Floating cannery docked near Tacoma Marine Supply. The "Princess Roxane" was a former ferry known as the Tourist No. 3 that shuttled across the mouth of the Columbia River until the Astoria-Megler bridge was completed in 1966. After sale and renovation, she was renamed the "Princess Roxane," a self-propelled floating King crab processor. Her car deck had been fitted with live tanks with a capacity of 9,000 large size Alaska king crab and her passenger cabin was rebuilt to provide a crew of 18 with living and dining areas. She was part of the Pacific Pearl Seafoods and would join the floating shrimp cannery at Kodiak. Canning operations on board would be able to process 650 cases of 24 cans of crab each eight hour shift. (TNT 6-11-67, D-19,www.cimorelli.com/cgi-bin/magellanscripts/ship_bio1.asp?ShipName=Tourist +No.+3...) (Additional information provided by a reader)

Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970; Canneries;

With a mighty swing, Jeanne Martin Soares christens the new "Blue Pacific" on March 29, 1967. The vessel was launched at Tacoma Boat Building. She was a 176-foot steel tuna seiner built for Capt. Roger Soares of San Diego who placed her in operation for White Star- Van Camp Seafoods. The "Blue Pacific" was the largest tuna fishing boat built from the keel up at the time. She was constructed in the Port Industrial Yard (the former Tacoma Naval Station) by Tacoma Boat Building. Moments after the christening, the "Blue Pacific" eased down the ways and came to a standstill before she finally floated free. Five Foss tugs assisted when the boat was hung up. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building. (TNT 3-12-67, A-23, TNT 3-29-67, A-1) TPL-9061 (Corrected identification provided by a reader)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fishing boats--Tacoma; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Soares, Jeanne Martin;

View of gill-netter, the Sweepstakes, on August 1, 1966. Photograph ordered by William Vine, Sumner.

Fishing boats--Tacoma;

View of USS Crockett. The USS Crockett was one of 17 gunboats in the Asheville class. Tacoma Boatbuilding had a government contract to build seven of these patrol gunboats, each costing 2.5 million dollars. The Crockett was the third to be launched. Nearly 165 feet in length, the Crockett could accelerate from 0 to 40 knots in 60 seconds. The aluminum ship had approximately 230 tons displacement weight and was powered by a gas turbine. It was launched at Tacoma Boatbuilding on June 4, 1966, with christening honors performed by Mrs. Charles Horjes of Tacoma. After service in South Vietnam, it would be transferred to the Naval Reserve Force in 1975 and decommissioned in 1976. (TNT 2-6-66, A-16; TNT 6-5-66, D-15; www.navsource.org/archives/12/11088.htm; www.hobbybarn.com/Dumas-pages/USS-Crocket-1218.htm)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Gunboats--United States; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

USS Crockett (PG-88) prior to launching. The Asheville Class gunboat was launched at Tacoma Boat Building on June 4, 1966. Powered by a gas turbine, the speedy ship would be commissioned on June 24, 1967, and stationed in South Vietnam where she would be used for coastal patrol, blockade reconnaissance and to give support. The nearly 165-foot gunboat would hold a complement of 4 officers and 33 enlisted men. Tacoma Boat Building had won a government contract to build seven of these Asheville Class vessels. (TNT 2-6-66, A-16, www.navsource.org/archives/12/11088.htm; www.hobbybarn.com/Dumas-pages/USS-Crocket-1218.htm)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Gunboats--United States; Boats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Tacoma Boat Building launched the last of a series of four minesweepers, the MS 301, on April 11, 1964. The tugboat pictured above was probably a Foss tug; Foss tugboats were customarily used in the launching of minesweepers built for the Navy by local shipbuilders. The tugs were used to help escort the much larger ships. Here the tug bucked gusty winds to push the new non-magnetic, wood-and-aluminum minesweeper to her outfitting dock on Sitcom Waterway. The 175' long vessel had twin 500 hp diesel engines and cost over $2,000,000. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (TNT 4-13-64, p. 30)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tugboats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

ca. 1963. Tacoma at night. View of two ships docked at the City Waterway in 1963 with lights from downtown buildings making blurred reflections on the calm water. This was probably part of the 1963 Richards Studio stock file. TPL-2270

Ships--Tacoma; City Waterway (Tacoma); Reflections;

The Brynn Foss tugboat provides welcome assistance to the newly launched minesweeper MSI-14 on October 26, 1963. The ship was built by Tacoma Boat Building Co. and apparently launched at the Pacific Boat Yard. She was the second of a series of wooden-hulled, non-magnetic Navy minesweepers ordered from Tacoma Boat Building. The 110-foot craft carried a crew of 18. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building Co. (TNT 10-25-63, p. 28., TNT 10-27-63, A-8) TPL-9250

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma); Tugboats--Tacoma--1960-1970;

Launching of military vessel MSI-14 on Saturday, October 26, 1963. Ship was built by Tacoma Boat Building and waits to be launched at Pacific Boat Yard, 759 Port of Tacoma Road. She was the second of series of wooden-hulled, non-magnetic minesweepers ordered by the Navy. Tacoma Boat Building would also build four other larger minesweepers. The ship's sponsor was Mrs. Mark C. Jewett of Washington D.C. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building. (TNT 10-25-63, p. 28, TNT 10-27-63, A-8)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

The 53' purse seiner, Haida Maid, was launched at Western Boat Building on June 20, 1963. It was owned by Hydaburg Co-op of Alaska. Hydaburg was a Haida Indian tribal association which operated under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. View of the Haida Maid as it prepares to slide, stern first, down the ways. (TNT 6-21-63, p. 19)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fishing boats--Tacoma; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

The crew of the newly launched Haida Maid survey calm waters on June 20, 1963. The Haida Maid was a 53' purse seiner built by Western Boat Building for the Hydaburg Co-op, a Haida Indian tribal association which operated under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Mary Petrich, daughter of Western Boat Building vice-president James Petrich, christened the boat earlier that day. (TNT 6-21-63, p. 19)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Fishing boats--Tacoma; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

Two men stroll toward a parked Ford truck with two Fairliner cruisers on board. The Dudley Co., Auburn, Washington, truck appears ready to leave the Fairliner plant in late April, 1963. It cautions motorists that it is bearing a wide load. Fairliner was a division of Western Boat Building Co. Its pleasure boats were especially adaptable to this area's choppy waters. Fairliner, as the advertising signs noted, also was expanding into the home and commercial buildings market with the use of pre-engineered products. Photograph ordered by Novaco Co.

Boats--Tacoma; Trucks--Tacoma--1960-1970; Signs (Notices); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

A Fairliner employee examines plans while surrounded by a flotilla of boats in late April of 1963. The pleasure craft rest, not on the floor, but on wheeled carts for easier maneuvering. Fairliner was a division of Western Boat Building Co.

Boats--Tacoma; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma);

Broadside view of Navy minesweeper MSC 299 at Tacoma Boat Building on January 26, 1963. Vessel was launched at 4:30 that afternoon; champagne honors by Mrs. James B. Burrow. The 140' non-magnetic minesweeper was the second of a series of four being built for the Navy by Tacoma Boat Building. (TNT 1-27-63, A-2)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Boaters on a small cabin cruiser lean to get a good view of the tug Hercules of Seattle as it assists a much larger oil rig ca. September, 1962. The vessels are already dockside. TPL-5808

Tugboats; Harbors; Boats;

The minesweeper MSC-298 was successfully launched at Tacoma Boat Building on the evening of September 14, 1962. The 145-foot minesweeper was the 26th of its kind built for the Navy by Tacoma Boat since 1951. The ship weighed 372 tons when fully outfitted and had a 27-foot beam. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building Co. (TNT 9-15-62, p. 3)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Champagne explodes as Mrs. William M. Allen, wife of the Boeing president, formally christens the hydrofoil PCH-1, High Point, on August 17, 1962, at Martinac Shipbuilding. Naval dignitaries look on while a small girl holds Mrs. Allen's bouquet of roses. The High Point was the first wave of Boeing hydrofoils. It was a 110-foot submarine chaser that used four propellers. Foils would create lift raising the hull of the aluminum structure out of the water. (www.boeing.com/history, TNT 7-31-62, A-1)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hydroplanes--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Allen, William M.--Family;

Launching of Boeing hydrofoil High Point. On August 17, 1962, the 110-foot submarine chaser High Point was launched at Martinac Shipbuilding. Boeing had started to adapt many of the systems used in jet airplanes for hydrofoils. The High Point was one of two hydrofoils launched in 1962; the Little Squirt, a 20-foot boat propelled by waterjet, was the other. Standing before the PCH-1 is the longtime president of Boeing, William M. Allen and spouse, J.S. Martinac of Martinac Shipbuilding, Vice Adm. Homer N. Wallin, USN (Ret) and spouse. Mrs. Allen, clutching a large bouquet of long stemmed roses, was the vessel's sponsor. The Patrol Craft Hydrofoil No. 1 was named for the city in North Carolina. (www.boeing.com/history; TNT 8-18-62, A-1)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hydroplanes--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma); Allen, William M.; Martinac, J.S.; Wallin, Homer N.;

Broadside view of Boeing's PCH-1 hydrofoil, High Point, at Martinac Shipbuilding. The High Point was launched on August 17, 1962, in the presence of Boeing longtime president William M. Allen. Realizing that water and air present similar challenges in control, stability, electronics, hydraulics and propulsion, the Boeing Co. began to use many of the systems found in jet airplanes, adapted, for hydrofoils. The High Point was the first launched in 1962 at Martinac Shipbuilding in Tacoma; it slid into City Waterway during high tide. (www.boeing.com/history; TNT 8-18-62, A-1)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Hydroplanes--Tacoma; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp. (Tacoma);

The Brynn Foss tug gently guides the MSC-290 minesweeper, Gannet II, after its launching on May 26, 1960, at Tacoma Boat Building. It would be commissioned in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard a year later, on July 11, 1961, and eventually be sent to monitor the waters of Japan and Vietnam. The MSC-290 was the sixth of seven coastal mindsweepers built by Tacoma Boat Building under contract with the Navy. It was christened by Mrs. F.P. Luongo. (TNT 5-27-60, p. 3)

Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tugboats--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Scenes from boat launching. The tugboat Drew Foss is pictured here with its bow against the newly christened Albatross, a 144-foot coastal minesweeper. Small but powerful, the tug is apparently maneuvering the larger boat into position. March 26, 1960, saw the launching of the minesweeper MSC-289 from Tacoma Boat Building's Sitcum Waterway site. Named the Albatross, the sixth to bear this name, the vessel was sponsored by Mrs. S.A. Peters and later commissioned at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on April 20, 1961. It would spend the next ten years in the western Pacific seeing duty in the waters off of Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The Albatross was decommissioned on April 1, 1970, and sold later that year to a Japanese firm for scrapping. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (TNT 3-27-60, p. B-2)

Tugboats--Tacoma--1960-1970; Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Interiors of the sailboat, the Indra IV, ordered by Edward Benjamin of New Orleans. The pilot house as photographed on August 12, 1959. The controls and navigation equipment for the boat are on the right, the radio equipment on the left. A wide window looks out over the front of the boat. For exterior shots, see D122376, Image # 14 & 21.The boat was built by Western Boat Building. The 62-foot sailing craft contained all the latest technological equipment, including a depth finder, auto pilot, mobile telephone, radio and radar. She was designed to be the ultimate in speed, comfort and ease of sailing. (TNT 7/191/1959, pg. B-2; 7/22/1959, pg. 1)

Sailboats; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Interiors of the sailboat, the Indra IV, ordered by Edward Benjamin of New Orleans. The cabin area. For exterior shots, see D122376, Image # 14 & 21.The boat was built by Western Boat Building. The cabins were of mahogany. The ship carried bunks for 12 passengers and crew, plus a spacious cabin. It also had a large salon. The craft was built to be both fast and luxurious. It was believed to be one of the fastest sailing yachts in the United States. (TNT 7/19/1959, pg. B-2; 7/22/1959, pg. 1)

Sailboats; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

August, 1959 sea trials of the large sailboat "The Indra IV" built by Western Boat Building Co. for Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Benjamin of New Orleans. The craft weighed less than 20 tons and carried over 1500 square feet of sails. The masts were hollow aluminum poles, with the main mast 79 feet high. The boat took 10 months to construct and carried the latest in technological equipment including a depth finder, auto pilot, radio telephone and mobile telephone, as well as radar. (TNT 7/19/1959, PG. B-2; 7/22/1959, PG. 1)

Sailboats; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Ship trials--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The 62 foot Indra IV was designed by Roger W. McAleen of Alexandria, VA and built in Tacoma by the Western Boat Building Company, 2505 E. 11th Street. She was taken out on Puget Sound for sea trials in August of 1959. The steel hulled craft weighed less then 20 tons and carried over 1,500 square feet of sails. Her hollow aluminum main mast was 79 feet high. With teak wood decks and mahogany cabins, the boat could sleep a total of 12 crew and passengers and cost $100,000. (TNT 7/19/1959, pg B-2, 7/22/1959, pg. 1) TPL-10,543

Sailboats; Western Boat Building Co. (Tacoma); Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Launching of the MSC 279 by Tacoma Boat Building Co. The MSC 279 was the third 144ft minesweeper to be launched by the boat builder under the current contract. It was launched into the Sitcum Waterway at 2:30p.m. on Saturday, February 21st, 1959. Mrs. Paul Vetrees, wife of the company's chief engineer, was the sponsor and their eight year old daughter Cathy was the flower girl. (TNT 2/15/1959, pg. B-9)

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

An employee of the Simmons Oyster Co. in Olympia stands on a wooden barge preparing to use his large fork to shovel the piles of oysters into a holding tank. His plywood craft is adjacent to the barge with a further assortment of tools on board. A Johnson motor guides the small boat. Photograph ordered by Douglas Fir Plywood Association.

Barges--Olympia; Oysters; Shellfish industry--Olympia; Douglas Fir Plywood Association (Tacoma);

Tacoma Boat Building launched MSC-277, a 145-foot minesweeper built for the Navy, on June 30, 1958, in Sitcum Waterway. During the early 1950's, Tacoma's shipbuilding companies had garnered several contracts to build vessels for the government. This wooden minesweeper, however, was the first to be formally launched in nearly two years by a Tacoma firm. Tacoma Boat Building was awarded a contract to build four minesweepers for the Navy at a cost of approximately $7 million. Since then, the firm had received contracts totaling $4.25 million for six more Navy craft. The ship's sponsor was Mrs. Guy Garland, wife of the commander of the Tacoma Naval Station. Photograph ordered by Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (TNT 6-27-58, A-1, TNT 6-29-58, B-2, TNT 7-1-58, A-6))

Launchings--Tacoma--1950-1960; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Boat Building Co., Inc. (Tacoma);

Three men look intently at an Evinrude motor catalog in a 1958 photograph. They may be comparing the catalog to the new Evinrude model before them. Dangling flags are advertising a "dreamboat contest" sponsored by Evinrude where the winner would be able to choose his own boat and motor with a cash bonus thrown in. The contest would begin February 22 and end on March 23. The Evinrude motors were advertised as being safe, sound-sealed and quiet. Photograph ordered by Teleradio Advertisers, Inc., for KTVW television.

Boat engines; Boats; Signs (Notices);

Mansfield Corporation, located at 2928 South "K" St., were boat builders. An example of their boat construction was this Mansfield Custom Line pleasure craft on display at 2201 Pacific Avenue. It was either 16 feet or 20 feet long. This sleek model may have been a speed boat. Other boats can be seen dimly in the building's garage. Photograph ordered by Mansfield Corporation.

Mansfield Corporation (Tacoma); Boats--Tacoma--1950-1960;