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Los Angeles Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Sherman Library & Gardens honors 100th anniversary of the Great Rescue
It was June 14, 1925 and gold medal Olympic swimmer, legendary Hawaiian surfer and actor Duke Kahanamoku was at Corona del Mar beach camped out with friends. A fishing boat, Thelma, missed the warning flags that it was dangerous to go out through the harbor mouth. 'At that time there was only the remains of the jetty on one side of the harbor mouth and the waves that day were very, very big,' said Paul Burnett of Huntington Beach, who co-authored 'Surfing Newport Beach: The Glory Days of Corona Del Mar' with his wife, Claudine. 'The captain of the little fishing boat had had engine trouble since they had left their dock, and he was down below trying to tinker with the engine and left the piloting of the boat to one of the fishermen.' The boat's motor was malfunctioning. And then the Thelma ran into the surf. 'The waves hit the boat, and there were 17 men aboard, and the first wave that hit them knocked over 15 of the men,' Burnett said. Kahanamoku grabbed his surfboard and paddled out. A group of others also went out into the ocean to assist in what is now known as the Great Rescue. Twelve fishermen were saved that day. 'Duke himself probably brought in about four people the first time on his board, and three the second and one on the third time,' Burnett said. 'So by the time it all ended, unfortunately, five people were drowned.' Sherman Library & Gardens in Corona del Mar hosted an event on June 14 commemorating the Great Rescue on its 100th anniversary. Irvine resident Scott Holt, who helped coordinate the event, said about 200 guests attended. Holt said that in addition to commemorating the rescue, the event also served as a fundraiser to help cover the cost of a bronze plaque telling the history of the rescue to be placed in Corona del Mar. He said they're about halfway to their goal of $11,000 to cover the costs of the plaque. Holt said he hadn't heard about the Great Rescue until about three years ago when he read the book 'Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku,' by David Davis, and saw a premiere of an American Masters on PBS episode called 'Waterman — Duke: Ambassador of Aloha' while in Hawaii. It's been a long process, but Holt said he hopes to have the plaque installed within the next two to three months. It's currently in production at the foundry. 'This was an amazing feat of life-saving that Duke Kahanamoku and the others took part in,' Holt said. Burnett noted Kahanamoku didn't act alone in the Great Rescue. There were many others who helped, including Gerard Vultee, Owen Hale, Bill Herwig, businessman William McElhannon, meterologist Antar Deraga, Chief Lifeguard Charlie Plummer, Thomas Sheffield and Chief of Police Jim Porter. He said an interesting side note he learned is that the Los Angeles Athletic Club awarded gold wristwatches to Kahanamoku, Vultee and Hale to honor them, because they were all members of the club. 'Jerry Vultee was an aircraft engineer and he founded Vultee Aviation,' Burnett said. 'He died in a plane crash with his wife in 1938, and it was actually the wristwatch that he was wearing that helped identify his body.' Burnett said three of the people who were rescued met with Kahanamoku in 1957 when he was on 'This Is Your Life.' 'Three of the fishermen that he had rescued came up on to that show and personally thanked him for having been rescued,' he said. 'You can actually watch that on YouTube.' Burnett said he and his wife previously gave a talk at Sherman Library & Gardens after they published their book in 2013. They returned in 2015 for a talk during the 90th anniversary of the rescue. They also just did a talk on June 11 at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside about the rescue prior to the June 14 gala at the Sherman. He said part of the talks at the Sherman Library and at the California Surf Museum included a special element — the Makai surfboard said to have been the one Kahanamoku used in the rescue. 'The surfboard that Duke used in the rescue is owned by a nice guy, a nice fellow named Dale Smith,' Burnett said. 'He was kind enough to have the Makai board there for … people to see.' Kevin Olds, of Anaheim, said he's currently working with Smith on acquiring the Makai board for his soon-to-be nonprofit, the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Legacy Foundation. 'The mystery of the Makai is one of those things,' Olds said. 'There are some surf professionals that will say that there's no way that Duke used that board — because of this, this and this — and myself and Dale were going, 'Well, why wouldn't it be that board? You know, it's in the pictures in the L.A. Times.'' Olds said he grew up with the Kahanamoku family on Waikiki Beach. He organized an event in Corona del Mar on the morning of June 14 also to commemorate the anniversary of the Great Rescue. He said two members of the Kahanamoku family attended. 'We did a prayer. We had a paddle out with them,' Olds said. 'All of my canoe [club members] … and some other canoe clubs came out to pay honor to Duke and the fallen.' He said once the foundation is officially a nonprofit, the goal is to begin fundraising to build a statue honoring Kahanamoku. 'He was [a] very humble man, very humble man, and a lot of people don't know his story and he never bragged about anything,' Olds said. 'After the rescue, he got in his car and drove away. He met his friends and they ate breakfast, but I guess the story already got around town.' Donations for the plaque can be mailed to Surfside Sports, 233 E. 17th St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627, Attn: Paul Burnett. Checks can be made payable to: Surfside Sports, in the memo section note 'Duke plaque donation.'
Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Epoch Times
Duke Kahanamoku: Father of Surfing
Duke Kahanamoku (1890–1968), or more accurately, Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku, seemed born to become a waterman. In Hawaii, to be 'waterman' means to understand the ways of the water, a gift typically passed down through the generations. Perhaps more than any other Hawaiian of his generation, he truly understood water. Kahanamoku was named after his father, who was named by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. She was visiting the islands at the time of the baby's birth. An Unbelievable Record Kahanamoku was born into a devout Christian home and had five brothers and three sisters. Despite their former connections to royalty, his family wasn't wealthy. His father was a policeman, and young Kahanamoku eventually had to leave school for work to help make ends meet. What he never left, though, was the water. As a teenager he became an avid swimmer, diver, and surfer. In 1908, he and two friends, Knute Cottrell and Ken Winter, formed Hawaii's first surf club. Organized at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki, members focused on swimming, surfing, canoe paddling, and 'kanikapila,' a Hawaiian word meaning impromptu music sessions that commonly take place at the beach. Duke Kahanamoku and his group of friends formed a surf club called the Hui Nalu Club in 1908. Public Domain By this time, Hawaii had become an American territory. This change of state presented Kahanamoku with numerous opportunities to compete in swimming. On Aug. 12, 1911, he joined an Amateur Athletic Union competition and entered the 100-meter freestyle race, which took place in Honolulu Harbor. The result of the race was so astounding that the judges couldn't believe the result. He'd beaten the world record by 4.6 seconds. In fact, he wouldn't receive credit for the feat until years later. His First Olympics With Hawaii now a U.S. Territory, Kahanamoku entered the Olympics as an American competitor. He tried out for the U.S. swim team and easily made it. The 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm. Kahanamoku competed in the 100-meter freestyle. In the qualifying heat, he tied the world record. There was no doubt he was the favorite to win. In fact, during the final, he dominated the field so quickly that he actually looked back to see how far ahead he was. Even with this slight pause, he defeated the second place swimmer by two meters. During these Olympics, he also competed in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay in which the team came in second. He was the first Hawaiian to medal at the Olympics. Duke Kahanamoku cuts a dashing figure at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Public Domain Immediately a prominent sports figure in America, he began touring to teach swimmers his 'Kahanamoku Kick.' He also showed beachgoers and swimmers how to surf, introducing the sport to Americans on the Atlantic seaboard in 1914. Related Stories 7/10/2024 9/14/2024 Also that year, he arrived in Australia and New Zealand. Two days before Christmas, at Freshwater Beach in Sydney, he was the star attraction for an exhibition. While staying at the Boomerang Camp at Freshwater Beach, Kahanamoku built a surfboard out of sugar pine and introduced surfing to the Australians. In fact, Kahanamoku's pine surfboard remains on display at the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club. An Olympic Return Having spread surfing around America and Australasia, he set his sights on the 1916 Olympics. Unfortunately, hopes for a repeat performance were doused due to World War I. When America entered the war, Kahanamoku conducted swimming exhibitions in 30 different cities throughout mainland America to raise money for the war effort. In 1920, Kahanamoku joined the American team in Belgium, a country that had been pummeled by the war. Nonetheless, the 1920 Olympics were held in Antwerp. Kahanamoku again dominated the field in the 100-meter freestyle. He tied his record in the semifinal, and in the final, he broke it, winning first. A dispute, however, required the race to be swam again. Kahanamoku won again, beating fellow Hawaiian Pua Kealoha. Unlike the 1912 Olympics, the American 4x200 relay team won first with a world record, giving Kahanamoku his third Olympic gold. Shortly after the Olympics, Kahanamoku pursued an acting career in Los Angeles. From 1922 to 1930, while living in L.A., he appeared in 28 films. While living in Southern California, he helped popularize the sports of swimming and surfing. In 1924, Kahanamoku arrived in Paris for the Olympics. It was here that he became close friends with fellow swimmer Johnny Weissmuller would also enjoy a Hollywood career, best known for his role as Tarzan. Johnny Weismuller (L) and Duke Kahanamoku laugh in a candid photograph while at the 1924 Olympics in Paris. Public Domain The Waterman's Heart The following year, Kahanamoku did not just demonstrate his ability; he demonstrated his heart and courage. At Newport Beach, California, a 40-foot yacht capsized. Kahanamoku leapt on his surfboard and rescued eight people from drowning. He was joined by two other surfers, who rescued four. The police chief of Newport Beach He finally moved back to Hawaii, where, in 1929, he quickly made waves … or rode them. He hopped a massive wave that took him 1.128 miles, possibly the longest wave ride of the modern era. In 1932, he returned to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles as an alternate for the water polo team, which won bronze. Duke Kahanamoku poses with his surfboard in Los Angeles in 1920. Public Domain In 1935, it seems he found another calling. Kahanamoku was elected Sheriff of Honolulu, a position he held until 1960, after winning 13 consecutive elections. During this span, he was the U.S. representative at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. He was also an official guest at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Ambassador of Aloha When Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state in 1959, Kahanamoku was appointed the state's Official Ambassador of Aloha. His international celebrity made him a surefire candidate for the ambassadorship, but it was also due to his friendly personality and his personal creed he called 'Aloha.' Kahanamoku 'In Hawai'i we greet friends, loved ones and strangers with Aloha, which means 'with love.' Aloha is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawai'i renowned as the world's center of understanding and fellowship. Try meeting or leaving people with Aloha. You'll be surprised by their reaction. I believe it and it is my creed. Aloha to you.' Sam Kahanamoku (L) and his brother Duke Kahanamoku were Olympic medalists in the early 20th century. Public Domain In 1966, Kahanamoku was the first person inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame the same year. In 1980, 12 years after his death, a photo of him at the beach, standing in front of a large surfboard, was added to the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery. Four years later, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In 1990, to celebrate the centennial of his birth, a large bronze statue of Kahanamoku was erected at Waikiki, where his swimming and surfing life began in earnest and set him on the path to becoming known as the Father of Surfing. Lastly, surfing officially became an Olympic sport in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, a moment that can be greatly credited to Kahanamoku's efforts. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
