Written by: Frank Ferrante Jr. (Son) and Nadine Leyva (daughter)
Frank was born on July 22,1910 in Pittsburg, California to Angelina Catania Ferrante and Antonio Ferrante. Frank one of five brothers and three sisters according to the 1940 census. In 1920 Antonio and Angelina moved to Monterey with their children.
Frank started fishing on the family boat, the Sea Queen. In the 1940's Frank was drafted into the army. After serving his country for two years Frank returned home to Monterey and resumed fishing on the family boat the Sea Queen.
In 1945 the family built a new boat called the AA Ferrante. Frank would become skipper of the AA Ferrante. The boat, a purse seiner, was one of the first purse seiners to be equipped with a refrigeration system. The family fished the waters of Monterey Bay for sardines in the years of the Silver Harvest. When the Sardines disappeared in Monterey Bay the AA Ferrante went south and fished for tuna in the waters of Mexico.
The AA Ferrante was sold in the early sixties and ended up on the east coast in New Bedford, Massachusetts. In 2001 the AA Ferrante was still being used as a fishing boat.
Frank met the love of his life, Grace Russo, who was also born in Pittsburg, California. Grace had two sisters and four brothers. In 1950 Frank and Grace built their own home on Monroe Street in Monterey. Besides being a commercial fisherman, Frank loved to fish for trout and fished for striped bass in the Sacramento Delta. Frank was an avid hunter of wild boar, deer, duck and pheasant. When Frank was home in-between tuna fishing trips, the entire family would get together on Sundays at the original family home on Larkin Street for family dinners. Frank and Grace had two children, Frank Jr and Nadine. His daughter Nadine still lives in the family home. Unfortunately, her father Frank passed away at an early age on January 17, 1960.
The Sea Queen moored in the bay and ready to go with the purse seine nets loaded on the stern of the boat.
The AA Ferrante was an 85-foot purse seiner and owned by the Ferrante brothers. It was built with the state of the art equipment for the time as it came equipped with a built-in refrigeration system allowing the boat to fish longer and not worry about spoilage of their catch.
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