1940. American commercial shrimping, as we know it, was now a quarter century old.   Diesel motors had replaced the gas ones found in earlier, smaller vessels.  Shrimp was being sold dockside for 5 cents a pound.   The Andrews Sisters’ song “Hold Tight” (“shrimps and rice, they’re very nice”) had come out the year before and was being sung by crews.

If you enjoy a glance back and good humored writing then you might enjoy a WPA publication, “St. Augustine Shrimp Fleet”.  It was sponsored by the Florida State Department of Public Instruction for use in the public schools and is dated 1940.   The writer spends 24 hours on a boat named Fortuna captained by Domingo de Cruz, a Portuguese immigrant.  It provides a colorful, easy-to-read insight to our shrimping past.

Interestingly, the captain laments the heyday from 10 years prior when hauls were larger.  Perhaps the St. Augustine fleet that had now grown to 123 documented boats were proving to be too much competition. 

In 1940 St. Augustine was the shrimping capital of America and shrimping was its major industry.  This was due to the 1913 arrival to the area of a Gloucester, Massachusetts fisherman named Billy Corkum.  He observed the use of seine nets for shrimping in the inland waterways and concluded that shrimp could be more successfully harvested in the Atlantic.  After first experimenting with dragging a net between two boats he rigged up the otter trawl system inspired by the cod fishing methods in New England.  This style of trawling, as many of you well know, is still used today.  

The article not only provides vivid descriptions of the layout and workings of the trawler (cabin, work areas, engine and net design) but names some of the other vessels seen that day.  He goes on to list some of the origins of the many immigrants in St. Augustine at that time (Scandinavians, Portuguese, Italians and Minorcans) and mentions several old shrimping family names.  

The use of a try net (called a trial net) and palm needles for net repair provide interesting detail, but not as interesting as the doctoring methods used on board.  The seemingly common complaint of a fish bone stuck in one’s hand was remedied by applying a solution of hot butter and vinegar.  Captain de Cruz insisted that within 24 hours the bone would come out in fragments with no further pain.   If a sharp object like a nail were to prick a shrimper then an onion must be rubbed on the object and then the onion applied to the wound.  And figs soaked in milk were used to stop bleeding at the mouth.  Apparently this bleeding was more likely to occur back at port in “jook”s or “ale-houses”.  Hmm….

For the foodies there’s a description of the preparation of lunch, a Spanish pilau, and directions as to how to make it.  Stay tuned because that looks like a recipe to try and post about!

To read this publication and learn more visit Florida Memory and go back in time for yourself!

Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana on August 29th, 2005 - a date that will never be forgotten by many on the Gulf coast.  At the docks in Venice were the twin boats the Apache Trails and the Apache Drums.  In 1980 they had been built one after the other by Landry Boat Works in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.  At 85’ feet each they were proudly owned and well maintained by shrimper Bruce Drury, Sr.  The Apache Drums had just been outfitted with a new Caterpillar engine and the Apache Trails had a full hold of shrimp.  The loss of these assets paled in comparison, though, with the total and complete loss of both boats and the family’s home.

If anything good comes from disasters such as these, it is that those with a generous spirit can find an opportunity to help their fellow man – or in this case their fellow fisherman.   Bruce Drury had met previously with Randy Skinner over a possible boat purchase.  When Randy, in Fairhope, Alabama, learned of the Drurys’ plight he set about raising money and making a plan to help.  Over the course of several months Randy and his volunteer team helped the Drurys rebuild.  

Randy found the Drurys to be equally as giving despite their losses.  So since he also happened to own a model boat building business, Skinner Models, he later set about making a replica of the Apache Drums as a special gift.

Between Randy, who had been building models since 1977, and some talented craftsmen back at the shop we think you’ll agree that this tribute to the Apache Drums is remarkable.  And likewise, the spirit of brotherhood and recovery is just as remarkable!   The Drurys have returned to continuing the family business of shrimping and Randy continues to captain his model building business.

After the construction of the model it was mounted on wood that was salvaged from the boat itself.

As you can see from the detail a lot of dedication went into making this very special memorial to the Apache Drums.   Surely it will be treasured by the Drury family for as many generations as they have been shrimping!

February 20th, 1963.  Sixty miles off of the Cuban coast the shrimp boat, "Ala", which had left Ft. Myers, Florida on February 10th was disabled and drifting.  Three days prior not only had its engines failed but also its bilge pump and radio.   On board were two men, Skipper Paris Jackson, 44, and Benjamin Washington, 27.   The loss of the 800 pounds of shrimp they had caught was now probably the least of their concerns.  

That evening around 5:30 Skipper Jackson sighted a jet and frantically waved for attention with a rag and a pair of coveralls.  Per Jackson the jet circled the lighthouse at Elbow Key and returned.  However, the attention they received soon caused the two men to be in fear for their lives.  A Cuban MiG jet began firing at the boat and was then joined by 3 more.   Wisely, Jackson and Washington avoided any action that would make them appear to be armed.  They decided not to try entering the pilot house and stayed as low as they could.  There was a second round of firing and the MiGs then continued to circle for about 15 minutes until a U.S. jet appeared followed by 2 more U.S. jets.  “We hit the deck and lay there… It really scared me.  God!  I was really scared.  We just lay there because there wasn’t anywhere else to go” Jackson told reporters after they were escorted back to Key West on a Navy destroyer.

The event prompted President Kennedy to issue orders two days later that the military could retaliate against any Cuban attack on U.S. sea or aircraft.  Already a touchy time, the Russian Defense Minister responded that any attack against Cuba would prompt a third world war. 

Initially reported as rocket fire, a later clarification and accounts by the fishermen maintain that it was machine gun fire.  Either way it was a highly volatile situation at the time but has not left much of a trace in the searchable history of the Cold War.  Even the The Cold War Museum site has no mention of it.  However, to Jackson and Washington we’re sure it made a lasting impression and a great story to hand down!

Several years back we started buying vintage postcards of shrimp boats.  Not only are they visually appealing but they help tell a little bit about the history of shrimping based on the age of the card.  Some of the ones that we have are bordered in white which dates them from 1915 to 1930.  And some are “linen” meaning that the paper has a high rag content.  The peak use of this material was 1930 until 1945. 

Postcards are relatively inexpensive to purchase and easy to store or display.  We keep ours in a little flip style album with clear sleeves so that you can see both sides.   

The back of the card is often as interesting as the image with personal messages, old stamps or the printer’s comment about the image.  

The one above gives an indication of how busy Tampa was at one time.

Details such as boat names, (“Benito Mussolini” above) give us insight to the various shrimping communities and the heritage of American shrimping.   St. Augustine had many shrimpers of Italian and Greek descent. 

Start your own collection by browsing at garage sales, flea markets or antiques stores.  ebay always has a selection and if you buy more than one from the same dealer ask if they will adjust shipping charges.

To learn more about dating postcards by the card material used, design or postage requirements click here.


To view our favorites from our collection click here and scroll down.

Happy collecting!