King & Winge (fishing schooner) facts for kids

King & Winge, Southeast Alaska, 1916, USCGS
History
United States
Name	King & Winge
Namesake	Thomas King and Al Winge
Owner	King and Winge Shipbuilding Company, 1914; National Independent Fisheries Company, 1916
Operator	Various
Port of registry	Seattle
Builder	King & Winge Shipbuilding Company, West Seattle
Launched	1914
Maiden voyage	Alaska 1914
Homeport	Seattle
Fate	Sold
Owner	Columbia Bar Pilots Association
Acquired	1924
Renamed	Columbia (1924)
Refit	1944 as CGR-2469
Homeport	Astoria, Oregon
Fate	Sold
Owner	Dr. Clyde Parlova 1958; Jack Elsbree 1961; Wilburn Hall 1962; Richard Maher 1987
Renamed	King & Winge 1958
Homeport	Seattle 1961; Kodiak AK 1962; Homer AK 1987
Fate	Sank in Bering Sea 1994
General characteristics
Type	Motor schooner
Tonnage	143 tons
Length	96.7 ft
Beam	19.6 ft
Depth of hold	9.6 ft
Propulsion	140 HP Corliss gasoline engine
Sail plan	Schooner
Propulsion	6-cylinder Atlas-Imperial Diesel, 1924

The King & Winge was one of the most famous ships ever built in Seattle, Washington, United States. Launched in 1914, this motor schooner had an amazing 80-year career. She took part in a famous Arctic rescue and was present at a major maritime disaster. Over the years, she worked as a fishing boat, a pilot boat, a yacht, and a crabber. The King & Winge finally sank in rough seas in 1994, but thankfully, everyone on board was rescued safely.

Building the King & Winge

The King & Winge was built in 1914 by the King and Winge Shipbuilding Company in West Seattle. She was designed by Albert M. Winge, one of the shipyard owners. The ship was originally meant for halibut fishing.

Ship's Design and Features

The schooner was 143 tons and measured 97 feet long on deck. She was 19.6 feet wide and had a hold depth of 9.7 feet. When first built, she had a 140 horsepower Corliss gasoline engine. The ship also had an electric lighting system.

The King & Winge had two tall masts, each 60 feet high. She carried nine small fishing boats called dories. The ship was built very strong to handle tough conditions. Her oak frames were thick and close together. The hull was covered with three-inch-thick planks. It also had an extra layer of ironbark for protection.

Strong Construction for Arctic Work

The schooner was divided into four watertight sections. This meant that if one part flooded, the others would stay dry. Her hull was heavily reinforced, making it very sturdy. The front of the ship, called the bow, was covered with steel plates. This design helped her work in icy waters.

Arctic Rescue Mission

The builders planned for the King & Winge to be a fishing boat. However, before she was even finished, a company called Hibbard-Swenson Co. hired her. They wanted the ship for an expedition to the Arctic. Their goal was hunting, trading, and making a movie.

Searching for Survivors

Captain Olaf Swenson and C. L. Hibbard took the King & Winge to Nome, Alaska. There, they found the United States Revenue Cutter Service ship Bear. Earlier that year, the Bear had tried to rescue the Stefansson expedition. Their ship, the Karluk, had been crushed by ice in the Chukchi Sea in January. The Bear had to stop its rescue efforts because of bad weather. It returned to Nome to refuel.

Swenson went back to Seattle for business. But Hibbard and navigator A.P. Jochkimson decided to go to Wrangel Island. They wanted to look for the survivors. They left a day before the Bear.

Finding the Stranded Crew

On September 7, the King & Winge arrived at Rodgers Harbor. They found and rescued three survivors there. Then, they sailed through huge ice floes to Waring Point. There, they picked up nine more people. As they sailed south, they met the Bear. The rescued crew members were then transferred to the Bear.

There are slightly different stories about this rescue. Some accounts say Swenson was on the King & Winge with Jochimsen. They also say he commanded a small boat that landed on Wrangel Island. The exact details of these differences are not fully clear.

Working as a Survey and Fishing Ship

After her Arctic adventure, the King & Winge was hired by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. She spent two seasons doing survey work in Alaska. This involved mapping the ocean floor using a special wire-drag method.

After this job, the ship was sold in 1916. The National Independent Fisheries Company bought her. She then began her intended work in the halibut fishing industry.

The Princess Sophia Disaster

In October 1918, the King & Winge was present at a terrible event. This was the sinking of the Princess Sophia. It was one of the biggest maritime tragedies in Alaskan history.

A Ship Stranded on the Reef

On October 23, 1918, the Princess Sophia was sailing south from Skagway. She was in Lynn Canal during a snowstorm. The ship hit Vanderbilt Reef, which was near the Sentinel Island Light. The Princess Sophia got stuck high on the reef. Her captain seemed to believe she could float off when the tide rose.

Because of this, no one tried to move the passengers to other ships. The King & Winge and the lighthouse tender Cedar were there. Many smaller boats had also come to help. But the sea conditions were very bad. Any attempt to transfer passengers would have been very risky.

Tragic Loss of Life

Overnight, the wind grew stronger. The Princess Sophia was washed off Vanderbilt Reef and sank. All 343 people on board were lost. Only the top part of her mast remained above the water. The Cedar and King & Winge could only pick up bodies floating in the water. They then took them to Juneau, Alaska.

A New Role: Carrying Goods

The history of the King & Winge in the early 1920s is not fully known. In the fall of 1921, she was hired by the Cape Flattery Pilots Association. Her job was to serve as a pilot boat. She would guide ships at the entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

During this time, the ship became involved in a loan agreement. In 1922, she was sold to a bank to settle the loan. In 1923, she was sold again at an auction. The buyer was E.L. Skeel, whose identity is unclear. It's possible Skeel was buying the ship for others. These others were Roy Olmstead and T. J. Clarke. They were former police officers who had started a new business. This business involved carrying goods that were forbidden during Prohibition. This was a time when alcohol was illegal.

Clarke and Olmstead tried to register the King & Winge as a Canadian ship. But they were not successful. So, the King & Winge then became owned by the Columbia Bar Pilot's Association.

Serving as a Pilot Boat

The King & Winge worked as the Columbia Bar pilot boat from 1924 to 1958. The pilot's association renamed her Columbia. In 1924, her gasoline engine was replaced with a diesel engine.

Captain F.E. Craig commanded her for many years. He estimated he had crossed the Columbia Bar more than 50,000 times in the Columbia. In 1944, she returned to Seattle. She was refitted to meet Coast Guard standards. Many of the workers who helped with this refit had also helped build her originally.

Later Years and Final Voyage

In 1958, Dr. Clyde C. Parlova bought the King & Winge from the pilot's association. He wanted to restore her as a sailing ship. He put her masts back and restored her original name, King & Winge. He also decorated the pilothouse with cherry wood. The King & Winge was the official flagship of the 1958 Astoria Regatta.

Changing Hands and Roles

In late 1961, Jack Elsbree bought the King & Winge. He was a retired airline pilot from Seattle. He brought her to Lake Union in Seattle. He also wanted to restore her to her original condition.

In 1962, she was sold to Wilburn Hall. Hall took her to Kodiak, Alaska for crab fishing. Hall is known for starting the modern king crab fishery in the Bering Sea. In 1987, Richard Maher of Homer, Alaska bought her. He used her for longline fishing for halibut and blackcod. She also worked as a tender, which is a ship that supports other fishing boats. And she continued to be a crabber.

The Final Sinking

The King & Winge continued to operate until modern times. On February 23, 1994, she sank in the Bering Sea. The waves were 18 feet high. She went down about 22 miles west of St. Paul Island. Attempts to save the flooding ship failed. However, all four crew members were rescued safely by the United States Coast Guard cutter Hamilton.