The shipwreck of Mindanao at Newport Harbor

John Blaich

* EDITOR’S NOTE: John Blaich is a Corona del Mar resident and

volunteer at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. About once a month, he

writes histories of interesting boats that graced Newport Harbor.

The ocean-fishing barge Mindanao was intentionally scuttled by fire on

May 27, 1946, when she was anchored about a mile offshore in more than

100 feet of water.

Mindanao was built in Aberdeen, Wash., in 1902 as a four-masted cargo

schooner. She delivered lumber from the Pacific Northwest to various

ports along the Pacific coast.

Mindanao could have been one of many ships that delivered lumber to

Orange County at the Newport Pier.

In 1925, the Mindanao left Vancouver, B.C., with a load of lumber for

Suva, Fiji. While in the doldrums, a fire broke out in the ship’s

lazarette where several oil drums were stored.

The crew fought the fire for more than 12 hours by pouring sea water

through holes cut in the deck. After the fire was extinguished, Mindanao

limped into Suva harbor after 56 days at sea. She returned to the states

with a load of copra.

Mindanao was 164.8 feet long with a width of 36.7 feet. She had gross

tonnage of 56 tons.

From about 1933 to 1941, the Mindanao was a familiar sight anchored

off the Newport Pier during the summer fishing season. Shore boat service

was offered to the fishing barge from the pier. Occasionally, Mindanao

was used as the weather racing mark for sailing races that were started

near the Balboa Pier. At the end of the summer fishing season, Mindanao

was towed into the shelter of Newport Harbor and moored at the Count dock

near the Arches.

On Dec. 7, 1941 (the day of Pearl Harbor’s attack), Mindanao was

safely moored inside the harbor. As the warships building industry gained

momentum, dock space was at a premium. So pilings were put down off the

“Camp Ground” on the Balboa Peninsula near where the present American

Legion is now. Mindanao was moved to the location for the duration of the

war. She eventually sank to the bottom.

At the end of the war, it was determined that it was not feasible to

refloat and repair Mindanao for use as a fishing barge. The city of

Newport Beach, which owned the mooring, billed C.E. McFarland, Mindanao’s

owner, for back rent and asked him to removed the vessel. McFarland

countered by sending the city a bill of sale. The city of Newport Beach

now owned Mindanao. So the City Council, after considerable discussion of

alternative uses for Mindanao, ordered Harbor Master official Russell

Craig, who was then a city employee, to get rid of the derelict.

With the combined efforts of Water Superintendent John A. McMillan,

Fire Chief Frank Crocker and Craig’s Harbor Department crew, sea water

was pumped from the hull and Mindanao was afloat again. For three days,

Mindanao remained in this condition as a large quantity of diesel fuel

was spread around the ship and allowed to seep into the wood.

On Monday morning, May 27, 1946, she was towed out of the harbor and

anchored off the West Jetty in 100 feet of water. At 11 a.m., the diesel

oil was set on fire and Mindanao burned to the waterline. But, to the

horror of those in charge, she did not sink. Mindanao became a floating

derelict. Boats going and returning from Catalina passed right by this

menace to navigation. Russ Craig and the Harbor Department crew lashed a

2-by-4-foot pole on the hulk near the bow and placed a kerosene ship’s

lantern on the pole. When I sailed around the derelict, it was kind of

eerie to see and hear the ocean swells rolling around inside the

burned-out hull. The large steel freshwater tank that was placed up high

on the forecastle had fallen down into the hold of the ship during the

fire. It was rusting away as seawater sloshed around the burned-out ribs

of the ship.

During summer of 1946, there was a lot of flack about this menace to

navigation near the harbor entrance. In fact, one fishing boat, the

Winita, damaged her propeller and shaft when she collided with a

semisubmerged portion of Mindanao’s burned-out hull that had broken loose

and drifted toward Laguna Beach.

The city of Newport Beach was very fortunate that no lawsuits were

filed concerning this menace to navigation.

Finally on the morning of Oct. 24, Craig and his crew went out to

replenish the kerosene in the ship’s lantern only to discover the

Mindanao was gone! She had sunk during the night. So ended the 44-year

life of a stout, well-built ship that refused to sink.