Catalina Island Life During WWII
Jeannine Pedersen
Curator of Collections, Catalina Island Museum

A Santa Catalina Island without tourists, daily steamers or flying fish trips is hard to imagine for those of us who did not experience World War II. This significant period in the history of the world touched Catalina Island in a very unique and fascinating way. The main source of documentation for this period in our history has been from the many men who trained on the Island between 1942 and 1945. Many of their experiences and memorabilia have been recorded and preserved at the Catalina Island Museum, but there is a whole other side to the story: the Islander experience. After receiving this request for information from Sherri Walker, I searched through the extensive information and photograph files at the Museum to try and trace the Islanders' point of view. The information was slim so I decided to search out some of the people who lived on the Island or owned property on the Island during the war to record their experiences. Thanks to Capt. Laurence "Tyke" Furey who lived on the Island with his family during the war and to long-time Island resident Jeanne Hill, we have a better understanding of Island life during the war.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the effect on Catalina Island was immediate. The following day, all air transport passengers were required to check their cameras to prevent aerial photographs from being taken. On December 9, 1941 the Santa Catalina Island Company was ordered to cease construction activities on the Airport-In-The-Sky and within two weeks the U.S. Coast Guard ordered regularly scheduled passenger service ceased. The cessation of steamer service to the Island meant no tourists and the Island shut down. Catalina Island was declared a Federal Military Zone and the San Pedro Channel was designated a controlled area for vessels. Local residents who were needed to provide services to the military were allowed to remain on the Island, but many people had to leave--many found employment in the mainland shipyards. Travel across the channel was allowed on a minimal basis for local residents and property owners with U.S. Coast Guard permits. In July of 1942, the War Shipping Administration requisitioned the S.S. Catalina, S.S. Avalon, S.S. Cabrillo and the Blanche W. The S.S. Avalon remained on the Island and was used to transport local residents and supplies. The S.S. Catalina, S.S. Cabrillo and the Blanche W were used in the San Francisco Bay area.

Within a year, the Island was so deserted that the Santa Catalina Island Company actively pursued the use of the Island by the various branches of the military. Their efforts were quite successful and by the end of 1943 the United States Maritime Service (USMS), United States Coast Guard (USCG), Office of Strategic Services (OSS, now known as the CIA), and the United States Army Signal Corps had all set up camps on the Island. Between the four divisions of the military, thousands of men received basic training on Catalina Island before being shipped out on assignment. The USCG occupied the Isthmus while the OSS leased the facilities at Toyon Bay. The U.S. Army Signal Corps set up operations at Camp Cactus and the USMS occupied the city of Avalon. The USMS leased the Hotel Atwater, Hotel St. Catherine, Island Villas, Chicago Cubs ballpark and clubhouse, and the Casino building. The servicemen and military families occupied every available room in town.

According to Jeanne Hill, her mother was a property owner on the Island and was encouraged to rent her property to a military family. Jeanne's family was issued Coast Guard permits to travel to the Island to check on their property periodically. One of these periodic trips was quite memorable for Jeanne. After checking on their property Jeanne and her mother were set to travel back to the mainland on the S.S. Avalon. A large rainstorm delayed their departure for two to three days, but finally Jeanne and her mother boarded the steamer and set sail for the mainland. While crossing the channel, Jeanne and the other passengers noticed five to seven Flying Avengers (U.S. Air Force fighter planes) flying back and forth over the ship as well as a mine sweeper and sub chaser following the ship. It was announced to the passengers that the steamer would dock in Long Beach rather than Wilmington because some of the mines in the channel had broken loose during the storm. It was not until after the war that a friend associated with the Navy explained to Jeanne that a Japanese submarine had sunk a Merchant ship in the channel. This unpublished event was the reason for all of the precautions taken on that day when Jeanne and her mother were onboard the S.S. Avalon.

For the people who lived on the Island during the war, life continued. School was in session, many of the stores were open, sport and commercial fishing continued, and the tourists were replaced by hundreds of servicemen. According to Capt. Laurence "Tyke" Furey, "The city and its residents truly enjoyed the presence of the military services during those years. The local boys would meet the S.S. Avalon when it arrived with hundreds of new Merchant Marines (known to us all as "gleeps" - many having seen the ocean for the first time). Many of the families would invite the young men into their residences for a home-cooked meal and an opportunity for them to get away from the strict military environment for a few welcome hours." Capt. Furey lived on the Island with his family between November 1942 and July 1946 while his father was the Commander of the Coast Guard Training Station at the Isthmus. Furey was a young boy and attended Avalon School. He remembers being involved with the wartime rationing programs by collecting old tires, pots and pans, desks, file cabinets, kitchen appliances and a variety of other miscellaneous material which were all recycled to build the equipment and weapons required for national defense.

Capt. Furey also recalls that all automobiles on the Island were subject to gas rationing. Each vehicle had A, B, or C stickers on their windshields. "A" meant that trips were not essential; "B" indicated that the car was required for work; and "C" was issued to those whose transportation was absolutely necessary such as doctors, firemen, law enforcement and military personnel. Nonessential users were restricted to three gallons per week. Island residents also used ration points for food and supplies. The grocery store (Heinz Grocery) was the central receipt area of ration points required for butter, coffee, dairy products, sugar and meat products. Each item was assigned a certain number of ration points in addition to the actual price. Shoppers had red and blue food rationing stamps along with red and blue tokens that were given as change if the stamp's value was higher than the points required.

Catalina Island and its residents played a very important role in the war effort. Many former servicemen who trained on the Island return to reminisce and share their stories. Their experiences included the intense training and strict nature of military life. However, they also recall the dances at the old gym (now Vons Express), USO entertainment shows, tennis and boxing exhibitions at the Isthmus, competing against the Avalon High School basketball and softball teams (the high school athletic teams could not compete with mainland teams because of the travel constraints), and block parties in Avalon where several of the servicemen may have shared a dance with Norma Jean Dougherty (Marilyn Monroe) who lived on the Island with her husband during his first permanent assignment with the USMS.

The memories of those who shared the Island with the servicemen during the war have not been recorded as thoroughly as the veterans: I do hope that this glimpse into life on the Island during World War II has brought back memories for many of you and that you will share your stories with us to preserve for future generations.