Diosa del Mar

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Diosa del Mar
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Diosa del Mar

The Diosa del Mar (Spanish: Goddess of the Sea) was a wooden schooner that sank off of the coast of Catalina Island at 2:25pm on July 30, 1990.

The two masted wooden schooner was designed by A. Cary Smith and built in 1898 by the firm of A.C. Brown and Sons of Tottenville, NY. It was originally christened Uncas after the famous chief of the Mohegan tribe. Through various owners, the name was subsequently changed to Wal Gar, Bonnie Doone, and finally Diosa del Mar. In Lloyd's Register of American Yachts it appears as Bonnie Doone until finally disappearing from the registry in 1959 under the ownership of a Dr. Irving E. Laby in Los Angeles, California.

The yacht's demise came about near the end of the 10th annual Firemen's Race off the coast of southern California. A small powerboat failed to spot the racing Diosa. The powerboat hove out of the Isthmus of Catalina ignorantly cutting in front of the doomed ship. Rather than risk injury or death to the driver and passengers on the smaller craft, Diosa's captain steered hard to starboard crashing his ship against Ship Rock. The wreckage of the schooner was a favorite of divers for many years before finally breaking up beneath the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The yacht was originally built as a staysail craft for the children of the wealthy Vanderbilt clan. As originally built she weighed 30 tons, was 66 feet 6 inches long, had a total sail area of 3,321 square feet, and a draft of 6 feet and 7 inches. The Diosa was perfectly capable of deep ocean travel. Following the installation in 1916 of a Sterling gas engine, the vessel's capabilities were quite advanced. By 1925 she sported a full keel (modified from her original keel with auxiliary centerboard) and a GM Diesel engine.

According to Lloyd's, the Diosa was burned and rebuilt in 1927. By 1951 she had been refitted with a 6 cylinder Chrysler engine and was operating out of Balboa, California.

In 1979 she won the Serena Cup as the fastest schooner in the Newport to Ensenada Race. Subsequently, she sailed from Los Angeles to Hilo where she operated as a charter until 1982. After returning to Los Angeles, she placed second place in the Newport to Ensenada race of 1983. For most of the rest of her life she operated as a charter out of Long Beach, California.

[edit] Spot Where the Diosa del Mar Sank (Ship Rock)

[edit] Sources

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