The Thea Foss was built for actor John Barrymore in 1930 by the Craig Shipbuilding Company of Long Beach, California. Originally named Infanta, she was 120 feet in length with a beam of 21' 6" and a draft of 10' 6". She had two diesel engines producing a total of 550 hp, which gave her a top speed of 12 knots. The Infanta was purchased by US Navy at the end of 1940, fitted with a 3" gun on the foredeck and depth charge racks on the fantail, and served in World War II as the patrol vessel Amber, patrolling coastal and inland waters of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. She was decommissioned in 1944, and sold back to her previous owners. She was purchased by Foss Maritime in 1950 and restored to her former glory at the Tacoma shipyard, after which she was renamed the Thea Foss, in honor of the founding matriarch of the Foss tug company. This shot was taken from the Union Bay Natural Area on March 27, 7D, 300mm, 1/640 @ f/9
