Story
This yacht, power-cruiser was built in 1929 by Nunes Brothers in Sausalito, CA.
Historical Notes
George Schneider (August 2026) writes: She spent less than a decade as a yacht before becoming a water taxi in Los Angles-Long Beach Harbors.
She was operated by the U. S. Coast Guard in WWII as a fireboat, then returned to her owners. Owners later claimed she shot down Zeros during the War, but its unlikely she was armed, or indeed, ever left Southern California waters. About 1956 she was modified for use as a sportfishing charter boat. The "fishing weatherman" reference below shows a photo of her in this guise. Her U. S. documents expired in 1990. The additional name TONG HAI shows on the PSIX website, possibly a name she used as a commercial fishing boat under state license.
Owners & Masters
In 1929-1936 she was owned by Edwin Merry, San Francisco CA USA.
In 1937 she was owned by William E. McCarter, Los Angeles CA USA.
In 1942-1952 she was owned by the De Luxe Water Taxi Co., Long Beach CA USA.
In 1953-1955 she was owned by the Long Beach Boat Shop, Long Beach CA USA.
In 1956-1960 she was owned by Pierpoint Landing Inc, Los Angeles CA USA.
In 1960-72 she was owned by Pacific Sportfishing Inc, Los Angeles CA USA.
In 1973-1976 she was owned by William R. Pickering, Los Angeles CA USA.
In 1977-1981 she was owned by Glenn A. Ladner, Los Angeles CA USA.
In 1989 she was owned by Channel Sea Sport, Los Angeles CA USA.
References
- Merchant Vessels of the United States (1930-1989)
- cgmix.uscg.mil ↗ (Accessed 15 Aug 2026)
- thefishingweatherman.com ↗ (Accessed 20Aug26)
