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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Avalon in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

The Legacy of Blanche W

— The Flying Fish Boat —

 
 
<i>Blanche W </i>Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker, August 6, 2022
1. Blanche W Marker
Inscription.
In all the world there was no trip like a nocturnal ride aboard Blanche W, skimming through a spray of flying fish darting from the waters of Catalina Island. William Wrigley Jr. commissioned the sightseeing boat in 1924 and named it after his granddaughter, Ada Blanche Wrigley. That June, the new 64-foot Blanche W arrived in Avalon equipped with World War I-era 40-million candlepower searchlights to simulate the silver streaks of large predators, which propelled the fish from the sea into the night air.

A trip aboard the 98-passenger Blanche W was a quintessential part of the renowned Catalina Island getaway. Over 91 years Blanche W treated more than one million people to her famous flying fish excursions, tours to Seal Rocks, and cruises to Isthmus Cove. Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, many Hollywood celebrities, and other notable guests were among her passengers.

Blanche W was decommissioned in 2015. The Catalina Island Company donated 21 of her mahogany benches to the Catalina Island Museum to preserve her memory and history.

photo caption:
Linen Postcard Depicting Blanche W during Flying Fish Excursion, Avalon, CA.
Printed on reverse: "In Catalina waters the famous flying fish (12 inches to 22
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inches long) fly as much as 40 miles per hour for distances as great as 300 yards, only to drop back into the water when their wings become dry."
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: EntertainmentEnvironmentIndustry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.
 
Location. 33° 20.614′ N, 118° 19.683′ W. Marker is in Avalon, California, in Los Angeles County. Marker can be reached from Metropole Avenue, 0.1 miles south of Crescent Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Located behind the Catalina Island Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 217 Metropole Ave, Avalon CA 90704, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Channel Crossing (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Tuna Club of Avalon (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Leaping Tuna (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Flight - Newport to Catalina (approx. 0.2 miles away); Catalina Island Yacht Club (approx. ¼ mile away); Wrigley Field in Los Angeles (approx. ¼ mile away); Avalon Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Wrigley Memorial (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Avalon.
 
Also see . . .  Catalina Island Museum. (Submitted on October 19, 2022.)
 
Marker Detail - The Flying Fish Boat image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker, August 6, 2022
2. Marker Detail - The Flying Fish Boat
<i>Blanche W</i> Marker and Benches image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker (CC0), August 6, 2022
3. Blanche W Marker and Benches
Catalina Island Museum image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker, August 7, 2022
4. Catalina Island Museum
The Ada Blanche Wrigley Schreiner Building, built in 2016.
Sign, Near the Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Baker, August 6, 2022
5. Sign, Near the Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2022, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 195 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 19, 2022, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.

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Mar. 28, 2024