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Ship 40 was chartered in 1949. Its sponsors were
the Palo Alto Elks Lodge and its primary membership was drawn from
the city of Palo Alto. However, the units alumni encompass personnel
drawn from San Jose to Portola Valley. Indeed during the mid 1960s
up to half of Ship 40's membership was drawn from other
peninsula cities.
The Captain Wrucke represents, to date, the most extensive offshore
coastal cruising unit in the history of South San Francisco Bay
Sea Scouts. For example, in addition to the Wrucke's active inland
underway schedule, the cruising pattern for almost fifteen straight
years, left in her wake the relatively safe confines of the San
Francisco Bay and cruised offshore as far South as San Diego and
Mexico. Coastal Summer Cruises lasted from fourteen and up to twenty-eight
days.
The first cruise of the Captain Wrucke in 1950 is still arguably
the most impressive blue water "super
activity" in the history of the Western Region Sea Scouting:
namely, a seventeen day passage from San Francisco to Hawaii and
return aboard the U.S. Naval Destroyers Colahan and Shields. Captain
Chester T. Wrucke Sr., would have appreciated the accomplishments
of the unit and crews who served in this Sea Scout unit which was
named after him. The sprit of the Captain Wrucke is likely best
captured by the remarks of its first Skipper, who in 1950 was quoted
in the Palo Alto Times as saying:
"to the young men of Palo Alto we send our invitation to come
out and share with us this great opportunity that the Sea Scout
program offers today and to go on with us to make a ship that will
stand for honor, championship, and public service."
Ship 40 represents a merger of two pre-1949 units, namely Ship 58
and Ship 69. Ship 58, the Mathew Maury (a.k.a. the Alcor) and Ship
69, the Intrepid were chartered in 1928 and 1941 respectively. The
7th of December 1941 produced an abrupt transformation in both programs
as crew and officers responded to America's entry into World War
II by joining the Armed Forces or moving to civilian war effort
employment.
Following World War II local demographic migration changes impacted
the depleted ranks of Ship 58 and Ship 69. Sadly, some South Bay
Sea Scouts did not survive the war, others began new careers outside
the Bay Area and the advent of the GI Bill would send ex-crew members
to college and finance their first homes. Despite this, from 1945
to 1949, both units carried on with their programs yet continued
to experience a downward trend in personnel and activities. By 1949
it became apparent that both Ships would benefit by a consolidation
into a new unit, Ship 40.
In a sense, Palo Alto Sea Scouts had not lost two programs as much
as they had reverted back to their pre-1941 status when Ship 58
was the sole Palo Alto based unit. In fact, Ship 69 was launched
from within the ranks of Ship 58. Ship 69's first Skipper Fern Longenacker
was a former mate with Ship 58. The consolidation of Ship 58 and
Ship 69 made Ship 40 the singular representative of the city of
Palo Alto and host Sea Scout Ship out of the Palo Alto harbor.
Ship 40 was named after one of the former Skipper's of Ship 58,
Captain Chester T. Wrucke Sr. Captain
Wrucke served as Skipper of Ship 58 from 1941 until 1946. Captain
Wrucke tragically died of cancer in 1946. He was a great lost to
the Sea Scout program. Honoring his dedication and commitment to
Sea Scouting, members of the newly organized Ship 40 adopted his
namesake.
Like its Ship 58 predecessor, Ship 40 would demonstrate a lead role
in South Bay Sea Scouts.
First, the unit would establish a rich coastal cruising tradition.
Second, a noteworthy competitive regatta reputation.
And third, unlike many units now or then, the Captain Wrucke, over
its thirty year history, would enjoy the stability of only two primary
training vessels: a converted forty-foot former Navy liberty launch
and a sixty-three foot former Navy patrol boat known as an AVR (Air
Vehicle Rescue).
The Ship's Name - The Captain
Chester T. Wrucke Sr.
Chester T. Wrucke, Sr. was a Merchant Mariner sailing cargo ships
and also served as a U.S. Naval Officer during World War I in the
Pacific Theater. Following the war he served as an Assistant Steamship
Inspector until 1946. As part of his Sea Scout career he served
as a Mate for Ship 58, the Mathew Maury (Alcor) in1940 and became
the Skipper of that unit from 1941 to 1946.
Harry
S. Kane (1949-51)
Dr. George Downing (1951-65)
George Moore (1965-74)
Mike LaPlace (1974-76)
Gary Lowman (1976-78)
Dr. George Downing (1978)
Joseph Bjorkman (1979)
Harry S. Kane, a car salesman, was noteworthy in
his ability to organize activities and ensure positive public relations
on the adventure opportunities in Sea Scouts. Whatever he may have
lacked in formal seamanship training he made up for in sheer enthusiasm.
His orchestrating of a blue water cruise to Hawaii and return aboard
a Navy destroyer for his crew and officers is especially noteworthy.
Dr. George Downing played a significant role in
South Bay Sea Scouts. First, he commissioned Ship 40s first vessel,
a forty-foot ex-Navy liberty launch. After two and a half years
of hard work and leadership, Dr. Downing produced an impressive
training vessel out of a former abandoned hulk. His work was so
through the "forty-footer" would cruise under the Sea
Scout ensign from 1953 until 1979 by a total of five units. They
were: Ship 40, the Captain Wrucke of Palo Alto (1953-1957); Ship
52 the Intrepid of Palo Alto; the Devilfish of Santa Clara (1959-1965),
Ship 51 the Intrepid of Palo Alto (1965-1972) and Ship 43, the Resolute
of Palo Alto (1972-1979).
Skipper Downing would also commission Ship 40s second primary training
vessel: a sixty-three foot ex-Navy patrol boat known as an AVR.
After a two year commissioning process, the new Captain Wrucke would
cruise the Bay, Delta, and West coast from 1959 until 1979.
Finally, Skipper Downing would become Commodore Downing of the Stanford
Area Squadron from 1965 to 1979. Today, although retired from his
medical practice, Dr. Downing lives in the state of Washington and
is a volunteer with a local Washington Sea Scout unit. He represents
over forty years of Sea Scout service.
Skipper George Moore would preside over the high
water mark of the Captain Wrucke program. First, Skipper Moore was
a rare individual. An Eagle and Quartermaster recipient, his long
term leadership experience in the Scouting movement made for an
ideal replacement for Dr. Downing. Skipper Moore came from the Sea
Scout unit in the Midwest. After graduating fromcollege he was hired
by the Hewlett - Packard corporation where he worked until his retirement.
His stable employment and bachelor status allowed for an unusually
dedicated Skipper who's local family was, by extension, the members
of the crew and officers of Ship 40.
Skipper Moore's leadership lead to the Wrucke's impressive Bay,
Delta, and coastal cruising reputation including annual passages
to Southern California and Mexico. He was also responsible for maintaining
Ship 40s noteworthy Sea Scout regatta accomplishments. Skipper Moore
was also an accomplished amateur photographer. Overall, the stability,
knowledge, and dedication of these two leading Skippers, George
Downing and George Moore, made Ship 40 arguably one of the best
organized and most professional Sea Scout programs in the history
of South Bay Sea Scouts.
After his Sea Scout retirement in 1974, George Moore's last Sea
Scout cruise was the Super Cruise Activity of 1978. He joined the
combined crews of Ship 51, 65, and 17 on a six week voyage to Alaska
aboard the Sea Scout vessel Morris. The Morris is a 125 foot; ex-Coast
Guard Cutter. Tragically, with what started as an altercation, George
was murdered by an acquaintance in 1983. He was a fine gentleman
who's sudden death represents another great loss to South Bay Sea
Scouts.
Skipper LaPlace, a multi-media manager at Santa
Clara University, was also a dedicated volunteer who continued Ship
40's successful pattern of coastal cruises and regatta excellence.
His combined bachelor status and dedication to the program ensured
that Ship 40 would enjoy a popular and stable training program.
In 1975, under Mike LaPlace's leadership, the Captain Wrucke embarked
on a three week coastal passage to San Diego and return.
Skipper Gary Lowman was the youngest Skipper of
Ship 40 at just twenty-one years of age. Gary was a former crew
member and junior officer of Ship 40. At the time of the 1975 summer
cruise to San Diego Gary Lowman served as a junior deck officer
having graduated from Cubberly high school the year before. He married
a young lady from Gunn high school.
Being a Skipper of a Sea Scout unit is a major commitment. For someone
just getting a career started the challenge is especially daunting.
However, Skipper Lowman was keenly committed to the Wrucke having
himself been a former crew member and having been trained under
the tutelage of Skipper George Moore.
Membership was down, funding was limited, and the Captain Wrucke
vessel, after seventeen years of consistent use, combined to place
Ship 40 in the twilight of its existence. Talk of transferring the
vessel to another unit beyond the Stanford Squadron further eroded
the moral of the then Ship 40 membership.
In the final year of Ship 40s program, two highly
dedicated Sea Scout leaders attempted to revive the Ship 40 program.
First, Dr. Downing stepped-in to fill the ranks of the recently
departed Skipper Lowman. Shortly thereafter, Joe Bjouland, a former
Belmont Sea Scout, former mate with Ship 145, the Challenger out
of Redwood City, and the current Commodore of the Pacific Skyline
Squadron, became the last Skipper of the Captain Wrucke.
Despite their best efforts a combination of events conspired against
these two long term Sea Scout leaders. In the end, with its hull
having been last hauled in 1975, much of its equipment missing,
sinking at the dock, broken engines, and a lack of personnel not
participating in either a cruising or regatta program, Ship 40 folded
in 1980.
Suffering from dry rot and stripped, the Wrucke
was towed to Mare Island where the vessel was hauled out, sat on
blocks for a year or so and subsequently broken-up by the work of
the Mare Island personnel. For a time the Wrucke sat stem to stern
with the "85," the eighty-five foot ex-navy patrol boat
once owned by Ship 51 Intrepid unit. This vessel would eventually
sail in1997.
In September 1999, the various crews who served
on the Captain Wrucke will gather once again along with mates from
other Sea Scout units from the South San Francisco Bay Area for
their first ever reunion.
If you are a former member of the Captain Wrucke's Crew we would
like to hear from you, especially if you have a personal story you
want to share about your time with Sea Scout Ship 40. Feel
free to Email
Us and let us know you have an anecdote to add to this site. Please include your full name and
the dates you served on the Wrucke.
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