RPPC SS Laurel Ship Wreck 1929 Peacock Spit Long Beach Peninsula Washington J94

Description

Payment must be made within 3 days of the end of auction. I have been collecting RPPCs and other Real Photos, mostly maritime related, for 25 years. I'm now thinning my collection a bit so check back often to see new listings or check the "Follow This Seller" button. I combine shipping for multi-wins. For multi-wins, please wait for an Ebay invoice from me before making payment. Happy bidding! SS Laurel: The eyes and ears of the world were on a 'die hard' ship master who refused to abandon his ship after it had broken in two and was given up as a total loss. His tenacity in remaining with his ship afforded front page newspaper material, but his role as a hero angered the Coast Guard. It all came about in a howling southwester when the Quaker Line operated freighter LAUREL was outbound across the Columbia bar with 7 million ft of lumber destined for New York and Philadelphia. As the high seas buffeted the ship, the steering engine became disabled and she was swept on Peacock Spit. Mammoth breakers pounded the vessel unmercifully and calls of distress cracked over the wireless asking immediate assistance. The Coast Guard managed to get a boat over the bar but it was unable to approach the stranded ship. The deck load had been carried overboard and the surf was a solid mass of lumber. In early morning the steamship broke in two just forward the bridge and a 19-yr old seaman named Russell Smith was carried to his death. The 32 other crew members gathered on the aft half of the vessel to await rescue. Coast guardsmen rescued all hands, with the exception of Capt. Louis Johnson, who refused to leave his ship despite pleas by the rescue crew. From Cape 'D' a steady watch was maintained over the freighter as the crashing seas licked at her remains. Planes flew over the ship and snapped pictures of the skipper pacing the deck in defiance of the conquering elements. For 54-hours he remained on the bridge as another gale hammered the ship, placing his life in grave peril. As the swells rolled across the bar, the forward section of the wreck was carried fully 800' from the after half of the freighter. When hope was about to be abandoned for Johnson's life, a white flag suddenly appeared on the ship's bridge indicting that he was ready to come ashore. Several hours later the motor lifeboat fought its way to the side of the wreck, and the Captain, bearing the ship's papers, money, and a few personal belongings, slid down a manila rope to the rescue craft. Upon reaching shore Johnson was quizzed concerning his refusal to abandon the ship several hours earlier. 'I didn't want to be a hero, I stayed on what was left of the ship to protect it's cargo from salvagers. I had hoped that the after section of the ship would be washed on the beach so salvage would be possible, but the bulkheads gave away which prompted me to fly the white flag.' He had kept a fire going the entire time he was aboard the wreck and had sufficient food and water to last him indefinitely. So ended the story of a ship master's vigil and the life of a freighter."