Nick Bez
Nick Bez | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 25, 1895 Selca, Brač, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | February 1, 1969 (aged 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur in fishing, canning, maritime shipping, aviation |
| Known for | Founder of Peter Pan Seafoods, owner of Pacific Explorer vessel, Alaska Southern Airways, West Coast Airlines |
Nikola Bezmalinović, better known as Nick Bez (born 25 August 1895, died 1 February 1969), was a pioneering entrepreneur in fishing, canning, and maritime shipping based in Juneau, Alaska. He captained the era’s largest fishing vessel, the 423-foot Pacific Explorer. Bez's business holdings included the Nornek cannery, two gold mining operations, Alaska Southern Packing Company, Peter Pan Seafoods, Alaska Southern Airways, Pacific Exploration Company, Intercoastal Packing Company, and West Coast Airlines (which later merged into Air West). His journey epitomizes the classic "rags to riches" success story. In 1919, he officially adopted the name Nick Bez. He passed away in 1969.
Biography
Nick Bez was born in 1895 on the island of Selca, Brač in Croatia, then part of Austria-Hungary. At age 15, in 1910, he emigrated to New York City alongside Louis G. Ursich. After initial employment in a restaurant and relocating to Tacoma, Washington, he joined fishermen of Dalmatian Italian descent before moving north to Alaska. Beginning his career as a deckhand on a towboat, he advanced from owning a rowboat to a gasoline-powered vessel and acquired a seiner fishing boat by 1914. By 1922, he had risen to superintendent at an Alaskan cannery but soon purchased an abandoned facility on Peril Strait near Sitka, Alaska, which turned out to be highly lucrative.
In 1934, Bez launched Alaska Southern Airways and expanded his portfolio by adding two more canneries and two gold mines by 1936. He founded Alaska Southern Packing Company (later renamed Intercoastal Packing Company) in 1940 and operated the floating cannery La Merced, converted from the steamship Ogontz. Subsequently, he took ownership of the Columbia River Packers Association but sold it in 1951 while acquiring P. E. Harris & Company—a significant salmon-packing and distribution enterprise established in 1916. Nick Bez and his wife made their home at Mount Baker Mansion in Seattle. He succumbed to cancer in 1969.
Peter Pan Seafoods
Following his acquisition of P. E. Harris & Company in 1951, Bez rebranded the company as Peter Pan Seafoods. Established in 1916, P. E. Harris & Company produced salmon products under labels such as Peter Pan, Gill Netters Best, and Sea Kist. The company operated canneries across Alaska, Puget Sound, and Astoria. In 1975, ownership transferred to Bristol Bay Native Corporation, which subsequently sold it in 1979 to Nichiro Gyogyo Kaisha Ltd.; this entity later merged with Maruha Corporation in 2007. The Peter Pan Seafoods facility remains active in Dillingham, Alaska.
SS Pacific Explorer
In 1946, Bez acquired the 423-foot vessel Pacific Explorer from the U.S. government and established the Pacific Exploration Company. With financial backing of $2 million from the United States Defense Plant Corporation under the War Food Administration, the firm transformed the World War I ship Mormacrey into a state-of-the-art fishing vessel featuring an onboard cannery. The redesign was carried out by naval architects W.C. Nickum and Sons to enable the United States to challenge Japan’s dominant control—holding approximately 66%—of the tuna market.
Operating primarily in international waters near Alaska, Pacific Explorer received supplies from four support vessels—NOAAS Oregon, Alaska, California, and Washington—collectively referred to as the Pacific Coast Combination Ships. Its inaugural journey commenced on January 3, 1947, departing from Astoria, Oregon en route to South America targeting tuna fishing near the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Over five months, it processed approximately 2,250 tons of tuna supplied by ten fishing boats.
The vessel’s second expedition started on March 26, 1948, sailing from Seattle towards the Bering Sea. During this three-month period at Pavlof Bay, nine boats delivered king crab, flatfish, and cod for processing aboard the ship. These successful missions validated the concept of floating canneries before Pacific Explorer was eventually placed into reserve status.
Alaska Southern Airways
In 1932, Bez acquired Alaska Southern Airways, which provided flights connecting Seattle, Juneau, Cordova, and Ketchikan. This airline was the pioneer in Alaskan aviation and introduced the first Douglas DC-3 aircraft to the region. Bez directed the airline primarily to support transportation needs related to his fishing enterprises. On October 10, 1934, Alaska Southern Airways' Lockheed 5B Vega, named Baranof, crashed in Pinta Bay, Alaska, causing one fatality. The airline was subsequently sold to Pan Am in 1934.
West Coast Airlines and Air West
Bez purchased West Coast Airlines, headquartered in Seattle, in 1946. By 1968, the airline's fleet included Douglas DC-9-10 jets, Fairchild F-27 turboprops, Douglas DC-3 propeller planes, and smaller Piper Navajo aircraft, serving routes across California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington state, and Calgary in Alberta.
In the late 1960s, West Coast Airlines merged with both Bonanza Air Lines and Pacific Air Lines, forming Air West. Bez later sold Air West to Howard Hughes for $100 million. The company was rebranded as Hughes Airwest, which eventually became part of Republic Airlines through a merger in 1980.
Historical marker
- A commemorative marker located in Juneau, Alaska states:
From 1929 to 1932, weekly scheduled flights operated between Juneau’s waterfront and Seattle for $105. Juneau served as a hub for early airlines such as Alaska Southern Airways, Pacific Alaska Airways, and Panhandle Air Transport, connecting various mines, canneries, lodges, and communities within the region. These carriers later merged into Alaska Coastal Airlines. Following Alaska Airlines’ acquisition of these local operators and its decision to discontinue regional floatplane services, Southeast Skyways was established in 1968 to maintain scheduled and sightseeing flights. In the late 1970s, Southeast Skyways transitioned operations to the airport as Wings of Alaska assumed waterfront tourism services.
Nornek cannery
The Nornek cannery was founded by the Northwestern Fisheries Company in 1918 along the Naknek River. Ownership transferred to Pacific American Fisheries in 1935 and then to Intercoastal Packing Company in 1944. After reopening in 1947, it operated under the name Columbia River Packers Association.
Intercoastal Packing Company
Established in 1940, Intercoastal Packing Company managed several vessels including the SS Ogontz, contributing to the World War II effort.
- Fleet highlights:
- SS Western Clipper – a seiner constructed in 1939; it was wrecked near Atka in 1964
- SS Toni B – originally USS ATR-50 Navy tug built in 1943; acquired by Bez in 1947; sank in Caribbean waters in 1955
- SS Ogontz
SS Ogontz
Constructed in 1919 by American International Shipbuilding Corp. at Hog Island, Pennsylvania under the name Scatacook, this vessel was renamed Ogontz for service with the United States Shipping Board. It operated under Tampa Interocean Lines (1925) and Lykes Brothers Steamship Company (1933) before being sold to Nick Bez in 1938 and subsequently acquired by Intercoastal Packing Company in 1940. The cargo ship weighed 5,753 tons and was torpedoed by German submarine U-103 off Cuba on March 19, 1942.
Throughout World War II, Intercoastal Packing Company operated merchant navy ships chartered by the Maritime Commission and War Shipping Administration as part of wartime logistics operations.
Alaska Chichogof Mining Company
Alaska Chichogof Mining Company was founded in 1928 by Mike McKallich at Klag Bay, Sitka, Alaska. In 1936, Bez purchased the gold mine, which remained active for a single year. Positioned at an altitude of 98 feet, the site is also known to hold silver ore deposits.