George Cobb (lighthouse keeper)

George Douglas Cobb (1872–1940) was a lighthouse keeper along the California coast for 43 years between 1890 and his retirement in 1938. At the time of his death he had served as a lighthouse keeper longer than anyone in the United States. He is best known for saving the lives of two men whose sailboat had capsized near the Oakland Harbor Lighthouse in 1896. He was awarded the silver lifesaving medal for his bravery in this rescue. The United States Coast Guard coastal buoy tender George Cobb (WLM-564), based in San Pedro, California, is named for him.

George Douglas Cobb
BornMarch 6, 1872
Plumstead, Kent, England
DiedDecember 14, 1940
Visalia, California
OccupationLighthouse Keeper
SpouseTheodora Cobb
ChildrenGeorge, William, Roy, Doris
Parent(s)Henry and Emma Cobb

Lighthouse keeper career
Silver lifesaving medal

Cobb began his service as a lighthouse keeper with the United States Lighthouse Board, a unit of the Treasury Department, which was responsible for all lighthouses in the United States. The Lighthouse Board was dissolved in 1910 and its responsibilities, lighthouses and staff, including Cobb, were assigned to the United States Lighthouse Service, a unit of the Commerce Department.

George Cobb's lighthouse keeper career[1]
Facility Position Start Stop
Oakland Harbor Light 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper 1890[2] 1891[3]
Oakland Harbor Light 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper 1896[4] 1899
Fort Point Light 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper 1899 1900
Point Bonita Lighthouse 2nd Assistant Lighthouse Keeper 1900 1901
Point Bonita Lighthouse 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper 1901 1904
Fort Point Light 1st Assistant Lighthouse Keeper 1904 1908
Humboldt Bay Fog Station Principal Lighthouse Keeper 1908 1919
Fort Point Light Principal Lighthouse Keeper 1919 1934[5]
Point Arena Light Principal Lighthouse Keeper 1934 1935[6]
Point Loma Light Principal Lighthouse Keeper 1935 1938

1896 Rescue
Oakland Harbor Light from which Cobb rowed during the 1896 rescue

Rain squalls and winds gusting to 50 knots were present in Oakland Harbor on December 26, 1896. A sailboat with three men aboard capsized near the Oakland Harbor Lighthouse, where Cobb was stationed. Cobb launched a boat and rowed out to the overturned sailboat, where two men clung to the keel. He was able to get Frank Whipple into his rowboat, but John J. Kennedy had fallen into the water. Cobb dove in and swam with Kennedy back to his rowboat and then took the pair ashore. The third man on the capsized boat, William Burke, used an oar as a floatation device and managed to swim ashore. On February 28, 1903, Cobb was awarded the silver lifesaving medal for his bravery.[7]

Alameda wreck

On September 30, 1905 the steamer Alameda went aground in a thick fog on the rocks off Fort Point, where Cobb was stationed. The harbor pilot claimed that no fog whistles were blown by the Fort Point or Lime Point stations, and that this contributed to the accident.[8] Cobb was called to testify before the United States Steamboat Inspection Service and asserted that his fog whistle was indeed blowing before the Alameda went aground.[9]

USS H3 Rescue

On December 16, 1916 the submarine USS H3 went aground in a heavy fog while attempting to enter Humboldt Bay. Heavy surf pushed the ship up onto the beach, but also made it dangerous for anyone on board to enter the water to reach shore. George Cobb, stationed at the time at the Humboldt Bay fog signal station, was part of a team which rigged a breeches buoy to rescue 26 men on the stranded ship.[10][11]

Personal life

George Cobb was born at Plumstead, Kent, England on March 6, 1872. His parents were Thomas Henry Cobb and Emma Lydia Cobb, nee Kedge. U.S. census records report him emigrating to the United States in both 1884[12] and 1889.[13] Since neither his father or mother moved to the United States, the later date, when George was 17 years old, seems more likely. George Cobb was married to Anna Christine Theodora Jensen on June 6, 1897 in San Francisco. They had four children, George Foster Herbert Cobb, William Raymond Cobb, Roy Douglas Cobb, and Doris Georgeanna Cobb.[14][15]

Cobb died on December 14, 1940 at his home in Visalia, California. He is buried at the Woodlawn Cemetery in San Francisco.[15]

References
  1. "George D. Cobb | USLHS Digital Archive". archives.uslhs.org. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  2. "Assistant Light-House Keeper". The Record-Union. April 30, 1890. p. 4.
  3. "A New Light Keeper". Oakland Tribune. May 5, 1891. p. 1.
  4. "Of Interest To Us". San Francisco Examiner. August 13, 1896. p. 5.
  5. Lapham, Lewis A. (September 9, 1934). "Fort Point Light Keeper Moves". San Francisco Examiner. p. 53.
  6. "Is To Leave". Ukiah Republican. May 1, 1935. p. 3.
  7. "Hero Receives Reward For Saving Two Lives". San Francisco Call and Post. March 1, 1903. p. 33.
  8. "Liner Alameda Goes Hard and Fast on Fort Point in Heavy Fog" (PDF). The Call. October 1, 1905. p. 39.
  9. "Alameda Wreck Inquiry Ended By Inspectors". San Francisco Call and Post. October 17, 1905. p. 16.
  10. "Crew of Stranded Submarine Saved". Buffalo Commercial. December 15, 1916. p. 2.
  11. "Humboldt Harbor Lighthouse". LighthouseFriends. Retrieved 2023-09-23.
  12. "1900 US Census".
  13. "1930 US Census".
  14. "Anna Christine Theodora Jensen".
  15. "Visalia Resident Taken Suddenly By Death At Home". Visalia Times-Delta. December 16, 1940. p. 1.


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