New This Week:

1.07 PAINTING PAIR. F. J. Grove, 1957, oil on artist’s board. Matched ship portrait paintings depicting mid-century Dutch pilot boats. This charming pair shows both vessels underway at sea. The first is the pilot vessel No. 4 identified by the artist on the reverse as the “Trinity House Pilot Vessel VIGIA.” She flies the Dutch ensign from the mast as seagulls frolic above. A two-masted steamship is depicted off her starboard bow and a lightship behind her stern. The painting is signed envirso “Ttrinity House Pilot Vessel Vigia Painted by F..J. Grove, MARCH 1957.” The second is the Dutch pilot boat identified as the ZEEZWALUW on her bow and “VLISSINGIN LOOSWECEN” on her port quarter. It is signed lower right “F.J. GROVE.” She flies the Dutch flag from her mast and the French ensign from the superstructure aft. As she plows through moderate seas, seagulls frolic above and a 2-masted ship steams off her stern in the distance. The painting is signed envirso “Dutch Pilot Vessel ZEEZWALUW Painted by F..J. Grove, Feb.1957.” Both paintings measure 6 ½ by10 ½ inches sight and are housed in their original ornate floral gilt gesso frames measuring 8 ½ by 12 ¾ inches. Excellent untouched original condition. A very decorative matched pair by a very talented artist about 70 years old! WAS $995 NOW! 449

6.67 FLARE PISTOL Impressive World War II signal pistol made for the U.S. Navy in 1942 by the Columbia Appliance Corporation as stamped into the stock “COLUMBIA APPLIANCE CORP. L.I.C. N.Y. U.S.A.” The reverse side is stamped “MOD-3.” The massive solid brass grip has a raised “C” on both sides. The butt is further marked “PT 34065.” This imposing weapon is constructed of solid brass with a 6 inch steel barrel and weighs 41/2 pounds! The butt has a loop for attaching a lanyard. The barrel tilts forward for insertion of a shell by means of a lever just forward of the trigger. The trigger is functional and does not require cocking. 13 inches long overall and 2 1/8 inches thick. Excellent original cosmetic and functional condition in all resects. A rarity among this type of firearm. 469

The Columbia Appliance Corporation of Long Island, New York produced its U.S. Navy Model 3-37 mm flare pistol caliber 1.5 flare pistol for a very short time in 1942. The company soon reorganized as the Columbia Machinery & Engineering Corporation. 

10.04 RARE SUBMARINE RESCUE SHIP PLAQUE. Authentic World War II vintage ship’s plaque from the USS CHANTICLEER (ASR-7). This solid brass plaque depicts a classic U.S. Navy Mark V diving helmet surmounted by Oriental symbols and a humorous effigy. The raised letters read:

Below the helmet are 2 kissing fishes. The presentation is mounted on a solid mahogany solid measuring 10 by 11 1/2 inches. 215

The USS CHANTICLEER was launched in November 1942, going on to see combat service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In her long career she participated in several rescues and salvage operations under the most grueling conditions. (See item 10.04) 

14.45 DECORATED SEA CHEST. Offered here is the item most highly sought after by collectors in today’s nautical antique market! It is a genuine mid-19th century seaman’s chest with outstanding sailor folk art decorations. This handsome chest is constructed in the classic way with canted (sloped) sides exhibiting hand dove-tailed joints. It has just about all of the bells and whistles collectors are looking for. It is canted and complete with its original kick boards and runners. The sailor-macraméd beckets are of the first order, being done with canvas and leather in a marlinspike seamanship manner with fancy Turk’s head knots. The deeply carved wooden cleats are faced with precise cross hatching. Amazingly, this chest is complete with its original functional skeleton lock and key. It has not just one, but two lidded tills, one of which has a lock itself. The piece-de-resistance is the sailor folk art painting in the lid. It depicts his magnificent full-rigged clipper ship under sail, flanked by flags. The one on the left is the national merchant flag of Norway, with the Union Mark of Sweden-Norway, the “herring salad.” This was the national merchant flag of Norway from 1844 to 1899. Known as a “5-board chest,” this type of trunk has a lid and all four sides made of single planks! The hinged lid measures 15 by 38 ¾ inches. The base with runners and kick boards is 17 ½ by 38 ¾ inches. The carved, embellished cleats are 2 ½ inches wide by 8 ½ inches tall. The classic macramé beckets measure 6 inches wide by 8 ½ inches long. Outstanding original condition. The chest is very sound and tight. The lid closes and locks properly. The beckets are extremely sturdy. The chest does show its age with expected dings, scratches and age cracks typical of such a working shipboard piece. Overall, a first class example, very scarce to find! We are pleased to be able to offer it here at well below its market price. Please check google and other sites for comparables. 3200 

4.07  CHARMING SCRIMSHAW CROCHET NEEDLE.  A very delicate, precisely-carved knitting/crochet needle fabricated from the dense panbone of a sperm whale.  This expertly carved specimen features a diminutively-carved hand at the top holding a hammer!  The hammer is individually carved and actually moves freely within the grasping hand!  Below, the body of the needle is copiously decorated with carvings and embellishments.  Interestingly, as an indication of age and environment, one side is darkly incised while the reverse is nearly pure white.  6 ½ inches long.  Outstanding original condition in all respects.  WAS $795 NOW! 295

Not available or for sale in California.  Shipped from Massachusetts.

8.96  SHIP’s BELL.  Authentic bell from a turn-of-the-last-century (or possibly earlier) commercial sailing vessel.  This heavy duty bell is made of solid bell brass with its original iron clapper.  The exterior is boldly cast in relief “J J C.”  The letters are not applied but are actually part of the casting process when the bell was made.  It measures 8 ¼ inches in diameter at the mouth and stands 7 ½ inches tall, weighing in at an impressive 12 pounds.  The bell exhibits a dark, deep greenish verdigris indicative of the years it served at sea.  The interior is painted black and the clapper exhibits minor rust, as expected of the application.  This thick-walled ocean veteran produces a loud, clear, long lasting tone when rung.   Bargain-priced for a bell of this quality well over 100 years old!  Modern bells produced in India sell for more.  489

A challenging quest: It is certianly possible to determine the name and exact age of this identified ship’s relic.  At this price, we will leave that interesting endeavor to the lucky purchaser.

AUTHENTIC LIGHTHOUSE. The ultimate! This was an exceptional opportunity to own a very historic relic of America’s rich maritime heritage embodied in the original lamp room from the famous Ballast Point Lighthouse, which served its sentinel duties in the channel of San Diego Bay from 1890 until 1960. This incredibly well-preserved piece of history was built according to specifications laid out by the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1885. A copy of the original specifications are included as are much printed references and photographs. Erected in 1890, the 5th Order lighthouse was a significant aid to navigation in conjunction with the Point Loma Lighthouse (1850) poised at the entrance to San Diego Bay. Ballast Point Light was situated further inside the massive bay on a point which jutted into the seaway which posed a hazard to shipping. 135 years old! SOLD

HISTORY

On October 2, 1888, recognizing the need for a harbor light in the increasingly congested channel of San Diego Bay, Congress authorized $25,000 for the construction of a lighthouse to be built on Ballast Point. Fashioned in the late Victorian style, the entire structure took 3 months to build beginning in March 1890. The light was first lit on August 1st. It was a sister of the lights at San Luis Obispo and Table Bluff, south of Humboldt Bay. All were wood framed structures with attached living quarters. The ironwork for the lantern was forged in San Francisco and carried south to San Diego by ship. The French firm of Sautter, Lemmonier, & Cie. manufactured the Freznel lens for the Ballast Point Light in 1886. The fixed 5th Order lens was visible for a distance of at least 11 miles.

When California was still part of Mexico the peninsula jutting into San Diego Bay was known as Punta del los Guijarros or “Pebble Point.” For centuries cobblestones washed down by the San Diego River had been deposited on the point. When California gained statehood in 1850 the point was renamed Middle Ground Shoal. As time went on and merchant traffic in the harbor increased, many sailing ships found it convenient to load or discharge the stones as ballast. The practice continued and eventually the name “Ballast Point” stuck.

Accompanying the Ballast Point lighthouse was a huge 2,000 pound fog bell in a wooden tower. In 1928 it was supplanted by a single tone electric diaphone horn.

The first keeper of the light was John M. Nilsson, assigned duty on July 15, 1890. The second was Henry Hall, who took the job on December 1, 1892. Perhaps the most famous keeper was Irish-born David R. Splaine, a Civil War veteran and veteran lighthouse keeper, who assumed the post in 1894, having served at Point Conception, the Farallons and San Diego’s own Point Loma light from 1886-1889.

In 1913 the original old kerosene lamp was replaced with an acetylene burner. Acetylene gave way to electricity in 1928. In 1938 a filter was fitted inside the 5th Order Freznel lens giving the light a distinctive green hue for recognition. One of the last keepers of the light was Radford Franke who recalled receiving the order to “douse the light” upon the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

By early 1960 the light was deemed to be of no further service, so in June of that year the lantern room was removed to a salvage yard. The wooden tower and its brick and mortar foundation remained a couple of years later until they too were declared structurally unsafe and demolished. The bell tower continued to survive, mounted with a 375 mm high intensity lamp on its roof. However the value of maintaining any light on Ballast Point diminished with the installation of harbor entrance range lights. In the late 1960’s the bell and its tower were dismantled. The tower found its way to a private residence in Lakeside, California. The bell had a more circuitous later life. It was purchased from a San Diego area junk yard in 1969 for its scrap value of 5 cents per pound! The one ton bell remained on local private property until 1991, when it was put on loan to the San Diego Maritime Museum. In 1999 the bell was transported to the son of the original buyer, living in Colorado. Then in 2002, the bell finally found its way to the home of the owner’s granddaughter living in Vermont, where it rests to this day.

The story of the lantern’s later life is even more fascinating. The nation was just recovering from the Cuban Missile Crisis between JFK and Khrushchev, when in 1964 the Cuban government cut off the fresh water supply to the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. By that time, an experimental desalinization plant had been in operation at Point Loma for 2 years. The Navy hastily ordered it to be disassembled and shipped through the Panama Canal to Cuba. A gentleman working as a crane operator during the process noted the shabby lantern room in a trash heap nearby. He inquired as to the fate of the relic and was told it was salvage. Asking if he could purchase it, the yard foreman told him he could “have it” if he would haul it away. With that, for the next 34 years the lantern room served as a gazebo in the backyard of the man’s residence in Bonita, California. It was purchased by the present owners in 1998, fully refurbished, and placed on public display in Old Twon, San Diego. In late 2025 it found its next enduring home on the shores of the Great Lakes in Wisconsin.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

F. Ross Holland, “The Old Point Loma Lighthouse,” 1978, Cabrillo Historical Association, San Diego, California

Jim Gibbs, “The Twilight of Lighthouses,” 1996, Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA.

Kin Fahlen and Karen Scanlon, “Lighthouse of San Diego,” 2008, Arcadia Publishing, San Francisco

Kraig Anderson, “Forgotten Ballast Point “Lighthouse” Seeks New Home,” article in “Lighthouse Digest,” East Machias, Maine, September – October 2011, Vol. XX, no. 5 pages 34 – 37.

“Mains’l Haul,” a periodic publication of the San Diego Maritime Association, Summer 1990, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, pp. 11-12.