Just a quick note: All the images used are either our own, or public domain! This focus led to a trickle, and then a procession, of treasure-seekers visiting the northern Oregon coast, reach - ing full crescendo by the mid to late twentieth century. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255: , Peter Iredale Shipwreck Fort Stevens State Park, Arizona Beach -The Scenic Sheltered Beach at Port Orford, Umpqua River Lighthouse Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, Beautiful Secluded Lone Ranch Beach South Oregon Coast, Brookings & Beyond Things To Do & See | Oregon Coast, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 8 shipwrecks that still haunt the Oregon coast 1. Oregon's Manila Galleon. Special Issue, Oregon Historical Quarterly119:2 (Summer 2018). In the middle of Boiler Bay, just north of the town of Depoe Bay, rests a century-old boiler for which it is named. The ship was headed for Acapulco but was never seen again. Back on the bluffs, now aware where to look, I could see the rusty boiler poking out from the rocks. Shipwrecks map. Spains Men of the Sea: Daily Life on the Indies Fleets in the Sixteenth Century. The Journal of Northwest Anthropology (2013). Peter Iredale Shipwreck is a ghost-like landmark of the North Oregon Coast. Carla Rahn Philipps, trans. While the Graveyard of the Pacific is located on the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon, one of the most visible shipwrecks on the West Coast is the SS Palo Alto. #wreckedwednesday #ussmilwaukee #c21 #stlouisclass #milwaukee #cruiser #usn #usnavy #warship #navalwarfare #navalhistory #shipwreck #abandoned #wreck #hazegrey, A post shared by Battleships and Navy History (@haze_grey_history) on Sep 28, 2016 at 8:27pm PDT. Rising first thing in the morning, I made the short drive from Lincoln City down to Depoe Bay. The boiler is still visible today, but only when the tide is extraordinarily low. Only two survived of 275 passengers, making it the most catastrophic West Coast disaster at the time. The G.A. The majority of her wreckage that is still visible consists of bulkheads, recognizable compared to the top photo by degree of starboard list. The 160 passengers and most of the freight were landed on the Oregon shore. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. This is a list of shipwrecks of Oregon. All parts of the New Carissa were eventually retrieved from the depths of the Pacific Ocean and beach, but not without sparking a debate in local residents and officials whether the remains should be excavated or not. Free shipping for many products! For centuries, beachgoers near Manzanita, Oregon have picked up porcelain and chunks of beeswax that local legend claimed came from a shipwreck dubbed the Beeswax Wreck. Now, archaeologists have churned up an even greater treasure timber from the doomed ship itself. It was eventually determined to be the remains of the George L. Olson, a steam schooner built in 1917 that wrecked in 1944. The Lupatia was a British bark vessel that was bound for Portland from Japan. Boston, Mass. Schurz, William Lytle. Travel On January 11, 1936, the freighter boat SS Iowa started its fairly short trip from Longview, WA to Astoria, OR, packed with matches, salmon, cedar shingles, and millions of feet of lumber. Courtesy Oregon Hist. Eight days later, against the advice of the USCG, USS Milwaukee attempted to tow H-3 off the beach with the assistance of two stabilizing tugs; the current proved too strong and she herself became beached at Samoa Beach on 17 January. The J. Marhoffer was a steam schooner that wrecked on the shores in 1910, caused by a fire in the engine triggering those aboard to abandon the ship as it crashed into the shore. All rights reserved (About Us). The most renowned is probably the British sailing ship Peter Iredale, which ran aground off Clatsop Beach in 1906 and instantly became a local attraction. Research Lib., Journal, bc002413, photo file 2511, Courtesy Oregon Hist. Salvaged. The crew loaded into lifeboats and quickly paddled out into the ocean, where they watched in horror as the schooner crashed into the rocks, burned for a few minutes, then exploded, leaving only the bow and the boiler intact. Standing at the northern point, I trained my binoculars into the bay, scanning for some rust-colored cylinder in the surf. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Wreck of the Peter Iredale In 1986, she was sent to St. Louis to be a floating museum. The rocky shores of beaches in Oregon unpredictable Washington beaches, and the remoteness of Canadian western waters have made this an ominous place for seafaring adventures. The mouth of the Columbia River into the Pacific Ocean is known as the Columbia Bar, and it is one of the most dangerous areas for ships in the Pacific Northwest! Stranded on Nehalem Spit, refloated and scrapped. Salinas River Mouth in California. Only the steel hull remains of the 275-foot sailing ship, which ran aground in 1906. Found ran aground the next day. When the ship attempted to cross the Coos Bay bar in February 1943, the captain tried to come about in the channel when the minesweeper was rolled over on her beam and smashed into the sandbar. The hurricane-force winds reach up to 73 miles per hour, forcing the ship into dangerous territory on its voyage. Southern Oregon While this is not the most J. Marhoffer. After spotting a light nearby and thinking it was the Cape Flattery Lighthouse, the captain of the SS Pacific turned the steamboat west but instead crashed into the host of the lightthe Orpheus, a sailing ship. The currents and tides held the ship on the beach, and the crew was rescued by breeches buoy, which uses a life ring with attached canvass breeches to allow survivors to slide down a rope between the ship and shore. amzn_assoc_asins = "0898153883,B008ELGS9Y,0762783702,1566919630"; Legend has it that Florence takes its name from a shipwreck; as the story goes, the moniker stuck when the nameplate from the Florence, an 1875 offshore wreck, was found and nailed up over the post office. 2. Though the effort was ultimately futile, the crew was rescued. One of the rocks used to build the jetties at the mouth of the Columbia River, 1908. The American steamer Great Republic, the largest passenger ship on the Pacific Coast at the time, turned late and grounded near Sand Island at the mouth of the Columbia in April 1879. Known for sinking near Cape Flattery, one of the most fatal Washington State shipwrecks was the SS Pacific, which met its end in 1875. Capsized on Nestucca Bar. Unfortunately, the ships wreckage caused ecological damage to the area due to a fuel spill, which was mitigated through burning the fuel with napalm. Astoria, Ore.: Columbia River Maritime Museum, 2011. Soc. It was then decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1919. The shipwreck is a popular tourist sight. According to correspondence among contemporary Spanish officials, the Santo Cristo de Burgos left the Philippines in 1693 before taking on essential supplies and crew, in order to avoid paying taxes and bonds associated with the 1692 return to port. Nehalem-Tillamook and Clatsop peoples, and later EuroAmerican explorers and settlers of what is now Oregons north coast, knew that a large ship had wrecked on Nehalem Spit long ago. This map was created by a user. Hist. You dont have to wait for low tide to see this shipwreck as it is visible any time of day. Soc. The Galleon Cargo: Accounts in the Colonial Archives. Special Issue, Oregon Historical Quarterly119:2 (Summer 2018). Fair warning: If you go here, do so with extreme caution. The Oregon History Wayfinder is an interactive map that identifies significant places, people, and events in Oregon history. It wound up working as a tugboat for 60 years before retiring in the Gold Beach harbor. The pier is marked by rotting pylons but the majority of it has collapsed or been removed. Before the availability of radar and Global Positioning Systems, mariners eyes and ears were the principal tools for detecting hazards on the Oregon Coast when approaching from the sea. Research Lib., OrHi 12297, "Peacock contact with iceberg with Wilkes Expedition." Learn how to create your own. WebApproximately three thousand ships have met their fate in Oregon waters. shipwreck Courtesy Oregon Hist. The owner of the ship had the intention of fixing it up, but never actually got around to doing it, leaving it to rot on the sandbar. In 1808, the British fur trading vessel Sea Otter ran into stormy weather and wrecked at the mouth of the Umpqua River near Reedsport. The S.S. Point Reyes // San Francisco, California This 380-foot cargo steamship was intentionally grounded on a Sunk to form part of breakwater at. One of the most prominent Washington Coast marine tragedies to date is the loss of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. Silas B. Smith, grandson on his mothers side of Clatsop chief Coboway and son of pioneer Solomon Smith, wrote the longest account of the Beeswax wreck, as it was called. With approximately 2,000 wrecks at the mouth of the Columbia alone (known as the Graveyard of the Pacific), the museum has an exhibition exploring the treacherous Columbia River Bar and a sizable collection of artifacts. The ship broke apart at Coos Bay, with the rear portion drifting north. Gibbs, James A. Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast, Second Edition. Without a doubt the most iconic shipwreck on the Oregon coast, the wreck of the Peter Iredale is found 2. It was grounded on January 13, 1917, while aiding a grounded submarine. Now rusted a deep brown, and covered in small barnacles, the century-year-old boiler is tucked away in a nook of rocks and tide pools, partially submerged in a pool of water, as hidden as it could be in the middle of the bay. Read more about The Goonies and other movies set in the Pacific Northwest! Courtesy Oregon Hist. Griffin, Dennis. Nehalem-Til, The rescue of all 445 people aboard the burning passenger steamer Congr, The 1913 wreck of the Glenesslin is one of Oregons most enigmatic and , The U.S.S. Named for the chunks of beeswax that have washed ashore near Manzanita, the Beeswax Wreck is supposedly the remains of a galleon that wrecked off the rocky coastline around 1700, destined for Mexico. Also, because the wreck occurred before EuroAmerican settlement and there was no information about it other than Native oral tradition, many stories sprang up to explain the ships fate. Approximately three thousand ships have met their fate in Oregon waters. Upon reaching shore, he found part of his boot missing, though he himself was not injured. Its since been reburied by sand, but odds are it will show up once again. Piledriver on the end of the jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River, c.1910. In 1910, after catching fire off the coast of Newport in Depot Bay, parts of the J. Marhoffer eventually grounded at what is now known as Boiler Bay. The captain, his wife and seven crewmen survived, but eight died. Most shipwrecks on the Oregon Coast have occurred near the river; nearly 2,000 ships have met their demise here since 1792. Captain Gustave Peterson, who was travelling with his wife, was steering the ship toward the mouth of the Columbia River, the trip going smoothly so far. The Potter has extremely deteriorated over the years and all that remains are parts of the ribs as well as the keel. La Follette, Cameron, and Douglas Deur. Federal Tax ID 93-0391599. Shipwrecks in Oregon Soc. The wreck was sold for $150,000 to the Pacific Salvage Company, who removed its engine, boilers, and all else. On an unusually cloudy day, the sailing vessel, the Emily Reed, ran aground on the shores of Rockaway Beach in 1908. a number of beaches along the Oregon Coast between Coos Bay and Seeing black smoke pouring through the ship, Captain Peterson called for the engine room to be flooded, but it was already too late. Over the past three centuries, thousands of ships have wrecked off the Oregon Coast, which has a maritime reputation not too unlike the infamous Bermuda Triangle. It was strange how peaceful it looked there now, resting where catastrophe had flung it more than a century ago. Superstructure began to fall apart, incapacitating the ship and crew. In thick weather in February 13, 1913, the ship ran hard onto the Nehalem Spit. WebIts been dubbed the Niagara Scow. One of the most well-known and easily accessible Oregon Coast shipwrecks is the Peter Iredale, which is still visible in Fort Stevens State Park in Astoria, Oregon! In 1693, the Santo Cristo de Burgos, loaded with cargo of beeswax, met its end near Nehalem, Oregon. A few of these wrecks, including the famed Astron , can be spotted from the comfort of your reclining beach chair. The best-known nineteenth-century treasure hunter was Patrick Smith, the son of Hiram Smith of Bay City. Easily one of the most notable haunting shipwrecks of the Oregon Coast is the Peter Iredale. The boat spent its first 10 years hauling goods between Oregon and San Francisco before heading out to the Pacific as a whaling vessel, where it recorded a record six-year voyage. Some dug trenches or deep pits, and others used hydraulic hoses in their search for treasure. Initial tests indicated they dated from the time period of the, The Manila Galleon Trade and the Wreck on the Oregon Coast, The Galleon in Oregon and Coastal History. Foundered off Neahkahnie, washed ashore and covered by sand. But occasional winter storms unveil the remains of the boat. The United States Lightship Columbia operated from 1892 to 1979 and was replaced by an automated navigational buoy that has since been retired. In 2008, storms revealed about 100 feet of the Emily G. Reed on Rockaway Beach, which wrecked on Valentines Day in 1908 The same stormy season also unearthed the George L. Olson on Horsfall Beach in North Bend; the steam schooner struck Coos Bays North Jetty and broke apart in 1944. In June 2022, timbers located in a cove just north of Neahkahnie Mountain were removed to the Museum for further testing. The Peter Iredale was a four-masted barque sailing vessel that ran ashore in 1906 as it journeyed to the Columbia River (no surprise thereGraveyard of the Pacific, right?!). To learn more about what wrecks can teach us, head to Secrets of Shipwrecks at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport and spend an afternoon playing Indiana Jones. Ran aground during storm attempting to enter Coquille River. The popular exhibit is part history and part mystery, and it gives visitors a chance to explore marine archeology, says the aquariums director of education Kerry Carlin-Morgan. Columbia River Gorge Fishing Paradise in Oregon; American Shad; Oregon's Scenic Bikeways: Take a ride down Oregon's 15 scenic bikeways, with routes for beginners and spandex-clad experts alike. Indeed, the Oregon Coast is known for its angry waters, and the exhibit takes a closer look at a few of the nearly 3,000 wrecks off its shores. Research Lib., 13289, photo file 1164. Oregon's Manila Galleon. Special Issue. New officers were assigned, as most of the 1692 officers had been imprisoned, banished, or had their maritime careers curtailed as punishment for the calamitous return to port. La Follette, Cameron, Dennis Griffin, and Douglas Deur. Crew abandoned ship after she took on 7 feet (210cm) of water. "Long-sought Spanish Wreckage Found by Fisherman," Chinook Observer, June 22, 2022. Not technically a shipwreck, the historic Mary D. Hume is nevertheless one of the most visible abandoned ships on the Oregon coast. Half of the ship remained beached while the other half was taken out to sea and scuttled. Despite many attempts to refloat the ship, it was broken up by heavy seas and abandoned. Mary D. Hume. A sign at the trailhead issues warnings about collecting sea life, but makes no prohibition on public access. Bumped ground putting out of the Columbia River. The next voyage, leaving the Philippines in the summer of 1692, ended in a return to port, due to losing all three masts in a terrible storm in the San Bernardino Straits area. La Follette, Cameron, and Douglas Deur. Research Lib., bc001880, 59373, photo file 2533, Courtesy Oregon Hist. For much of the last century it was buried beneath a 40-foot dune, uncovered during a winter storm in 2008. The location is the nearest modern community or primary landmark. No one was able to remove the boat, so it just stayed there. on the shores of Gold Beach, Oregon is most accessible to the public! Courtesy Oregon Hist. Captain del Bayo left some thirty members of the crew in port, all of whom were essential on a Manila galleon. Due to unpredictable weather, periodic storms, and dense fog, Pacific Coast shipwrecks have received the grim moniker, the Graveyard of the Pacific.. "Legendary Spanish galleon shipwreck discovered on Oregon coast", "Wreck of the Lila and Mattie at Tillamook", "The Struan: From Saint John to Sandlake. Oregon Shipwrecks SS Dominator // Pal Verdes, CaliforniaThis freighter was en route to Los Angeles from Vancouver carrying wheat and beef in 1961 when it got lost in fog and ran aground in the South Bay area of California. Wrecked on Tillamook Bar. Captain Adolph Kangiser and his engineer made a swim for shore. Captain del Bayo was again in command. Courtesy Oregon Hist. Media related to Shipwrecks in Oregon at Wikimedia Commons. Came loose and lost soon after the towing. Its either a testament to its construction or the power of the ocean to preserve, but either way its a win for the next few generations of shipwreck hunters on the coast. List of shipwrecks of Oregon Shipwreck Even with modern technology its a challenge we have a big angry ocean out there.. In 1916 the T.J. Potter was condemned for passenger use, spending its last years as a barracks boat for construction crews until 1920, when it was burned, scrapped and abandoned in Youngs Bay. Coast guard patrol boat. The engine was ripped out, saving the crew by lightening the ship. Soc. The Manila Galleon Nuestra Seora de la Concepcin at sea.. Survivors marched overland to the. Here are just 8 of those shipwrecks, from rusted hulls to wooden ribs, scattered along the Oregon coastline. The crew escaped by boat with no casualties, and the area where the ship wrecked is now called Peacock Spit. But with the sun glaring down over the ridge above the bay, it was all but impossible to get a good look. The Mauna Ala stranded on Clatsop Beach, December 1941. There are several places on the Coast where you can see shipwrecks today some are always visible, while others come and go, ghosts under the shifting sands. Thus, it is likely that the Santo Cristo de Burgos had between 1,000 and 1,500-ton capacity, which would have been a fairly common size range at the time. Jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River. You can explore the shipwreck, walk the beach, and even drive on the sand! Early newspaper accounts, often purporting to quote an old Indian or an old Indian woman for authenticity, increasingly focused on the wreck as a treasure ship. The ship was a total loss, and the remaining hull is a tourist attraction at Fort Stevens State Park. Previously ran afoul of Columbia Bar after rudder came loose. The morning mist along Clatsop Spit, for example, confused the captain of Peter Iredale, which found itself in the breakers in October 1906. Arriving, the spotted waves thrashed at the boat, and lumber and lifeboats spilled out in all directions. The Spanish ship, the Santo Cristo de Burgos, is the earliest known shipwrecks along the coast of Oregon! Soc. Research Lib., neg. The Galleon Cargo: Accounts in the Colonial Archives. Special Issue. Proceedings of First Conference on Coastal Engineering, Long Beach, California, October, 1950. Abandoned at sea. At the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum, see Cannon Beachs namesake cannon, a remnant of the wrecked Navy ship Shark, which ran aground in 1846. Early Tillamook County settler Warren Vaughn recorded Nehalem-Tillamook oral traditions from the 1850s of the wreck on Nehalem Beach. USS Inaugural wrecked on the Mississippi River just south of the MacArthur Bridge #ussinaugural, A post shared by theroyale (@theroyale) on Oct 25, 2015 at 1:06pm PDT. Five years later, another naval ship, the schooner U.S.S. The only witnesses to the wreck suffered many later shocks from epidemics, conflicts with EuroAmerican settlers, violence, and forced removals. Hist. For two days the Coast Guard and tugboats attempted to save the ship, but gave up when heavy seas and high winds only forced the ship higher onto the rocks. Research Lib., bc002415, photo file 1192, Courtesy Oregon Hist. Most seekers had a Spanish angle to their theories of where treasure might be hidden, ranging from interpretations of purported Spanish markings on stones to clues pointing toward Spanish colonial explorations in this distant northwest region. Willamette Valley Owned by a man named Gardiner, much of the vessel was salvaged and used in the building of the town of Gardiner, Oregon. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Sister ship, the Argo #2, a river steamer, went down at Dixon Entrance in Alaska. Visitors must not board the shipwreck due to safety concerns, Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials wrote. Courtesy Oregon Hist. Here are 20. I first read the story of the J. Marhoffer in 2017, while doing research for a story on shipwrecks on the Oregon coast. Heavy fog prevented the pilot from seeing its red cautionary light. If I hadnt ducked behind a tree I probably would have been smashed by all that hurling debris.. Began as a Cape Horn windjammer in 1876, turned into a barge after damage at Cape Blanco in 1906. Soc. The sidewheel steamer was once considered the fastest in the Pacific Northwest, reaching speeds of up to 50 mph as it ferried people from Portland to Astoria and Ilwaco. The ship is just a few miles outside Nags Head by the Oregon Inlet and is visible from the new bridge that replaced the Bonner Bridge. It got me wondering what other shipwrecks are visible from land. Thomas Rogers, a McMinnville writer, was especially enthusiastic in writing tales about swashbuckling mariners, pirate ships, gun battles, romance, and hidden treasure, frequently focused on Neahkahnie Mountain and including a Spanish wreck as a set piece. After exploring these haunting shipwrecks of the Oregon Coast, rest easy at night with a stay at the Whale Cove Inn. Soc. There are several places on the Coast where you can see shipwrecks today some are always visible, while others come and go, ghosts under the shifting sands. Share your Graveyard of the Pacific stories below! Sign in. The Great Republic in San Francisco Harbor. 30+ Incredible Things To Do In Point Reyes National Seashore, The 21 Most Haunted Hikes in the Pacific Northwest. The New Carissa may be Oregons most infamous modern-era shipwreck. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Up to eighteen men drowned when the ship capsized during an ill-fated salvage attempt in April. Jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River, 1910. Columbia River jetty after a storm, 1909. Easily one of the most notable haunting shipwrecks of the Oregon Coast is the Peter Iredale. amzn_assoc_title = ""; Several shipwreck sites can be found in the waters off the coast of Punta Cana and are popular dive spots for tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of some Caribbean sea critters. From Tillamook Bay on the Oregon Coast to Cape Scott Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, the harsh waters of the Pacific Northwest have claimed more than 2,000 vessels and over 700 lives. In June 2022, timbers located in a cove just north of Neahkahnie Mountain were removed to the Museum for further testing. The captain steered toward the rocky shore as fire engulfed the ship, and the steamer went onto the rocks just north of Depoe Bay. It's also the home of the Lightship Columbia, one of the most interesting maritime attractions in the state. They brought with them Some Small fish, Bees Wax &ca to trade with us. A few years later, in 1813-1814, fur trader and explorer Alexander Henry also mentioned trading beeswax with Clatsop peoples where the Spanish ship was cast away some years ago. Over the decades, there was much speculation among coastal residents about the occasionally visible wreck.