“13 RESCUED IN SINKING OF S.D. TUNA CLIPPER -One Injured In Crash Off Costa Rica – The tuna clipper ‘SONJA’ and the Japanese freighter ‘Hawaii Maru’ collided today off Costa Rica and the 408-ton San Diego vessel sank. The master of the ‘Hawaii Maru’ radioed 11th Coast third District headquarters at Long Beach that all 13 members of the crew of the ‘Sonja’ were saved. One man was injured and is being treated by the ‘Hawaii Maru’ ship’s doctor.
Bringing Crew Back
The Japanese vessel reported it is proceeding with the rescued men to Los Angeles. It did not list its owners or where it was bound. Neither did it list the name of the injured man. The collision apparently occurred about 3:15 a.m Pacific Daylight Time about 40 miles off Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica. At that time the Coast Guard Station in Seattle received a distress message from the ‘Sonja’ indicating it was “in critical condition” 40 miles southwest of Cape Blanco.
MESSAGE MISUNDERSTOOD
Seattle assumed this meant Cape Blanco, Oregon and dispatched search vessels from Coos Bay, Oregon and a plane from Port Angeles, Washington. Later a report from San Jose, Costa Rica, indicated that a U.S. Air Force plane from the Canal Zone had been dispatched and sighted the 106’ long, 188-ton capacity ‘Sonja’ sinking off Costa Rica. It was not until 12:15 p.m. that the Coast Guard at Long Beach received the message, signed only by the “Master” of the “Hawaii Maru”, describing the collision and telling of the sinking.
LEFT S.D. APRIL 5th
The clipper sailed from San Diego April 5th with a crew of 12. Apparently one more crew member was picked up at a stop in Mexico. The message was received from the ‘Hawaii Maru‘ as: “Collided with motor vessel ‘Sonja’, San Diego. Did best for rescue the ship but was in vain. The ship sank. The ship’s crew of 13 persons shifted aboard my ship in safety. One man wounded. Ship’s doctor treating. Proceeding to Los Angeles.” Apparently the ‘Sonja’ was from Antioch, California. It fished for the SAN DIEGO PACKING CO.
Mr. Olav Valderhaug, 4190 Utah St., managing owner, said he had a radio report from the ship two weeks ago that it had filled its bait tanks in the Gulf of California and was proceeding to Central American waters to fish. The skipper of the clipper is Mr. ROBERT LEANDERS (of 1675 Cable St. in Ocean Beach), San Diego. The fishing boss is Mr. JOE DA SILVA JR.. The ship has a capacity of 188 tons of tuna. It is a former Navy vessel rebuilt as a clipper at Antioch, California and fished for the San Diego Packing Company. Salazar & Gordillo, ships agents, handled the clearance of the vessel, April 5, out of San Diego for Ensenada, Mexico, where it took out a Mexican fishing license. The ship was not outfitted with a scout plane. Other members of the crew, all of San Diego, are: (1.) JOSE FERREIRA, Mate; (2.) Kenneth D. Methy; (3.) ALVARO FIGUEIREDO; (4.) Ole Josey; (5.) JOSEPH RODRIGUES; (6.) JOSE DaSILVA JR. (Fishing Boss); (7.) CRISTIANO CORREIA; (8.) Charles E. Whitehurst, Chief Engineer (of 5636 Bolivar St., National City); (9.) MANUEL F. SILVA (the injured [knee] crewman), and; (10.) Manuel A. Fernandez (of 3340 Xenophon St.)
*Editorial Notes: In a separate article in another issue of the same local newspapers (San Diego Union & Evening Tribune), the additional article added these two details; (1) A quote of, “It is something of an electronic freak for a radio message not to be received by stations in this area and to (instead) jump such a distance.” and; (2) The ‘Sonja’ had sailed from San Diego on Easter Sunday.
*Genealogical Note: Although the name ‘Robert W. Leanders’ may not sound especially Portuguese to many people, the ‘Sonja’ skipper (son of John E. Leanders Sr.) referenced here, was born in Long Beach, CA in 1922, the son of Robert E. Leandres, who was born in 1898 on the Azorean Island of Santa Maria, Portugal, the tiny (Population: 5,400 / Size: 37.6 sq. miles) island that was no less than Christopher Columbus’ first European landfall on his first return trip after discovering the America’s) with that relatively rare Portuguese surname, with translates as; ‘Son of Leandro’.”
(*Source: San Diego EVENING TRIBUNE newspaper – Saturday, May 9, 1953 – Pg. 1)