Does anyone remember a fishing boat tragedy that occurred about 1952-1953, on the Washington Coast, USA.?
It happened at Westport, on the Grays Harbor bar. There were about a dozen of us small fishing boats that left the docks before dawn. We headed for the fishing grounds about 20 miles out. As we set up to fish, a storm hit us. This was before the days of much weather information and our radios were very crude.
The Coast Guard station at Westport sent out the 85' cutter "McClenden" (sp?) and ordered us to stay outside, as the bar was too rough for any of us to make it in. After three days, we began to run out of fuel. Things were getting tense when the Westport station sent out two "crash boats" to escort us in.
We had no knowledge of the new crash boats, and we had no communication about them. They organized us into 5 boat lines and escourted us in, over 45' waves on the bar.
One crash boat led and the final boat in the procession was another crash boat. The sixth boat in line, was a 56' trawler. I don't remember the name. The skipper looked over his back and saw that the last boat, a CG "Crash Boat" had turned around to head back out.
As he broadsided, a huge wave caught him and he rolled three times before he righted himself and headed back out. The skipper of the last boat did not know that the self bailing scuppers on the "crash boat" would keep it safe.
The skipper of boat five also turned around, to save the guardsmen. He also broached. He sank and five men drowned.
The next morning, after we were all home, all the Finnish fisherman of Westport (Westhaven, in those days) surrounded the Coast Guard Station at Westport with rifles. They orderd the C.G. commander out so they could shoot him. He didn't come out.
The then Governer (Rossilini?) called out the state militia and the war ended.
I've researched the places I know how, and I can't find this incident in print. I know it happened, I was there. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone, especially around these parts, could give me a clue.