Four new Dodge trucks for Compton's are parked at Irwin Jones Company. Signs for Compton's are painted on the cab doors. Durkee's mayonnaise, margarine and salad dressing are advertised on the rear cargo areas of the trucks as well as Compton's name. Ordered by Walt Dunlap. TPL-9229

Dodge trucks; Automobile dealerships--Tacoma; Irwin-Jones Motor Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Compton's Distributing Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Launching of "Southern Pacific" at J.M. Martinac. The 123 foot tuna clipper was built for Lu Brito (skipper) along with John Silva. She had a capacity of 270 tons and a crew of 15. She was equipped with a 800-hp Enterprise engine, two 150-hp 120 kw GM generating sets, one 60 kw GM generating set for auxiliaries at a cost of $400,000. She was also equipped with Sperry automatic power steering and an automatic pilot; Tacoma Range Company electric range; a Coolidge propeller, TCA radio, Intervox direction finder and a Submarine Signal fathometer. Additionally she was seaplane equipped. (Ledger, 11/4/1951; Marine Digest, 12/22/1951) TPL-9055

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fishing boats--Tacoma--1950-1960; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

A Turner tow truck is lifting a big freighter on its towing rig. The freighter truck is pulling a trailer behind its regular load. The Turner truck cab has a dragon painted on the driver's door and words, "Call Turner, White Drag-In". Turner Towing was located at 2620 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. TPL-7943

Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; Turner Towing Co. (Tacoma); Towing--Tacoma; Wreckers (Vehicles)--Tacoma;

Nine cab over engine trucks, lined up in a row, outside an unidentified building in October of 1951. They appear to be delivery trucks for Heidelberg beer.

Trucks--1950-1960;

A boat, with only the deck visible, is docked and seemingly deserted on a foggy day in late 1951. A few tools lay abandoned and the scales and winches are empty. There is a possibility that this vessel is a former surplus Navy steam tug purchased from Foss Launch & Tug Co. by Western Boat Building to be converted into a refrigerated salmon tender and tuna fishing boat. Western Boat Building had purchased two former Navy vessels in the summer of 1951 with plans to spend approximately $500,000 to convert them for fishing purposes. (TNT 7-22-51, B-2)

Boats; Decks (Ships); Hammers; Equipment; Scales;

A man wearing a suit and tie is also wearing a football helmet with the name "Goal Getter" on it. He is standing in front of an International truck.

Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960; International trucks;

Ahren's Transport Company flatbed truck with wooden sided, open top bed. Three other vehicles in background. (filed with Argentum)

Ahren's Transport Co. (Tacoma); Trucks;

Two Highway Truck Equipment Company dump trucks, with beds raised, built as new garbage trucks for City. (filed with Argentum)

Highway Truck Co. (Tacoma); Dump trucks;

1939 Studebaker Champion automobile being raffled by Ray C. Roberts V.F.W. Post on back of a flatbed truck. Truck has logo of man riding a bronco on the door. The automobile was raffled off at a VFW benefit ball. For a picture of the car with its winner, Clara Thorsen, see D8931 images 1& 3. (filed with Argentum)

Studebaker automobile; Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ray C. Roberts Post # 969 (Tacoma); Fund raising--Tacoma--1930-1940; Signs (Notices)

Continental Bakery employees in Western clothes and wearing Jubilee hats posed in front of bakery and two Wonder Bread trucks with sign "Picnic Days Are Here Again." A large sign on top of the roof proudly proclaims Continental as the "Home of Wonder Bread."

Washington State Golden Jubilee, 1939--Tacoma; Continental Baking Co. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Close up of crumpled and twisted Medosweet Dairy truck after impact with a train on February 27, 1947. A police car, 1946 Ford model, can be seen in the background. The accident occurred at 10:05 in the morning on a private crossing opposite the entrance to Chicago Ave. in the Lakeview district south of the Tacoma city limits. This photograph was taken minutes after the accident. Medosweet route supervisor Alex McBeath Jr, 32, was killed while riding in the passenger seat. Driver William J. Velacich was seriously injured. (T.Times 2/27/1947, pg. 1; 2/28/47, pg 3-picture)

Wrecks; Traffic accidents--Tacoma--1930-1941; Medosweet Dairies, Inc. (Tacoma); Trucks--Tacoma--1930-1940;

Views of the American freighter "Wildwood" unloading their Russian bound cargo in Tacoma at Commercial Dock. Matthewson Shipping Company. Fear of an Allied blockade had caused the vessel to turn about in mid Pacific. They were shipping 7,000 tons of copper, brass and machinery owned by Amtorg, the Russian trading organization. Representatives of Amtorg were in Tacoma to take over the cargo. (T. Times 4/8/1940, pg.1)

Cargo ships; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commercial Dock (Tacoma);

Views of American freighter "Wildwood" unloading at Commercial Dock. Matthewson Shipping Company. The vessel is unloading $4,500,000 worth of cargo originally consigned for Vladivostok, USSR. The vessel was turned around in the mid Pacific and returned to Tacoma, under the direct orders of F.R. Clark, president of the American Foreign Steamship Co. Clark feared that the vessel would run into the British blockade with her "hot" cargo and that it would be confiscated. This event marked the extension of the European War into the Pacific trade routes. (T. times 4/8/1940, pg. 1)

Cargo ships; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950; Piers & whaves--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commercial Dock (Tacoma);

Ferry boats. The "Defiance" steamer on the Sound. Island in background. Ordered by Mr. Peterson.

Ferries--1940-1950;

Ferryboats for Mr. Peterson. The ferry "Vashonia" in front, with two other ferries docked behind in this late January, 1940, photograph.

Ferries--1940-1950;

The launching of the U.S. Navy Destroyer 408, the U. S. S. Wilson, took place April 12, 1939 at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton. At 90% complete, the vessel was 341-feet-long with 1725 tons displacement. It carried a complement of 9 officers and 175 men. It was commissioned July 5, 1939 and received eleven battle stars for service in World War II. After sustaining damage during the war, it was selected as a target during the atom bomb test at Bikini Atoll in July of 1946. It was decommissioned in August of 1946 but remained afloat and was finally scuttled off Kwajelein in March of 1948. (T. Times, 4/13/39, p.20)

Launchings--Bremerton--1930-1940; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton); Naval yards & naval stations--Bremerton--1930-1940; Government vessels; Warships--Bremerton--1930-1940;

Launching of the U.S. Navy Destroyer #408, the U. S. S. Wilson, on April 12, 1939. The ship was decorated with pennants and bunting and photographed at dock in the Puget Sound Navy Yard at Bremerton. Ship launchings at the Navy yard differed from those at Tacoma Shipyards. The craft was built in a construction dock which was flooded for launching, much like a bathtub. The launching consisted of the gates being opened and the boat towed out into the Sound. The destroyer under construction in the background was almost entirely submerged during the ceremony. (T. Times 4/13/1939, p. 20)

Launchings--Bremerton--1930-1940; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (Bremerton); Naval yards & naval stations--Bremerton--1930-1940; Government vessels; Warships--Bremerton--1930-1940;

Crew of the freighter Wildwood stand on dock by bow of ship in Tacoma in this photograph dated April 18, 1940. Walter Arntz, Captain, shown in left top inset. The vessel had returned to Tacoma from mid Pacific to unload her hot cargo of copper, brass and machinery.

Arntz, Walter; Cargo ships; Shipping--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Crowds view the crumpled remains of the Boeing Stratoliner, which crashed near Alder, Washington, 30 miles southeast of Tacoma, on March 18, 1939. Close-up of wrecked airplane debris. The experimental craft, costing $500,000, and weighing 20 tons, was designed to revolutionize cross country transportation by air. March 18th was supposed to be uneventful "Test Flight #19," however the aircraft inexplicably crashed, killing the crew of ten. The Air Safety Board in June of 1939 ruled the accident was due to structural failure. The plane went into an inadvertent spin, subsequent to a stall at an altitude of approximately 11,000 feet. The board felt that the failure of the wings and horizontal tail surfaces were due to excessive loads, cause by air pressure. The loads were in excess of what the wings and tail were designed for. (T. Times, 3-18-39, p. 1, 3-20-39, p. 1; 6/2/1939, pg. 2)

Aircraft accidents--Alder--1930-1940; Boeing Stratoliner;

In June of 1927, Seattlite and frequent Tacoma visitor Esther Landstrom (in coat) was pictured with her new Willys-Knight 70-A coupe in front of the First Presbyterian Church at 20 Tacoma Avenue South. Her small dog stands on the running board. Her friend Dolly Wescott, a bookkeeper at Manley Motors, was at the wheel. Mrs. Landstrom had recently purchased her car from Manley Motor Company, 956-58 Fawcett Avenue, in Tacoma. Manley Motors were the authorized dealers of Overland, Willys-Knight, and Whippet automobiles. (TDL 6/19/1927, pg. G2) (WSHS)

Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Presbyterian churches--Tacoma; First Presbyterian Church (Tacoma); Landstrom, Esther; Wescott, Dolly; Willys-Knight automobile; Dogs--Tacoma--1920-1930;

October 21, 1941 tank maneuvers at Fort Lewis where Mayor Harry P. Cain was guest of honor. American involvement in war was growing closer and major Army centers like Fort Lewis stepped up military exercises. 4500 soldiers participated in a grueling tank v. anti-tank guns "battle," the first of its kind on the Pacific coast.

Tanks (Military science)--Tacoma;

Coast Guard off Old Town Dock in Commencement Bay with five fire barges during a May 7, 1943 drill with the city's Fireboat #1. The fire barges are displaying streams of water used to extinguish marine fires. The three larger barges could pump 4,000 gallons a minute. The two smaller vessels in the center were designed for fighting fires under docks. They could pump 600 gallons a minute. (T.Times, 5/8/1943, pg. 3; 5/10/43, p.14.)

Fireboats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Coast defenses--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Military personnel--Tacoma;

On May 7, 1943, five Coast Guard fire fighting barges took part in a drill off the Old Town Dock, showing their ability to stamp out waterfront fires. Also participating in the drill was Tacoma's Fireboat #1. The three larger barges can be seen in the background with the two smaller ones, designed to fight fires under docks, in the center. (T. Times 5/8/1943, pg. 3)

Fireboats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Coast defenses--Tacoma--1940-1950; World War, 1939-1945--Military personnel--Tacoma;

On May 7, 1943, Tacoma's Fireboat #1, as well as five Coast Guard fire fighting barges, took part in a drill off the Old Town Dock. The group was showing their ability to effectively stamp out waterfront fires. They were also calling attention to the clean up drive along the front sponsored by the Waterfront Defense Committee. (T. Times 5/8/1943, pg. 3)

Fireboats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commencement Bay (Wash.);

On May 7, 1943, five fire barges from the Coast Guard took part in a drill off the Old Town Dock. The drill was intended to show their ability to stamp out waterfront fires. The three larger barges are pictured. They could pump 4,000 gallons a minute. (T. Times 5/8/1943, pg. 3)

Fireboats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commencement Bay (Wash.);

Tacoma's Fireboat #1, with several streams of water shooting into the air, demonstrates its ability to defend the waterfront from fire during a May 7, 1943 drill. (T. Times 5/8/1943, pg. 3)

Fireboats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1940-1950; Commencement Bay (Wash.);

Satterly - Teamsters Union. A side view of a "Woody", a style of early station wagon with windows to the back of the automobile, three interior seats and the exterior under the windows covered in wood, except for the rear fenders. This automobile has the letters S.T.S.C. on the rear door for Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, and the number 25 on the front door.

Automobiles--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Group of 60 Tacoma Boat Maintenance workers. The deck is crowded with workers from Tacoma Boat together with their families.

Boats--Tacoma--1940-1950; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Coverage of twin launching at McNeil. The 65-foot tugboat with a 16-foot beam was one of two tugs launched at McNeil Island on June 17, 1943, under a revived shipbuilding program. The tugs were built of Douglas fir except for the stem, sternposts and trim. They ran on Diesel engines. The ships were built using prison labor and there was much anticipation of the launchings by the 100 guests from the mainland plus the proud builders. No ships locally had been built by prisoners since 1907 when Capt. Neil Henley of Steilacoom directed that last construction. Capt. Henley had founded the shipbuilding industry at McNeil prison in 1883. With America now entered into WWII, the necessity of more ships resulted in the revival of the shipbuilding program. T-88 and T-89 were the second and third built for the Army Transport Service by McNeil with the first ship turned over to the Army in November of 1942. (T.Times 6-18-1943, p. 1, 3)

Launchings--McNeil Island; Boat & ship industry--McNeil Island; Tugboats--McNeil Island;

Coverage of twin launchings at McNeil Island. On June 17, 1943 Mrs. H.W. Algeo served as sponsor of one of the two tugboats launched at McNeil Island. Mrs. L. Delmore, Jr., was the other sponsor. Mrs. Algeo is pictured above in the act of christening the boat with a firm smash against her prow. It was reported that both she and Mrs. Delmore were drenched by the exploding champagne bottles. KMO radio broadcast the event as a twin launching was rare and launchings of any sort of prisoner-built vessels even rarer. As the United States was now at war, a revival of using prison labor in boat construction had commenced. 1907 had been the last time locally that a ship was built by inmates. The two tugs would become the second and third built under the revived shipbuilding program at McNeil. (T.Times 6-18-1943, p. 1, 3)

Launchings--McNeil Island; Boat & ship industry--McNeil Island; Tugboats--McNeil Island; Algeo, H.W.--Family;