Portuguese-American brothers GEORGE & JOE SOARES introduce a single-engine, pontoon-equipped Luscombe AEROPLANE aboard their tuna clipper ‘LIBERATOR’, to be flown by pilot GEORGE McKUSICK, a great improvement for tuna fishing in far-off fishing grounds such as the Galapagos Islands. On this innovative maiden voyage with it’s own “spotter” aeroplane atop, the ‘Liberator’ returned to SUN HARBOR PACKING CO. in SAN DIEGO with 185 tons of tuna worth $60,000 (equivalent to $754,465 today – ed.), setting gossip along San Diego’s waterfront abuzz!
*Editorial Note 1: It is estimated that a good “lookout”/spotter up in a seaborne vessel’s crow’s nest with binoculars can scan the surrounding sea well for a radius of approximately 5 MILES, whereas one working from a small AEROPLANE some 1,000′ above the sea can scan the surrounding area for 30 MILES (!), a 600% increase! And that positive effect works both for spotting tuna *and* bait fish, greatly increasing effective time fishing and often facilitating an extra trip or two per year; as well as giving extremely helpful information about the whereabouts of coral reef that could often damage expensive and vital bait gathering nets while acquiring that essential step in tuna fishing.
*Editorial Note 2: During WWII U.S. military PLANES and BLIMPS on Anti-submarine Patrols along the U.S. West Coast sometimes aided coastal U.S. Tuna Fishermen to spot tuna and bait schools. So the Southern California tuna fishing fleet was clearly aware of the potential advantages of aerial surveillance.
*Editorial Note 3: Also, in San Pedro, CA in 1930 the (then) new tunaboat ‘WHITE STAR’ being built at HARBOR BOATBUILDING CO. at Terminal Island (in a joint venture by aviator Mr. Dave Johns and owner of the Harbor Boatbuilding Co., Mr. John Rados) had plans to carry a collapsible, onboard airplane to spot fish even before the floating vessel was launched.
(*Source: The West Coast Fisheries magazine in March issue of 1930 – Pg. 10)
See LINK BELOW: Another article (by Harold Keen!) with NICE PHOTOS, beginning Pg. 42