33°44′02″N 118°16′07″W / 33.73378°N 118.26862°W / 33.73378; -118.26862
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Al Larson Boat Shop or Al Larson Boat Building is a shipbuilding and dry dock repair company in San Pedro, California on Terminal Island. To support the World War 2 demand for ships Al Larson Boat Shop built: US Navy Sub chasers and Minesweepers. Al Larson Boat Shop was started in 1903 by Peter Adolph (Al) Larson, a Swedish immigrant. Larson started by building boats by hand from Pacific Northwest lumber. As the shop grew, he moved to its current location in Fish Harbor, in the Port of Los Angeles. Adolph Larson's son sold the boat shop in 1960 to Andy and Gloria Wall. The shop was small at this time with only five employees. The Wall family is still running the shipyard in the Port of Los Angeles. The shipyard is the only one in the Port of Los Angeles now operating and able to work on ships of all sizes with its 100 employees. The shipyard is at 1046 South Seaside Ave, Terminal Island, with 2.35 acres of land and 5.35 acres of waterways. The shipyard also runs a marina, Al Larson Marina.
Notable ships
- YMS-1-class minesweeper: USS Gull (AMS-16) and USS Grouse (AMS-15).
- Converted to Minesweeper and reefer ship: USS YP-345, USS Nightingale (AMc-18) and USS Killdeer (AMc-21)
- SC-734 US Navy Sub Chaser, Patrol Boat, Keel laid 4/15/42. Launched 7/18/42. Commissioned 12/28/42. Transferred to Foreign in 4/25/47.
- SC-735 US Navy Sub Chaser, Patrol Boat, Keel laid 4/20/42. Launched 8/29/42. Commissioned 3/12/43. Transferred to China in 6/30/48. The two SC-497-class submarine chasers had one 40mm AA gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two depth charge projector "Y Guns," and two depth charge tracks. Powered by two 880bhp General Motors 8-268A diesel engines.
- AB-67 renamed CG-56306, harbor tug built in 1937. Were 32 tons, top speed 11-knots. 56 feet long, a beam of 14 feet, a draft of 4.5 feet, powered by a 150 H.P diesel, was stationed in San Francisco.
- AB-68 renamed CG-56307, harbor tug was stationed in Seattle. Specs same as AB-67.
| Ship ID | Name | Owner | Type | Tons | Feet Long | Delivered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 217945 | Esperanza | Fishing Vessel | 34 | 50 | 1919 | Active | |
| 251017 | Elsie B | Fishing Vessel | 22 | 42 | 1926 | Renamed to New Hazard | |
| 226245 | Lusitania | Manuel G. Rosa | Fishing Vessel | 138 | 91 | 1927 | |
| 227967 | Sacramento | Alfred Santos | Fishing Vessel | 201 | 103 | 1928 | |
| 252776 | Katrina | Fishing Vessel | 16 | 40 | 1928 | Renamed to Ogenio | |
| 229947 | Bremen | Toma Mosich | Fishing Vessel | 127 | 79 | 1930 | |
| 231534 | Panama | Japanese owners | Fishing Vessel | 246 | 107 | 1930 | |
| 229339 | Rainbow | Joseph Giaconi | Fishing Vessel | 121 | 79 | 1930 | |
| 229335 | Senator | Joe P. Soares | Fishing Vessel | 118 | 79 | 1930 | |
| 231078 | Reliance | Herman Toby | Fishing Vessel | 313 | 117 | 1931 | Renamed to passenger vessel Ranger III, Hacklehead II |
| 230641 | San Salvador | Manuel M. Medina | Fishing Vessel | 156 | 113 | 1931 | To USN in 1942 as Patrol Vessel, YP 281, lost in 1944 |
| 231083 | Santa Margarita | Franco Italian Pk'g. | Fishing Vessel | 236 | 98 | 1931 | Renamed to St Marie, Emerald C |
| 223573 | Majestic | Klemento Zar | Fishing Vessel | 197 | 83 | 1934 | To USN in 1940 as USS Nightingale (AMc-18), YP 166 1941, returned 1945 |
| 233381 | Jackie Sue | Christian Gaspar | Fishing Vessel | 197 | 83 | 1934 | To USN 1940 as Parrakeet (AMc 34), to MARAD 1946 |
| 231372 | Fearless | Paul Vasovich | Fishing Vessel | 127 | 87 | 1935 | To USN 1940 as Reedbird (AMc 30), to MARAD 1946, Renamed to Fearless, Star-Kist, now Colorado (Chile) |
| 235490 | Vittoria | Salvatore Ferranta | Fishing Vessel | 63 | 75 | 1936 | To USN 1942 as YP 298, to MARAD 1946, Renamed to Vittoria (Peru) |
| 236505 | Bainbridge | Sam Mirkovich | Fishing Vessel | 130 | 79 | 1937 | Broken up 1997 |
| 236806 | Santa Maria | Santa Maria Fishing | Fishing Vessel | 86 | 79 | 1937 | Active |
| 238878 | American Voyager | Van Camp Seafood | Fishing Vessel | 137 | 97 | 1937 | To USN 1942 as YP 287, destroyed 1947 |
| Vindicator | Fishing Vessel | 110 | 106 | 1937 | To USN 1940 as USS Killdeer (AMc-21), IX 194 in 1944, to MARAD in 1945 | ||
| 1099490 | CG 67 | US Coast Guard | Harbor tug, Boarding Boat | 33 | 56 | 1937 | Renamed to CG 56306 (call sign NRHJ), to Sea Scouts as Sea Otter |
| 560021 | CG 68 | US Coast Guard | Harbor tug, Boarding Boat | 33 | 56 | 1937 | Renamed to CG 56307 (Call sign NRHK), sold as Lisa Lynn, Renamed to Once Bitten, now High Plains Drifter |
| SC 734 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 148d | 110 | 28-Dec-42 | To Fleet Logistics Center in 1948 | |
| SC 735 | US Navy | Sub Chaser | 148d | 110 | 12-Mar-43 | To Taiwan 1948 | |
| YMS 86 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 12-May-42 | Struck 1946 | |
| 254281 | YMS 87 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 15-Aug-42 | Sold as f/v Lee Russ, Renamed to Jane M |
| YMS 320 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 18-Aug-43 | Struck In 1946 | |
| YMS 321 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 25-Oct-43 | Renamed to USS Grouse (AMS-15) in 1947, wrecked 1963 | |
| 253722 | YMS 322 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 19-Nov-43 | Renamed to pilot boat Golden Gate, then f/v, |
| YMS 323 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 27-Dec-43 | To Korea 1948 as Ku Po, scrapped 1956 | |
| YMS 324 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 28-Feb-44 | Renamed to USS Gull (AMS-16) in 1947, struck 1959 | |
| YMS 325 | US Navy | Minesweeper | 320d | 136 | 7-Apr-44 | Struck 1946 | |
| 246153 | Pioneer | Marion Joncich | Fishing Vessel | 183 | 86 | 1944 | Renamed to Southern Explorer. |
| 246274 | Seven Seas | Elmer J. Duzich | Fishing Vessel | 129 | 78 | 1944 | Active as freight ship |
| 246533 | City of Naples II | Francesco Amalfitano | Fishing Vessel | 110 | 73 | 1944 | Renamed to Santa Teresa, Annie D |
| 248199 | Sea Hound | Joaquin Pedro | Fishing Vessel | 247 | 97 | 1945 | Renamed to Irene S, America, Tesoro del Mar (Mexico) |
| 265818 | Pacific Venture | William J. Danos | Fishing Vessel | 45 | 50 | 1953 | Active |
See also
- California during World War II
- Maritime history of California
- Wooden boats of World War 2
- San Pedro Boatworks
References
- Al Larson Boat Shop, Terminal Island CA, shipbuildinghistory.com
- Al Larson Boat Shop, Official Website: larsonboat.com
- Al Larson Marina, website
- US Navy SC-734, SC-735
- navsource US Navy Sub Chaser
- Small Harbor Cutters and AB Boats of the U. S. Revenue Cutter Service and U. S. Coast Guard Prepared by: HMC James T. Flynn, Jr., USNR(ret, defense.gov
- Coast Guard Tugs, cg-tugs.org
- Page 14, The Origins of California’s High-Seas Tuna FleetBy August Felando and Harold Medina sandiegohistory.org
- navsource SC 734
- navsource SC 735
- navsource, YMS 86
- navsource, YMS 87
- navsource, YMS 320
- navsource, YMS 322
- navsource, YMS 323
- navsource, YMS 324
- navsource, YMS 325
