Chicken
of the Sea Pirate Ship & Restaurant Opens
August
29, 1955
On August 29, 1955, the Chicken
of the Sea Pirate Ship and Restaurant made its debut in Fantasyland
in Disneyland. Sponsored by Van Camp Seafood Company’s
Chicken of the Sea tuna, this iconic restaurant was the home of the only
takeout tuna sandwiches at Disneyland Park. Built of wood in the middle
of concrete with a small amount of water surrounding it. Tuna sandwiches, tuna
salad (served in mini boats), tuna burgers, and hot tuna pies were all served
at the Pirate Ship Restaurant at the counter below the deck. The ship featured
a blonde mermaid figure-the mermaid was the sponsor’s trademark.
In 1961, The Skull Rock Lagoon was
added and served as a scenic backdrop and seating area for patrons of the
restaurant. Based on Skull Rock from “Peter Pan,” you could enjoy your food
while listening to music & the cascading waterfall. Kids were often chased
by Captain Hook behind the waterfalls and through the small caves. At night,
the eyes of the Skull glowed green. Skull Rock & the Pirate Ship were both
demolished in 1982 to make way for the “new” Fantasyland. The original intent
was to move the Pirate Ship near the Storybook
Land entrance and recreate Skull Cove, however, the ship (which had either
been replaced by a concrete version which was more stable or reinforced with
concrete) could not be moved in one piece without damaging it. There was no
money in the budget to rebuild her, so she was taken apart instead. The mermaid
figurehead was to be removed and saved, but fell out of the sling and broke
into many pieces from an Imagineer’s truck when it went over a speed bump. In
1969, the restaurant’s name was changed to Captain Hook’s Galley, when Disneyland Park took over its
operation. The ship remained until 1982, when it was demolished for the remodeling
of the Fantasyland Area. When the “new” Fantasyland reopened in
1983, the classic pirate ship was replaced by the new, updated version of Dumbo.
Luckily, the Pirate ship and Skull Rock are
more than just a memory as Imagineers created an incredible new version in Disneyland
Paris. And that’s what happened
today in Disneyland history.
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