Lynn Korwatch

Lynn Korwatch is the executive director of Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region. This is a nonprofit membership organization that was established in the year 1849 and is the second oldest organization in California. It is the second oldest corporation in California. Lynn Korwatch joined the California Maritime Academy in 1972, and she was one of the few first class women to join. In 1988, she was the first woman ever to command a United States commercial vessel. As a general manager at Matson Navigation Company, she held many responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities included managing the operation of fourteen ships that were owned by this company. Another achievement she was responsible for was helping to create the "Zero Garbage Discharge Program". This was helpful in not being able to throw away waste over board that contained any solid materials. This is seen as monumental because it was seen as the first of its kind and was exceeding all of the government regulations at the time.

The Maritime Exchange company was an agency which would announce the arrival of ships to ports in San Francisco. The reason for the upbringing of the company was because of the Gold Rush which began in 1848 and brought a lot of foreign ships to the city. A second reason for the creation of a Maritime Exchange was because San Francisco was surrounded by hills and headlands which isolated it from the ocean. It was important for people to know when the ships were arriving because these ships brought along with them news, mail, and commercial shipments from the East Coast.

Telegraph Hill

To accomplish these goals, the Maritime Exchange brought about a signal station which is located on top of Telegraph Hill. George F. Sweeney and Theodore F. Baugh were the two individuals to present the idea of a wooden semaphore on top of Telegraph Hill. A semaphore is a system in which one uses two flags or poles and sends signals in an alphabetic code. Sweeney and Baugh expanded their system by placing a signal station on Point Lobos, which is located 20–30 miles from port in San Francisco. The reasoning behind this was that there was high demand from people wanting to know when the ships were arriving at an earlier time so that they could be prepared for the shipments of the goods.

Marine Exchange today

Changes occur daily inside of the Marine Exchange. Recent history shows this in detail from the response to the needs of the Golden Gate Bridge to the overall well-being of this region. People involved in these daily changes, such as Lynn Korwatch, are seen as effective and adaptable. In the mix with the tradition of the past 125 years, these talented people help bring a fast paced new "shipping revolution" to today's world.

The innovation and reliability of information is typically represented by the recent upgrade to all automation of message, information, internal accounting, word processing, and record keeping. The ever so helpful computerized systems that they now use is bringing more efficiency and sophistication than any other port in the United States. This is seen as a prime model to other non-profit organizations that are sponsored everywhere else in the country.

Korwatch is the Chair of the SF Harbor Safety Committee. This designation holds lots of responsibilities. She is also involved in the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, Seaport Advisory Committee, the Northern California Area Security Committee (AMSC), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Navigation Safety Advisory Committee.