The crash of the Kingfisher
John Blaich
On a foggy Saturday night, Sept. 21, 1938, the heavily laden tuna
clipper Kingfisher ran aground at 10th Street on the Balboa
Peninsula. She was returning from a fishing trip in Mexican waters
with three tons of frozen tuna in her hold. The catch was destined
for a fish canner at fish harbor on Terminal Island.
There was a full moon [harvest moon] that night. I was studying in
my parents upstairs apartment at 1319 E. Balboa Blvd. The dense fog
rolled in over a very short period. I looked up from my book and
could not see across the street.
This same dense fog bank must have engulfed the Kingfisher and
confused the man at the wheel. Also, I firmly believe that there is a
strong in-shore current between 9th and 12th streets that pulls
vessels ashore. There have been several shipwrecks at this location.
When there is a shipwreck, the word seems to travel fast. We got
the word Sunday morning at about 10 a.m. and drove up to see the
shipwreck. A shipwreck is a sad thing to view. Medium to heavy ground
swells were running. The force of the waves hitting the broad side of
the Kingfisher was frightening, as the vessel rolled back and forth
in the heavy surf. All ready portions of the deck house had been torn
off. Parts of the deck house and other flotsam were strewn along the
beach.
Sunday afternoon, the Coast Guard cutter Hermes was anchored off
shore from the shipwreck. They were watching the activity, but taking
no action. Always the adventuresome young fellow, I put my
ocean-going kayak on top of the car, took it to the shipwreck and
launched it in the surf.
I paddled out to the Hermes. The officer of the deck was sitting
in a canvas director’s chair facing the shipwreck. After some
discussion, I was invited on board and given a tour of the ship. I
especially remember the engine room, where all of the copper piping
and brass piping was polished to the hilt.
Late Sunday afternoon, a tug boat and derrick barge arrived from
San Pedro. Large anchors were placed off the stern of the derrick
barge. A line was sent into the beach. Spectator volunteers on the
beach manned this line, and a steel cable from the winch on the
derrick barge was pulled ashore by these hearty volunteers.
An employee of the salvage company waded or swam out to the bow of
the Kingfisher. The end of the steel cable was passed out to him.
With great difficulty, he hung on for dear life as waves washed over
the bow of the floundering Kingfisher. Between waves, the man was
able to shackle the end of the steel cable to a strong eyebolt that
was part of the anchor winch.
This task took more than an hour. When the man came ashore, his
boss gave him a pint bottle of whiskey, from which he promptly took a
long swig to warm him up. The spectators cheered and clapped.
The Kingfisher, as a result of rolling back and forth in the surf,
became pretty much embedded in the sand. They were unable to pull her
off at high tide on Sunday night. However, by digging sand away from
the hull at low tide on Monday, they were able to get her off the
beach.
That the fish hold was completely sealed off because of
refrigeration helped to keep her afloat. The Kingfisher, with her
decks awash, was towed with the derrick barge back to San Pedro. I
believe that the three tons of frozen fish were saved and unloaded at
the fish cannery at fish harbor on Terminal Island.
* 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.
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