:22:58on the back of the 1849 Gold Rush,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01it had to establish civil institutions rapidly.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07The San Francisco Police Department was founded in the same year.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11And in 1864, a Marine Division was added.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17150 years later, policing has continued to adapt.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I've arranged a rendezvous with Sergeant Daniel Laval.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Dan, what is your police boat doing along there by the walls?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32So right now they're running along the pier face and they're conducting
0:23:32 > 0:23:36a sonar sweep. And this particular sonar is a three-dimensional sonar.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41- Well, they're coming ashore now. Shall we look at what they've captured?- Absolutely.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- Hello, guys.- Hello.- How you doing?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53This is Officer Mopar, Officer Mathe.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- Nice to meet you. - Good to see you both.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- What are you looking for?- If we have any of our Navy ships coming into
0:23:59 > 0:24:02town, like we'll be having Fleet Week coming up soon,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05what we'll do is we'll do a sweep of the pier, and we
0:24:05 > 0:24:08keep records of what they looked like last year to what they look
0:24:08 > 0:24:12like this year. And if we see any thing that's different or looks out
0:24:12 > 0:24:16of place, then we can forward that over to our bomb techs, and then they'll take a look at it.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19And if they determine they need to go underwater to take a look at it,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21they will. It just gives you an amazing,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24it's almost a picture-quality image of what's going on down there.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I'm astonished by how good these images are.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Oh, it's an unbelievable tool that can help keep the port safe.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32Good work.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37It's not just the harbour that they inspect.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40They're charged with protecting the whole bay,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43which they've been patrolling since the 1860s.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47I'm taking to the water with Officer Stephen Hogan to see how this
0:24:47 > 0:24:51strategically important port has been defended over the years.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Steve, when you get out on the water like this and you see the bay,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01you begin to realise why the San Francisco Police has a Marine Division.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04It must be a pretty important part of what you do.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Well, we have certain things, whether it's drug interdiction,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and just generally regulating commerce in the area.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13One of our main missions is search and rescue, of course.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16This must have been an area heavily fortified over the centuries.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18From the beginning of the settlement,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21this has always been a focal point for any kind of coastal defence or
0:25:21 > 0:25:25defence of San Francisco Bay. Especially in the 1850s.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28That's when most of the major fortifications were built in this area.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32And the fort that we see here under the Golden Gate Bridge, what's that?
0:25:32 > 0:25:38- That's Fort Point, and that was built and finished in the early 1860s.- During the Civil War,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42I suppose there was some perceived threat to San Francisco?
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Definitely. The Confederacy could potentially raid any gold
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- deposits here.- The gold, of course, was valuable to San Francisco,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52but also essential to the Union victory.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Definitely. This is kind of a bank or reserve for the Union Army.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Yes, so there's quite a lot to defend.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Definitely. It's always been a very wealthy port here.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04All these batteries, all these gun emplacements.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07But I suppose they were never fired in anger, were they?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10No, nobody ever fired a shot here in anger, thankfully.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- But the motto was, be prepared. - It's always be prepared.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15It still is be prepared today.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29And now we pass under this amazingly iconic bridge,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34with its familiar rust red colour, built, what, in the 1930s, was it?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Yes, it was completed actually in 1937.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39And that colour is known as International Orange.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42I'm dressed for the occasion!
0:27:00 > 0:27:04San Francisco began as a cosmopolitan melting pot,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and is today famously respectful of diversity.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13But it's been a hilly journey. California joined the USA
0:27:13 > 0:27:17as an anti-slavery state, not so much because it was liberal,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21but because white workers feared being undercut by free labour.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26The John Harris case was about segregation in this city,
0:27:26 > 0:27:31and the law expressly discriminated against Chinese people.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35Even San Francisco, the City of Love,
0:27:35 > 0:27:40has been unable to avoid the racism which has poisoned the United States
0:27:40 > 0:27:41since their foundation.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Next time, foundations are rocked...
0:27:50 > 0:27:51The earthquake has begun.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Wow!
0:27:53 > 0:27:56An incredibly sharp jolt that time.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00..I try not to lose my footing...
0:28:00 > 0:28:02- You scared of heights?- Yes!
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Does the rope make it all the way to the ground?
0:28:05 > 0:28:06I don't know that!
0:28:07 > 0:28:09..and end up in a flat spin.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Turning this two-tonne beast is hard work!