❖ SCHOONER SOPHIE CHRISTENSON--FULL OF FISH BUT OUT OF FOOD IN THE BERING SEA ❖

Dories transfer food from liner GENERAL LEE
to fishing schooner SOPHIE CHRISTENSON in distance.
L-R: Chief Steward E.A. Gruby; Capt. C.S. Hansen; (?)
Sophie had radioed the crew was starving from depleted
supplies from adverse weather.
Photo back-stamp dated 29 October 1934.

SCHOONER SOPHIE CHRISTENSON
ON 117099
675 gross tons; 180.6' x 38.9' x 13.4'
Built 1901 by Hall Brothers at Pt. Blakely, WA.
For owners: Sudden and Christenson of San Francisco.
Here she is heading home to Poulsbo owner after 57 days
at sea with a record catch of cod, one year later than the 
top photo with GENERAL LEE.
1935 original photo from the archives of the S.P.H.S.©

"A near-tragedy of the Pacific was averted with the arrival of the States Liner GENERAL LEE, commanded by Capt. C E Christensen, out of Seattle. The SOPHIE CHRISTENSON was a cod-fisher and had been out of Seattle six months with the largest load of codfish in her holds than was ever carried by any American fisher. Due to rough weather and adverse winds, the CHRISTENSON was entirely out of food supplies. In the path of the GENERAL LEE's route to the Orient, they laid after asking for assistance by wireless and waited for them to reach her. Upon arriving there, Capt. Hansen with the assistance of Chief Steward E. A. Gruby loaded into dories sent by the CHRISTENSON more than 1,200 lbs of food supplies. That amount of food, they figured would keep life in the bodies of a crew of 48 men aboard, until they would reach their homeport, Seattle, to which they were bound and hoped to make in less than a month's time." Unknown newspaper publisher, dated 29 October 1934.

1933: J.E. Shields was master on his 1st trip north to the Bering Sea. That was the largest cargo of salt cod ever landed either before or since. 
1934: Three schooners, SOPHIE CHRISTENSON, WAWONA and the AZALEA, with auxiliary schooner DOROTHEA, came home from the Bering with a total catch of 1,633,425 fish. 
      Lost: Einer Kirby, swept overboard from the SOPHIE outward bound 600 miles west of Cape Flattery. H.W. McCurdy's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Gordon Newell, editor. Superior. p.429.