Stranger became wrecked north of the border

John Blaich

* EDITOR’S NOTE: John Blaich is a Corona del Mar resident and

volunteer at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum. About once a month, he

writes histories of interesting boats that graced Newport Harbor.

The former Newport Harbor yacht, Stranger, was wrecked on a gulf

island in Canada in 1947.

While this shipwreck did not occur at Balboa Peninsula/Newport Beach,

it involved a well-known local yacht that was home ported at Balboa for

many years. Capt. Fred E. Lewis moored his Steam Yacht Stranger in front

of his home at 2300 East Balboa Blvd. from 1931 to 1936.

Stranger was built in 1915 by the Lawley Ship Building Co. in New York

City. It had a single triple expansion steam engine of 600 brake

horsepower provided power. Stranger measured 175 feet overall, 143 feet

waterline length and a beam of 20 feet. She was manned by a professional

crew of eight to 10 men at all times.

Stranger made many long voyages to Alaska, Galapagos Islands, the

Hawaiian Islands and through the Panama Cannel to the Caribbean and up to

Miami, Fla. During these extended trips to faraway places, exotic animals

were obtained and brought back to the San Diego Zoo.

In 1936, Stranger was sold to Henrietta Huntington and her home port

became San Francisco. Due to the Seaman’s Union’s demands, which required

a very sizable crew at all times, it became almost impossible for

Huntington, even with her sizable fortune, to operate Stranger as a steam

yacht.

Subsequently, Stranger was purchased by The Gulf Lines, Ltd., who

operated a passenger, freight and mail service among the Gulf Islands in

British Columbia, Canada. The boiler and steam engine were replaced with

a diesel engine. The name was changed to Gulf Stream. She was well-suited

for this service. The state rooms could be occupied by “overnight”

passengers. There was space on the deck for “day passengers” as well as a

cargo hold.

On Oct. 11, 1947, while steaming at 14 knots, Gulf Stream grounded on

Dinner Rock eight miles north of Powell River, B.C., near the town of

Lund, B.C. She climbed up on the rock and rolled over on her port side.

The after part of the ship, where the state rooms were located, quickly

filled with water. Two women and three children were drowned inside their

cabins. Fifteen passengers and 22 crewmen got out alive and were picked

up by the fish packer Betty L.

After a lengthy and costly salvage, operation Gulf Stream was

refloated and eventually returned to service as a freight, passenger and

mail vessel among the Gulf Islands of B.C.