Peter Iredale Shipwreck: Ghost of the Oregon Coast

The Peter Iredale Shipwreck is a famous landmark on the North Oregon Coast. On October 25, 1906, a ship ran ashore on Clatsop Spit, south of the Columbia River channel, that later became part of Fort Stevens State Park. This ghost-like wreckage is now believed to be one of the most accessible and long-lasting ship remains in the world.

At that, this maritime disaster is by no means a singular event in the area. The mouth of the Columbia River is known as a nightmare bar or Graveyard of the Pacific. According to the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, around 2,000 ships, including more than 200 large vessels, have sunk here since 1792.

Peter Iredale Shipwreck History

The Peter Iredale was built in June 1890 in Maryport, a town in Cumbria, England. The construction was handled by R. Ritson & Co Ltd for P. Iredale & Porter. She was a 1,993-ton four-mast freight carrier on an iron frame named after its owner, Peter Iredale, a well-known businessman from Liverpool.

Operated commercially, the bark started its ill-fated journey from Salina Cruz, Mexico, where she picked up a shipment of wheat at the end of September 1906. She had 25 crew members, two passengers, and 1,000 tons of ballast on board. The Peter Iredale was Portland-bound via the mouth of the Columbia River. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to complete that journey.

According to the London Naval Court,

"No incident worthy of mention happened until the look-out sighted the light on Tillamook Rock at 3.20 a.m. on the 25th of October, 1906. The ship's course was altered to E.N.E. until the vessel was five miles off the light. The course was then altered to sight the Columbia River Lightship. This was sighted and recognized, it bearing North-East. In this position, finding the wind was veering to westward, and having lost sight of the light in a thick mist, it was decided to wear ship to avoid the influence of the current setting to the north, and the tide running into the Columbia River. The wind had now hauled to the north of west in heavy squalls with rain."

Heavy, dense fog, stormy winds, and strong currents made navigation difficult. Captain Lawrence had realized too late that they were too close to the shore to avoid a disaster. The 287-foot Peter Iredale hit the sandy shore of Clatsop Spit and damaged three of its masts. The vessel got trapped in the sandy dunes; luckily, no one of the ship's crew was seriously injured or killed. The captain initiated a rescue mission before help arrived from the Point Adams station.

The court verdict was: "We consider that everything was done by the master to get his ship out of danger...first and second officers are in no wise to blame for the stranding of the vessel."