Story
This passenger vessel (sport fishing) was built in 1962 by Dittmar & Donaldson in Costa Mesa, CA.
Historical Notes
George Schneider (Aug 2026) writes: This builder's own ads at the time rendered the name "Ditmar," so there's some confusion, but grandson of the builder, Dick Dittmar, verifies that it was spelled "With 2 T's". Although this vessel was designed like a sport fishing charter boat, she never carried passengers for hire, and was alternately classed as a fishing boat, research boat, and recreational vessel.
Owners & Masters
In 1961-1969 she was owned by Gilbert C. Van Camp Jr., Los Angeles CA USA.
In 1969-2002 she was owned by Occidental College.
In 2002-2005 she was owned by the Southern California Marine Institute, Los Angeles CA USA. In 207-2026 she was owned by Don Beaumont, Point Loma CA USA.
Name Significance
The Van Camp family owned one of the largest tuna canneries in the world, and this boat was built to be their goodwill boat. As the canneries began moving overseas, the family donated the boat to Occidental College, who retained the original name in honor of the donation.
References
- Merchant Vessels of the United States (1963-1989)
- Merchant Vessels of the United States Annual digital data files, 1992-2026
- cgmix.uscg.mil ↗ (Accessed 15 Aug 2026)
