On June 1, 1936, Skipper Radner R. ("Rad") Pratsch and his daughter Carol were photographed standing near their yacht, the cutter "White Cloud," that they were entering in the annual July Santa Monica to Honolulu trans- Pacific sailboat race. The 35 foot vessel was Tacoma's only entry in the race and was one of the smallest, just over the minimum size limit. Mr. Pratsch was a veteran sailor and a Rear Commodore of the Yacht Club. He was also the owner of the Realart Theatre in South Tacoma. (T. Times 6/1/1936, pg. 1)
ca. 1940. Three people on small wooden vessel docked in marina. Names of individuals and location not provided for this circa 1940 photograph. (T. Times).
A covered steel barge is shown docked at J. M. Martinac Shipbuilders on the Thea Foss Waterway on January 27, 1941. The vessel was ordered by the Navy and fabricated by Birchfield Boilers. The vessel is 110 feet long and 34 feet wide. [T Times, 1/27/1941].
This photograph from January 1941 shows a newly completed 110 ft. by 34 ft. covered steel barge being launched at the J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. yards. Built by the Birchfield Boiler Company, the barge was the second ship to be finished for the United States Navy in Tacoma in 1941. The J. M. Martinac shipbuilding facilities have been part of the Tacoma waterfront since 1924. They are the Thea Foss Waterway's oldest continuous tenant. [T. Times, 1/27/1941, pg. 12].
On Tuesday, August 5, 1941, O.V. Snyder's yacht, the "Klatawa", was "drafted" into government service. It was the first private yacht in Tacoma to be taken over by the U.S. government to be used by the Coast Guard for harbor patrol work. It was to be used around the tide flats and the port to keep an eye on industrial plants involved in defense work. A representative of the Coast Guard stated at the time that 20 boats in the Columbia River and Puget Sound district would eventually be commandeered. The yachts were taken for specific periods. (T. Times 08-05-1941 p.4)
Several boats from the Tacoma Yacht Club practice maneuvers on Commencement Bay. In mid-July of 1946, members of the Shipmates Club and their husbands participated in the Pacific International Yachting Association race to Nanaimo. The boats raced by way of the Staits of Juan de Fuca and Swanson Channel. Ted Worthington and his wife planned a longer cruise that would take them past Nanaimo to Princess Louise inlet. (T. Times, 4/13/46, p. 2). TPL-9481
Interior view of two unidentified men working in a repair shop, tools and parts are visible throughout the work area. The men appear to be working on boat engines. Photo ordered by Finney Transportation Co. in Coeur D' Alene, Idaho.
Boat engines; Maintenance & repair--Idaho--Coeur D' Alene; Mechanics (Persons)--Idaho--Coeur D' Alene; Finney Transportation Co. (Coeur D' Alene, Id.);
Jubilee Water Carnival at Point Defiance Pavilion was a great success. Over 75,000 people attended the festivities and over 27,000 cars entered the park grounds throughout the day. Spectators cheered on their favorite boats in the races and their favorite bathing beauty in the contest. Fun has had by all who attended. View of fire boat show with many people enjoying watching the incredible display (T. Times, 7/1/46, p. 2).
Fireboats--Tacoma; Regattas--Tacoma; Bays; Spectators--Tacoma; Festivals--Tacoma; Point Defiance Pavilion (Tacoma);
Tacoma Boat just finished building "Supreme," a 45 foot combination troller in July of 1946. "Supreme" was a fishing boat built for Eberg Andersen of Tacoma. Tacoma Boatbuilding specialized in building fishing vessels and were the manufacturers of "Northern Drag and Anchor Winches." View of "Supreme" (T. Times, 7/3/46, p. 3). (Corrected identification provided by a reader) TPL-10478
Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
Tacoma Boat was originally Strom & Dahl Boatbuilders, which was formed in 1936 by Arne Strom and Haldor A. Dahl. In 1938 the firm was incorporated as the Tacoma Boatbuilding Company. Tacoma Boat was well known and a leader in the fishing boat construction and built many minesweepers during World War II, they would later build more minesweepers for the United States Navy. View of Tacoma Boat built "West Point", a fishing vessel. TPL-8922
Fishing boats--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
The "Southern Queen" is a refrigerated purse seiner, built and equipped specifically for tuna and sardine fishing. It is an all steel craft, 100 feet in length and has two twin six by six ice machines. It was bought by Joe Vilicich and A. K. Anderson and launched by Mrs. Van Camp of the Van Camp canneries. The boat was built by Tacoma Boat (Pacific Fisherman, January 1948, p. 182). TPL-8925
Fishing boats--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
Interior view of boat. Expanding table is across from the boat's small kitchen, the stove is located on the foreground, additional kitchen space is behind the stove. The control panel, steering wheel and navigation controls are on the left center side behind the bench style seating. Sleeping quarters are located in the background. The boat interior was made with Douglas Fir plywood products, photo ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.
Boats--Tacoma; Galleys (Ship kitchens); Compasses; Navigation; Interiors--Tacoma; Plywood; Steering wheels; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);
J. M. Martinac's "South Pacific" is a 106'x25'x13' tuna clipper. The "South Pacific" has a 190 ton capacity, is easy to handle, compact, refrigerated, stable, and with her 525 horsepower diesel engine, plenty of power is available. The "South Pacific" was built for Captain Lou Brito, of the High Seas Tuna Packing Company (Pacific Fisherman, Yearbook, 1948). TPL-8937
Tacoma Boat, fishing boat "Silverland." The "Silverland" sits at dock with the Tacoma waterfront in the background. Tacoma Boat Building Company was widely known for the quality of craftsmanship in their fishing boats. TPL-9107
Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Tacoma Boat, fish boat "Silverland". A view of the starboard side of the "Silverland" while she is tied to the dock. The Tacoma waterfront is in the background. Tacoma Boat Building Company easily returned to building high quality fishing vessels after having built mine sweepers during the war.
Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Tacoma Boat, interior and water shots of "Sogn," on August 24, 1945. The bow and port side are shown during the ship trials. The helm is on the upper deck and several passengers join the captain there. TPL-8896
Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Ship trials--Tacoma--1940-1950;
In April of 1946, the USS "Agile" and the "Queen of the Yipees" returned home to Tacoma Boat Building Co. for conversion to fishing boats after Naval service in Dutch Harbor, Ak., as a minesweeper and a patrol boat during the war.Tacoma Boatbuilding Co. was working on a contract to build and repair fishing boats for China under the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) program. The boats were intended to rehabilitate China's fishing industry. View of laborers working on fishing boats. TPL-8323 ( T. Times 4/17/1946, pg. 7)
Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
In January of 1947, the Marine Engine and Machinery Corporation had just received a shipment of "Gray" and "Willard" motors in many sizes; as well as pumps, compressors, generators and other hard to get boat equipment. Pictured, left to right, were Charles Bevis (kneeling, checking the inventory), two unidentified men, Len Brunstadt (working the block and tackle), S.O. Julis and Carl Gehrke. The company sold workboat engines and reliable motors. (T. Times, 2/5/47, p. 5).
Scarlet Queen was originally a military vessel, ATR-69, a World War II rescue tug. It was converted into the largest tuna clipper in the world by Tacoma Boatbuilding Company. View of a Gyro compass, radar unit, and loran; these highly technical and advanced instruments are located in the navigation and engine room. (Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Inc. Catalog 1954). TPL-8965
Fishing boats--Tacoma; Navigation; Compasses; Control rooms--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
Interior view of "Scarlet Queen's" navigator's quarters, separate from the steering room. The navigator's quarters was a miniature communications center, through which the vessel maintains frequent checks on its position and contact with other vessels and shore stations (Tacoma Boatbuilding Co., Inc. Catalog 1954). TPL-8969
Fishing boats--Tacoma; Navigation; Compasses; Control rooms--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
This aerial view of the Tacoma Yacht Club and the east corner of Point Defiance Park, just north of Ruston, was taken in August of 1948. The Point Defiance Ferry Terminal is in the upper right hand corner, and the buildings to the left of the marina belong to the ASARCO smelter. In 1934, a road was built along the bulkhead, just under the tree line, that passed under the pier that led to the ferry landing. Point Defiance's Funland Amusement Park is located top center and can be identified by the round shapes of some of the rides.
Boathouses; Boats; Tacoma Yacht Club (Tacoma); Mooring; American Smelting & Refining Co. (Tacoma); Smelters--Tacoma--1950-1960; Funland (Tacoma); Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Amusement parks--Tacoma--1930-1940;
Pacific Boat just completed the "Sun Voyager" in January of 1947 for Sun Harbor Packing Co. in San Diego, California. The "Sun Voyager" was an all steel tuna clipper, 112 feet long. The vessel completed a trial run last week and was now ready for launching. Pacific Boat was also working on fishing vessels for the UNRRA program. TPL-8916
In 1945, the Pacific Boat Building Company was contracted by the government of Iceland to build an 85-foot purse seiner for their fishing fleet. Launched on July 27, 1945, she left Tacoma for Iceland on August 12th after a farewell celebration held at Point Defiance. She went down the west coast of North America, through the Panama Canal, north to New York, and on to Reykjavik, Iceland, where she landed October 27, 1945. (T.Times, 6/27/1945, p.9, 10/29/1945) TPL-8886
Puget Sound Boat. "Evening Star," a 65 by 18 foot combination halibut and tuna boat, was launched June 11, 1945 by the Puget Sound Boat Building Corp. on City Waterway, under the 11th Street Bridge. This was the 15th vessel built by Puget Sound Boat since June 1942 and is for Fred Peterson of Poulsbo. (TNT, 6/11/1945)
Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Vertical lift bridges--Tacoma; 11th Street Bridge (Tacoma); City Waterway (Tacoma); Puget Sound Boat Building Corp. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950;
Tacoma Boatbuilding Co. was started in 1936 by H. Dahl and A. Strom. The partners wanted to build fishing vessels for North Pacific fishermen. In 1941 they signed their first contract to build government boats and moved into a larger, newly expanded plant at the head of the City Waterway. View of YP 625, a Navy patrol craft. TPL-8894
Government vessels--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);
Launching of "Hustler." A group of dignitaries are on hand at Western Boat for the launching of the fishing boat, the "Hustler," on June 6, 1945. The sponsors and their families are on a raised stage. Signs for U.S. Navy are on either side of the steps up to the stage. The ship's owner was R. Tom Muchlinski.
Launchings--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fishing boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1940-1950; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);
The interior of one of the Libby Boats showing the wooden hull. The Libby series of seiners were 48' x 14.6'. Ordered by Birchfield Boiler, Bob Dohrer.
