Equator
Fishing Vessel · United States · Lost 1949 · The Channel Islands
A nearly new 1949 purse seiner that struck a rock and sank off Middle Anacapa Island, now a shallow, popular dive site.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
The purse seiner Equator was built in Tacoma, Washington, in 1949 and sank the same year after striking a rock roughly 150 yards off East Fish Camp on Middle Anacapa Island while returning to San Pedro with a catch of frozen fish. Salvagers used explosives to recover her nearly new diesel engine soon afterward. The wreck now lies in shallow water and is a popular recreational dive site.
Vessel
- 1949
- Not established
- Tacoma, Washington
- Not established
- 93 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Diesel
- Not established
Loss
- January 1, 1949
- Grounding
- Near East Fish Camp, seaward side of Middle Anacapa Island, California
- Pacific Ocean, Santa Barbara Channel
- Fishing grounds off the California coast → San Pedro, California
- Frozen fish
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 25-30 ft at the wreck, wreckage scattered to about 93 ft
- Hull and machinery remain, partially opened by salvage explosives shortly after sinking; site condition varies with sand cover and kelp growth.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Middle Anacapa Island, California
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)
The precise cause of the grounding and details of crew and casualties are not established in the sources reviewed.
Build year, loss narrative, dive site description.
