“TUNABOAT SINKS, ALL SAFE OFF COSTA RICA – The San Diego tuna clipper ‘UNITED VICTORY’ sank off Costa Rica last Wednesday, and all of the crew members were saved, it was learned here yesterday. The vessel was the 52nd San Diego-based tunaboat to be lost in 6 years.
Mrs. JOHN G. REBELO of 3325 Hugo St., wife of the clipper’s first and only Captain since it was built at Long Beach, CA in 1944, said her husband telephoned yesterday that the vessel had sunk. The ‘United Victory’, one of the largest vessels of the fleet, was owned by Mr. Arthur De Fever, San Diego marine surveyor. It was the second clipper to sink this year. The ‘SUN RAY’ sank off the coast of Chili on February 20th.
Mrs. Rebelo said her husband told her only that a leak flooded the engine room about 25 miles off Cape Velas, Costa Rica, in the Pacific Ocean; and that the entire crew went ashore at Puntarenas in the boat’s motor launch. She said he told here he and the other crew members would try to leave San Jose, Costa Rica by airliner later in the day. The ‘United Victory’ sailed from San Diego for the Central American fishing banks last August 10th, fishing for the StarKist cannery at Terminal Island (San Pedro, CA).
Crew members included: Capt. JOHN G. REBELO, Mr. Theodore Paderewski of 3386 Monroe Ave., the Chief Engineer; Mr. Francis F. Williams of 1010 16th St., the Navigator; Mr. Arturo H. Granados, of 605 13th St., the Cook; Mr. EDWIN D. SILVA of 1940 V. Ave. in National City; Mr. Amadeu Santos of 3315 Canon St.; Mr. Telmo Padilla of 3852 Boston Ave.; Mr. FRANCISCO L. FINETE of 3329 Lowell St.; Mr. AUGUST DaSILVA JR. of 2912 Addison (now Avenida de Portugal – ed.) St.; Mr. LUIS LUZ RODRIGUES of 2920 Byron St.; Mr. Antonio Rodrigues (PA? – ed.) of 1156 First Ave., Chula Vista; and Mr. Manuel Pinel of 2548 Newton St.. The ‘United Victory’ was valued at $500,000 (equivalent to $5,317,600 today – ed.) and displaced 250 tons.”
(*Source: San Diego UNION & Daily Bee newspaper – Saturday,September 5, 1959 – Pg. 13)