Although San Rafael sank rapidly, quick action by the crews limited the loss of life to five persons or fewer.

San Rafael and a sistership, Saucelito were built to the same specifications in components at Greenpoint, New York, now a part of Brooklyn.

[1] San Rafael sank near Alcatraz Island on November 30, 1901, following a collision in the fog with the steam ferry Sausalito.

Sausalito struck San Rafael broadside and penetrated ten feet into the dining room, then occupied by many passengers.

Prompt action by the captains of the two vessels, in lashing the ships together, kept San Rafael afloat long enough for most of the passengers and crew to evacuate to Sausalito.

A board of inquiry found that both captains were at fault for failure to properly sound fog signals, and the licenses of both were suspended.

Twenty years later, in July, 1921, the anchor line of the liner Matsonia became entangled with the wreckage of the machinery, requiring the assistance of two tugs to free the ship.