33°44′02″N 118°16′07″W / 33.73378°N 118.26862°W / 33.73378; -118.26862

USS YMS-324 in San Francisco Bay, in 1945
USS Killdeer (AMc-21) in 1943

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.[1][2][3]

Notable ships

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 [8]
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 [9]
SC 735 US Navy Sub Chaser 148d 110 12-Mar-43 To Taiwan 1948 [10]
YMS 86 US Navy Minesweeper 320d 136 12-May-42 Struck 1946 [11]
254281 YMS 87 US Navy Minesweeper 320d 136 15-Aug-42 Sold as f/v Lee Russ, Renamed to Jane M [12]
YMS 320 US Navy Minesweeper 320d 136 18-Aug-43 Struck In 1946 [13]
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,[14]
YMS 323 US Navy Minesweeper 320d 136 27-Dec-43 To Korea 1948 as Ku Po, scrapped 1956 [15]
YMS 324 US Navy Minesweeper 320d 136 28-Feb-44 Renamed to USS Gull (AMS-16) in 1947, struck 1959[16]
YMS 325 US Navy Minesweeper 320d 136 7-Apr-44 Struck 1946[17]
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

References

  1. ^ Al Larson Boat Shop, Terminal Island CA, shipbuildinghistory.com
  2. ^ Al Larson Boat Shop, Official Website: larsonboat.com
  3. ^ Al Larson Marina, website
  4. ^ US Navy SC-734, SC-735
  5. ^ navsource US Navy Sub Chaser
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ Coast Guard Tugs, cg-tugs.org
  8. ^ Page 14, The Origins of California’s High-Seas Tuna FleetBy August Felando and Harold Medina sandiegohistory.org
  9. ^ navsource SC 734
  10. ^ navsource SC 735
  11. ^ navsource, YMS 86
  12. ^ navsource, YMS 87
  13. ^ navsource, YMS 320
  14. ^ navsource, YMS 322
  15. ^ navsource, YMS 323
  16. ^ navsource, YMS 324
  17. ^ navsource, YMS 325
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