AH-WR-0129

SS Dominator

Bulk Freighter · Panama · Lost 1961 · Southern California & Catalina

A Liberty ship ran onto the Palos Verdes rocks in fog in 1961 and became a landmark wreck still visible from shore today.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1944 as the Liberty ship Melville Jacoby, the vessel later sailed under Panamanian registry as the Dominator. On March 13, 1961, carrying wheat and beef from Portland, she ran aground in fog at Rocky Point near Palos Verdes Estates. Tugs could not free her from the rocks, and the entire crew was safely evacuated. The wreck burned in 1962 and has slowly broken apart on the shoreline ever since.

Vessel

Built: 1944
Builder: Walsh-Kaiser Company
Yard: Providence, Rhode Island
Material: Steel
Length: 441 ft
Beam: 57 ft
Tonnage: 14245
Propulsion: Steam, triple-expansion, single screw
Owners: Greek operators trading under Panamanian flag

Loss

Date: March 13, 1961
Cause: Navigational error
Location: Rocky Point, Palos Verdes Estates, California
Water: Pacific Ocean, San Pedro Channel approaches
Voyage: Portland, Oregon → Algiers, via Long Beach, California
Cargo: Wheat and beef
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Broken bow section remains visible on the rocks at Rocky Point; the rest has largely disintegrated.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established