California Coast News

Cal Poly's ship (yes, it has a ship!) is being retired

KCLU | By Lance Orozco

Published July 2, 2026 at 4:46 PM PDT

The 500 foot long Cal Poly Training Ship Golden Bear is being retired after 30 years as the Cal Poly Training Academy's primary training vessel. — The 500-foot-long Cal Poly *Training Ship Golden Bear* is being retired after 30 years as the Cal Poly Training Academy's primary training vessel.

The Cal Poly Training Ship Golden Bear is being retired after a 12,500-mile cruise across the Pacific. It will be replaced by a newer ship, the Golden State, in 2027.

You probably didn’t know this, but a Central Coast university has a 500-foot-long, 11,000-ton ship.

But, after 30 years of service, the Cal Poly Maritime Academy is retiring the Training Ship Golden Bear. It just completed a 12,500-mile voyage across the Pacific Ocean with 283 Cal Poly Maritime Academy cadets on board. Academy officials say it’s trained generations of maritime professionals.

The four-decade-old vessel will be replaced by the Golden State, which is expected to arrive next year.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also has its Cal Poly Solano Campus. It’s home to the Cal Poly Maritime Academy in Vallejo. The academy prepares graduates for careers in the maritime industry, military service, and related fields by giving them hands-on experience.