A guide to the Captain Raphael Lobez scrapbook, 1949-1955

Processed by: Historic Documents Department Staff (Bailey), February 2015 (OAC); July 2013 (rev.).
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-561-7030
Fax: 415-556-3540
SAFR_Historic_Documents@nps.gov
URL: http://www.nps.gov/safr
2015

A Guide to the Captain Raphael Lobez scrapbook

HDC0370

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, National Park Service
2015, National Park Service

Title: Captain Raphael Lobez scrapbook
Date: 1949-1955
Date (bulk): 1950-1951
Identifier/Call Number: HDC0370 (SAFR 17559)
Creator: Unknown
Physical Description: 1 item.
Repository: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123
Abstract: The Captain Raphael Lobez scrapbook (SAFR 17559, HDC 370) contains materials that date from 1947 to 1955. There are whole, loose items and items glued to pages in scrapbook-fashion. Types of items present include formal and personal correspondence, in French and English; meeting minutes (carbons), portions of Guild newsletters, handwritten notes, a Father's Day Greeting by Western Union, xerographic items, postcards, invitation, sketches and membership lists. The collection is available for research use without restriction.
Physical Location: San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Language(s): In English and French.

Access

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Publication and Use Rights

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Processing Note

The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material and subject matter experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors in this guide please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide.
Please cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.

Preferred Citation

[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item Number], HDC0370 (SAFR 17559), Captain Raphael Lobez scrapbook, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Acquisition Information

SAFR-00001
This collection was transferred from Golden Gate National Recreation Area to San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

Historical or Biographical Note

Captain Raphael Lobez was a native of England. He spent summers during his college years, working in his uncle's shipyard in France. In January 1887, the young Lobez went to sea as a Cadet in the British 4-masted barque MATTERHORN where he served for four years before promotion to Boatswain. While serving on the MATTERHORN in the early 1890s, he met Captain Leighton Robinson who was enroute to Melbourne to visit a shipmate.
In 1892, as Third Mate, Lobez rescued the sole survivor of the barque SOPHIA JOACHIM, wrecked off the Sandheads, Calcutta. He received the Silver Medal of the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, the Royal Humane Society Medal and the Board of Trade Medal. In the same year, he rescued a Cadet who fell overboard in Mauritius Harbor for which he received the Liverpool Lifesaving Silver Medal.
By 1896, Lobez achieved the rank of Captain of the full rigged ship HADDON HALL.
While the date is unidentified, Lobez became a citizen of United States.
He next joined the White Star Line of Liverpool and, from San Francisco joined the steamship COPTIC of the Occidental & Oriental Steamship Company as Fourth Officer. He eventually became Master, which was at the time the Pacific Mail took over the vessel. Lobez brought COPTIC to the Pacific coast. He left the White Star Line in 1912 and settled in California to occupy himself as a Navigation Instructor.
He soon returned to the White Star Line and took command of the British steamship COLUSA of the Grace Lines in 1914 when the German cruiser ETHEL FREDERICK bore down on the steamship all the way into Valparaiso. He also mastered the steamship CUFIC followed by the MEDIC, ROMANIC, CRETIC, TUETONIC, GOTHIC, CANOPIC, SANTA CRUZ, NEWPORT, CITY OF PARA, VENEZUELA and ECUADOR.
He finally returned to the COLUSA. On this watch, he rescued 780 passengers from the French liner ANDRE LIBON wrecked April 7 1918 on Sultan Shoal, Singapore. He received the Order National of the Legion of Honor of Chevalier in 1934.
Excerpted and edited from an undated, untitled copy of a newsletter located in the collection file.

Collection Scope and Content

The Captain Raphael Lobez scrapbook (SAFR 17559, HDC 370) contains materials that date from 1947 to 1955. There are whole, loose items and items glued to pages in scrapbook-fashion. Types of items present include formal and personal correspondence, in French and English; meeting minutes (carbons), portions of Guild newsletters, handwritten notes, a Father's Day Greeting by Western Union, xerographic items, postcards, invitation, sketches and membership lists. The collection is available for research use without restriction.
Some of the excerpted and affixed items were by Lobez for the Guild newsletter. For example, When I Went Whaling, and sketches and description of lanyard rigging in answer to a query. Two items (a letter and a memo letters concern Lobez' participation in National Maritime Day on May 22, 1947.
There is a carbon of the minutes for the first meeting of the San Francisco Afterguard of the Nautical Research Guild dated August 24, 1949. The founding members were Captain Leighton Robinson, Captain R.L. Lobez, Skipper; Captain Karl Kortum, Mr. Harry Stoddard (Host), Mr. Eric Swanson, Mr. G.C. Berger and Commander J.H. Willey, Yeoman. Kortum presented the "idea of establishing and maintaining, in the present vacant Aquatic Park building and also outside, in the park itself, a San Francisco Nautical Repository and exhibit of ships and ship models, marine paintings and other things nautical, which relate to the marine history of the San Francisco Bay Area and especially to the era of THE CLIPPER SHIPS."

Collection Arrangement

This is a collection of one scrapbook which has been dismantled. The arrangement of the collection is chronological from 1947 to 1955 followed by undated material distributed into two folders.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Correspondence
Scrapbooks
Postcards
newsletters