The fishermen didn’t see the flags posted by the harbor master warning of the big waves slamming Newport Beach’s coast.
Their vessel, Thelma, was capsized after being battered by the turbulent swells when the engine failed; 17 people were tossed overboard into the raging sea.
The men were left to the mercy of the high surf that morning, historian Paul Burnett recounted to a crowd gathered on the bluffs in Corona del Mar on a recent day. But thankfully, quick-thinking surfers braved the wild water to save their lives.
Surfer Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian Olympic gold medal swimmer who frequented the rolling waves at the now-extinct surf spot, is said to have quickly grabbed his wooden surfboard, hauling victim after victim to shore.
Three fellow surfers ran to the bathhouse on the beach to get their boards to join the rescue effort, in all saving a dozen men that day. Kahanamoku brought in eight on his own.
The “Great Rescue,” as it has been dubbed, has now been honored with a plaque overlooking the very spot where lives were saved on June 14, 1925.
The effort to recognize Kahanamoku, Gerard “Gerry” Vultee, Owen Hale and William “Bill” Herwig, has taken years, starting when Newport Beach native Scott Holt read Burnett’s book “Surfing Newport Beach: The Glory Days of Corona del Mar,” and another biography on Kahanamoku’s life while on a trip to Hawaii. Holt and his wife, Susan, also caught a movie showcasing the Hawaiians’ legacy, which highlighted the Newport Beach rescue.
“I’ve been a water guy my entire life, and I was not aware of the ‘Great Rescue,’” said Holt, who now lives in Irvine. “I can’t believe the city has not done something to commemorate this incredible feat.”
“You’re retired, do something about it,” his wife urged.
So he did. He started researching and lobbying the city to put up a plaque, connecting with Burnett and others to navigate the permitting process.
His son, Nick, created the art and they found donors for the project, which ultimately cost about $10,000. The biggest donation came from the Ben Carlson Foundation.
Southern California Bronze turned the vision into reality for the monument, which now sits next to the Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory plaque, with the Newport Harbor entrance in the backdrop.
The plaque recognizes others involved in the rescue that day, and also how it helped change lifeguarding, showcasing how boards could be used to get to victims quickly out in the water and help bring them to shore, forever changing the profession.
The incident made national news at the time, with Vultee, Hale and Kahanamoku earning gold watches from the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Kahanamoku also received a special medal from the Hawaiian Society of Los Angeles.
But in Newport Beach, many have never heard about the rescue or Kahanamoku’s time spent in the town, making it even more important to install the educational plaque, officials said.
“I’m making this year all about celebrating Newport Beach,” Mayor Joe Stapleton told the crowd recently gathered for the dedication. “Understanding our past to better understand our future has been one of the things I’ve been most passionate about.”
Kahanamoku first surfed Corona del Mar in 1914, before the surf break was destroyed by jetties in the ’30s, and became friends with the Vultee family, which had a home on the bluffs. He even had his own key to their house and he made surfboards for their two sons, Gerry and Art, according to Burnett.
Nancy Gardner, daughter of well-known Newport Beach bodysurfer Judge Robert Gardner, talked about how her father helped run the boathouse when he was just 12. Kahanamoku would store his board there, tandem surfing with the youngster as payment.
Burnett urged anyone else with stories about the early-era surfers to reach out.
“There’s so much more about the history of Corona del Mar that I would like to know about, and perhaps write about,” he said.
Susan Holt said she hopes the plaque can be a reminder to passersby to think about the challenges they face, and what random act of “aloha” they can bring to others, like Kahanamoku and the rescuers did so many years ago.
“Spread it around,” she said.