“NEW TUNABOAT HAS FRUITFUL MAIDEN VOYAGE – Back from its maiden trip to Central American fishing banks, the new ‘ENDEAVOR’, skippered by Capt. JOE MONISE, yesterday began uploading a cargo of 360 tons of tuna for the WESTGATE SEA PRODUCTS COMPANY. The ‘Endeavor’ has been out 57 days, and, in a season generally regarded as the leanest in San Diego fishing history, returned with a full catch. All day, crowds watched the fish being hoisted out of the ship’s hold in huge buckets and dumped overboard into a sluice channel that sweeps them in swiftly running water under Harbor Drive for a distance of 378’ to the Westgate hopper, which is below sea level. The fish are then lifted by a conveyor to weighing scales, after which they are dropped into another gravity flow into the plant’s processing department.
DUPLICATES NAMESAKE
The new ‘Endeavor’ is a replica of the original tunaboat of the same name that taken over by the U.S. Navy on the outbreak of the WWII with Japan, and was sunk in the South Pacific. An eye witness report of the sinking of the original ‘Endeavor’ was given yesterday by Mr. JOE DORES, second Engineer of the new boat and the only present crew member who was attached to the ‘Endeavor I’ when the U.S. Navy took her over. The sinking occurred off Guadalcanal on October 24, 1942, Dores said. The vessel was attacked and shelled by three Japanese destroyers, while transporting a cargo of gasoline and 3,500 rounds of 3.50 inch ammunition from Tulagi to Guadalcanal.
JAPS DESERT VICTIMS
The ‘Endeavor’ burst into flames before it sank, and all its crew of 70 men leaped into the ocean. Three of them died in the water and one was wounded by exploding ammunition. The three Jap destroyers steamed away after sinking the American boat, and made no attempt to shoot the crew. Dores was in the water three hours when he and the other crew members were picked up by small U.S. Navy boats from Guadalcanal. He was taken ill with malaria soon after going ashore and while convalescing was returned to the American mainland. Dores resides with his parent Mr. & Mrs Joe Dores Sr., at 3225 Garrison St.”
(*Source: San Diego UNION & Daily Bee newspaper – Thursday, August 30, 1945 – Pg. 11)