Print, Photographic

Photograph

Shanaman Sports Museum

Marion Cooper & Austin Snell

Name/Title

Print, Photographic

Entry/Object ID

1997.16.01

Description

Hydroplane driver Marion Cooper stands with Austin “Doc” Snell, the owner of Miss Rocket U19 circa 1957 in this black and white photo. Miss Rocket was the first Tacoma-built hydroplane — designed and built by Les Staudacher — and was owned by Austin Snell. She was first named Coral Reef but later renamed after Snell’s Rocket gas stations, and the boat’s best finish was a second-place in the annual Seafair Race. She was driven by Harry Reeves. Miss Coral Reef made her debut in 1957 but didn’t garner much attention in the first few races of 1958. In the boat’s first season and a half, the U19 boat had failed to qualify for a single final heat but that changed when rookie driver Reeves finished second and first in her preliminary heats in the Gold Cup on August 10, and in the final race, Reeves went after driver Jack Regas and the Hawaii Kai III. Regas won by a rooster tail but it was the best performance for the boat and its crew. Photo donated by Mildred Cooper.

Made/Created

Date made

1957 - 1958

Lexicon

Search Terms

Hydro Racing, Professional/Semi-Pro, hydroplanes

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Cooper, Marion

Person or Organization

Snell, Austin "Doc"

Person or Organization

Cooper, Marion

Person or Organization

Miss Rocket

Person or Organization

Unimited hydroplanes

Person or Organization

hydroplane racing

Person or Organization

Miss Rocket U19

Person or Organization

Tacoma

Person or Organization

Snell, Austin

Person or Organization

Staudacher, Les

Person or Organization

Coral Reef

Person or Organization

Gold Cup

Person or Organization

Seattle

Person or Organization

Regas, Jack

Person or Organization

Reeves, Harry

Person or Organization

Cooper, Mildred

Person or Organization

Hawaii Kai III