The Malibu was made for the Adamson family, a story that was published in an earlier issue, but during wartime, was commissioned in the Navy. A local man recalls serving on that ship.
By Leora Rae/Special to The Malibu Times
For many, memories fade over time. Not so for Lt. Com. J.D. Traxler, an 82-year-old former Navy officer. As a young Naval officer, he served America in World War II. More than many of his shipmates, he truly appreciated the vessel he came on board as an engineer and a geologist, called the Malibu.
After graduating UCLA with a master’s in engineering, Traxler trained at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., then was assigned to the base in San Diego where he spent two years in service aboard the Malibu.
“I reported for duty aboard the USSYP-523 (Malibu), May 20, 1943, as the engineering officer. We had three officers and 15 crew,” Traxler recalled.
Details have not faded for Traxler, who lives in Pacific Palisades. Images of the Malibu, fishing from the bow with harpoons, and sailing the waters outside San Diego and San Francisco are grand memories.
When he heard about the sinking of the Malibu this past summer, as reported in the Times in the Oct. 24 edition, this local man remembered the training missions during his stint (1943-45) on the Malibu watercraft. Apparently, from the lore he recalls, the U.S. Navy purchased the Malibu from the Spalding family at the beginning of the war. It was used for training sessions.
The Adamson family of Malibu originally purchased this 100-foot wooden luxury yacht in 1926.
“We would sail one week at Pyramid Cove Gunnery Range, one week off San Clemente Island and then one week we would serve as San Diego Harbor entrance patrol,” Traxler recalled.
The fourth week in the month the ship was docked at the section base for refueling, repairs and maintenance.
He smiled from ear-to-ear as he told stories of his crew fishing off the bow after long hours of training and patrol duty.
“During the war we took advantage of all the recreation we could,” Traxler said. “If we had a long day of training, we could always go fishing. We would be out for hours and usually fill the freezer with at least 400 pounds of albacore. When we docked in San Diego, we would bring the fish to the market.”
Ensign Doug Traxler remembered the trip from Malibu to Fleet Operational Training Command, Pacific, San Francisco, on Oct. 23, 1943, where he assisted in teaching practical piloting of a ship, seamanship and primary training of the helmsmen.
“It wasn’t a vessel that could handle big waves or storms,” he recalled. “We were surprised when we were suddenly in one of the Alaska coast storms outside of San Francisco. At that time we had only half our crew, most were out on leave for the weekend. The waves came up on the deck. We were OK. We had sump pumps that removed most of the water.”
The most important part of Traxler’s job was to train all available Navy men. The Navy had overhauled the boat. They had installed twin-screw Washington diesel engines and two, four-man 50-caliber machineguns.
“We took in many who had enlisted who knew nothing about sailing or boats, and we were suppose to teach them to steer a big ship,” Traxler said.
Naval ships fired into Pyramid Cove for training. When they were scheduling the firing tests, the Navy ship (Malibu) would cruise around the cove and warn other boats to clear out.
The ship had a close call one day. When Traxler and his crew were patrolling off Pyramid Cove, a Navy scout plane spotted a Japanese submarine southwest of San Clemente Island.
“We were ordered to investigate the sighting. It took about an hour and a half to reach the site,” Traxler said. “By the time we arrived they had submerged. Then we released a 400-pound depth charge, set to explode at 600 feet, which was our maximum setting. We sustained some shock damage, but were able to control the leakage. “
Traxler was detached from the YP523 in June of 1945. He later served in the Philippines, and when he returned to the U.S. he visited the docks and saw that the Malibu, in satisfactory condition, had been put up for sale at the Treasure Island docks.
Later, in the early 1950s, while Traxler was in Newport Beach, he noticed the USS Malibu docked at a charter boat yard. “It had suffered damage to the wheelhouse during a recent storm,” Traxler said.
Traxler lost contact with his Navy buddies over the years, and what had happened after the 1950s to the pleasure yacht, once again called Malibu.The yacht had been transformed into a tour guide boat, so the public could now enjoy riding the waves of the Pacific.
Today Doug Traxler and his wife of 50 years, Patricia, have fond recollections about sailing on the Malibu. Patricia remembers the day she met Doug, and the picnic lunch aboard the yacht.
“They say there’s nothing like love at first sight. It was love at first sight for me,” Patricia said. “He was a sailor. He invited me for our first date to dine on the Malibu. I knew then that he was the one for me.”
Patricia was working for Boeing aircraft, inspecting B-52s for the military.
The couple has reared a family and has lived in the Palisades for their entire marriage. They said they will always have fond memories of the ship called Malibu.