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.