In past columns I’ve covered a number of shipwrecks around the Island ranging from 400-year-old Spanish galleons to the burning and sinking of the Ning Po in Cat Harbor.
Some of these wrecks went down with a fortune in gold, gems, ivory and assorted artifacts and precious metals and have never been found.
In past columns I’ve covered a number of shipwrecks around the Island ranging from 400-year-old Spanish galleons to the burning and sinking of the Ning Po in Cat Harbor.
Some of these wrecks went down with a fortune in gold, gems, ivory and assorted artifacts and precious metals and have never been found.
Most of these shipwrecks have occurred in remote parts of the Island, and as noted above it’s a complete mystery as to where exactly they are. When a ship is floundering in a storm or being chased by pirates, as was the case with the Spanish merchant vessel San Sebastian in 1754, shipboard chroniclers are not keen on taking the time to report their position, assuming they even know themselves where they are.
But closer to home is the wreck of a ship that reportedly went down with a small fortune in gems. This shipwreck was relatively recent and, like the Ning Po, we know just exactly where it is.
Problem is, its “treasure”—which was reported to be $67,000 in precious gems—has never been found. As is often the case with these kinds of stories, no one is sure there ever was a treasure.
The Valiant was a palatial 147-foot long mega yacht owned by a wealthy San Francisco auto dealership owner named Charles S. Howard. In later years, he padded his considerable fortune by dabbling in thoroughbred horse racing and was at one time the owner of the legendary Seabiscuit.
On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 13, 1930, after completing a 7,500-mile cruise around the Pacific, the Valiant found herself anchored comfortably in Descanso Bay.
Howard was entertaining dinner guests when the lights on the vessel began to flicker and even momentarily went out. At the same time, members of Howard’s crew were below in their quarters playing cards.
Noticing the flickering lights, the crewman in charge of the generator threw down his hand and went to the engine room to see what was up. Seeing the generator was out of fuel, he opened a fuel valve and restarted the motor. The lights on the ship immediately came back on and there was no doubt a smattering of chuckling and sighs of relief in the main cabin amid the sounds of silverware clinking on fine china.
As for the engine room worker, he must have had quite a hand waiting for him back in his quarters, for he made the crucial mistake of forgetting to shut off the fuel valve before returning to the game. The gasoline continued to flow until it began spilling from the tank, running along the deck and into the scuppers. Soon, the fumes from the gasoline met the inevitable spark, causing a massive explosion and ripping open the side of the yacht.
Howard himself immediately raced to the galley where he rescued a galley hand from under a pile of debris, seriously burning his own hands in the process.
As the crew and passengers were abandoning ship, another explosion blew apart a portion of the wheel house, destroying a dinghy in the process.
Attempts to put the fire out were futile and an attempt was made by the Avalon Harbormaster to tow the ship into deeper water, but a third explosion parted the tow line.
The ship burned for another three days and began to sink during another attempt to tow the yacht to deeper waters. The ship finally went down in about 90 feet of water where she rests today, a popular destination for local SCUBA divers.
As for the supposed treasure on board, two salvage attempts were made, one in 1932 and another in 1957. But outside of a few curious curios, nothing of value was found.
Jim Watson is the author of “Mysterious Island: Catalina,” available on Amazon, Kindle and in stores all over Avalon.
