“AZORES NATIVES SEE TUNABOAT LAUNCHING HERE – The paths of three natives of the tiny Portuguese Island of Pico met yesterday on a NATIONAL IRON WORKS launching platform. The occasion was the christening of the 106’ tuna clipper ‘LUCKY STAR’. The three men were Mr. MANUEL FREITAS, co-owner and Captain of the new vessel, Father JOHN X. MADRUGA, who said the invocation, and Mr. LAWRENCE OLIVER (aka. Lourenço Oliveira – ed.), honored guest at the ceremony. Freitas and Oliver both reside in San Diego, but Father Madruga came here only 10 months ago on his first visit to the United States. All three men knew each other well on Pico. Father Madruga is staying here with his brother, Mr. ANTONE X. MADRUGA of 2930 McCall St.
1,300 CHEERING
As 1,300 spectators cheered, the ‘Lucky Star’ went down the ways at 4:15 p.m. after Freitas’ daughter Rita, sent the all-steel ship on its path with a bottle of champagne. For Freitas, it was a far cry from the days when he first came here from the Azores in 1913, and fished in ‘day boats’ that made small catches of barracuda, yellowtail, and bonito on short ocean trips. Mr. Oliver, President of AMERICAN PROCESSING CO., recalled that spoilage was high in those days of no refrigeration. Tuna sold then for just $30 per ton and the only packing was done with iron cans and soldering irons.
LATEST DESIGNS
Freitas’ new vessel is fitted with the latest propulsion, refrigeration, and navigation equipment. He said that it will join the fishing fleet that sails regularly to Central and South American waters for tuna. His first tuna boat was the 85’ ‘DEL MONTE’, built in 1927. In 1929 he purchased the ‘NAVIGATOR’, a 121’ vessel which was the largest in the fleet for many years. It was later taken over by the U.S. Navy and lost in WWII. Despite his 50 years, Freitas was accepted for duty by the U.S. Navy in WWII and saw 2½ years of service in the South Pacific as Commander of a ‘Yippee’ (aka ‘YP’ – ed.) boat.
GUESTS PRESENT
Guests at yesterday’s launching included Mr. George Wallace, Vice-President of the AMERICAN TUNABOAT ASSOCIATION (A.T.A.), Mr. Earl Nielsen, General Manager of the HIGH SEAS TUNA PACKING CO.in Roseville, and under whose flag Freitas will sail; Mr. Emil Ott, Executive Secretary of the California Fish & Game Commission, and Mr. Ray H. Beaton, Executive Secretary of the California Fish Canneries Association. Also included among guest speakers was Maj. General Leo Hermle, Marine Corps. Commanding Officer here.”
(*Source: San Diego UNION &Daily Bee newspaper – Sunday,August24, 1947 – Pg. A11 / dpg.13 – w/Pic)
Editorial Note: Mr. Manuel Homem Freitas was born February 4, 1892 in Calheta Nesquim, Pico, Azores, Portugal. His Baptism record there (on paper Pg. entry #7 for that year) shows him as the son of Manuel Homem Freitas (Sr.) & Violante Augusta da Silva, listing paternal grandparents as Antonio Homem Freitas & Francisca Anjos; with maternal grandparents being João José Silveira & Maria Ignacia. ~ Mr. Lawrence Oliver (aka Lourenço Oliveira) was also born in Calheta Nesquim, Pico, Azores, Portugal on March 3, 1887. His parents were Manuel Lourenço Oliveira & Maria Jesus. ~ Mr. “Oliver” actually “smuggled” himself out of his homeland into the U.S. as a teenager, and eventually became very successful here in San Diego; including writing and publishing his highly recommended (sez I) autobiography “Never Backward“.