The Girlie Mahoney breaking through the wharf in Albion Bay, 1919.
On December 23, 1919, the steamer Girlie Mahoney, loaded with 360,000 feet of lumber, was wrecked in Albion harbor after stormy seas and a series of failed rescue efforts doomed the vessel. Originally built in 1904 as the James S. Higgins and later reconstructed and renamed, the Mahoney had long served as a dependable workhorse of the coastal lumber trade. That day, as she attempted to depart after completing her load, her stern line fouled in the propeller, rendering her immobile. Despite attempts to secure her with mooring lines and summon assistance, worsening conditions and miscommunication among nearby ships sealed her fate.
Rescue efforts were frantic but ultimately ineffective. The Birdie Hanlon, waiting offshore to load, was signaled to assist but failed to respond. The Phoenix, lying off Elk, could not be contacted in time. The Sea Foam, summoned while taking on cargo at Mendocino, finally arrived but was unable to secure a line to the disabled vessel in the mounting waves and fading daylight.
Two small boats from the Mahoney were launched to lay out lines and evacuate the crew. One reached the wharf safely, while the other capsized in the surf. Miraculously, all aboard survived; some were hauled to safety by the captain and mate, who had remained on board.
As night fell, the Mahoney broke free and began to drift. She first nosed along the south side of the harbor, where lines were thrown to those still aboard and the crew was hauled to safety. Later, she struck the north reef, spilling her deckload of lumber into the sea, before rebounding and crashing through 150 feet of the Albion wharf. Finally, she beached herself on the north shore of the harbor, near the spot where the Prentiss had gone ashore two years earlier. But unlike the Prentiss, which had escaped serious damage, the Mahoney was torn apart by the relentless pounding of the waves. By morning, she was a total loss.
In the weeks that followed, crews worked to salvage what remained. Though the deckload had been swept away, some of the lumber stowed below decks was recoverable, despite being soaked and fouled with oil from a ruptured fuel tank. Rebuilding the damaged section of wharf proceeded quickly, and by late January 1920, shipping had resumed. The wreck of the Girlie Mahoney stood as a stark reminder of the risks faced by coastal vessels navigating the rough waters of the Mendocino coast.
Four Walking Tours of Mendocino this week! Saturday and Sunday: Mendocino Historic District. Wednesday: Haunted Mendocino. Thursday: Murder, She Wrote. $25.