This is what's left of the Peter Iredale, which went aground in 1906.
It is in Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria, Oregon.
It is a great attraction for visitors.
1 comment:
Anonymous
said...
Great post Mike. This show you really get around, and you have an eye for history. When the four-masted steel barque ran aground in October 1906, everyone on board survived. As Captain H. Lawrence abandoned his vessel, he turned to the ship and raised a final toast: "May God bless you and may your bones bleach on these sands". Standing next to the rusted ribs today, it is eerie to realize that his parting words came exactly true. Depending on the year, the day, or even the tide, the ocean will swallow the frame or expose completely new rusted pieces. It is a stark reminder that nature always wins. Eventually, the saltwater and wind will claim it entirely, making our time viewing it a finite privilege. The ship survived a literal war zone long after it was wrecked. In June 1942, a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast and fired shells directly over the Peter Iredale toward Fort Stevens. The ship sat right in the crossfire of the only attack on a continental U.S. military base during World War II. (Humorously, the only real damage from that bombardment was to a nearby baseball dugout). The skeleton is a rare visual monument to the dangers of the Columbia River Bar. This area is nicknamed the "Graveyard of the Pacific" because the collision of the river's massive currents and violent ocean waves has claimed thousands of ships. The Peter Iredale is simply the one that refused to hide underwater.
1 comment:
Great post Mike. This show you really get around, and you have an eye for history. When the four-masted steel barque ran aground in October 1906, everyone on board survived. As Captain H. Lawrence abandoned his vessel, he turned to the ship and raised a final toast: "May God bless you and may your bones bleach on these sands". Standing next to the rusted ribs today, it is eerie to realize that his parting words came exactly true. Depending on the year, the day, or even the tide, the ocean will swallow the frame or expose completely new rusted pieces. It is a stark reminder that nature always wins. Eventually, the saltwater and wind will claim it entirely, making our time viewing it a finite privilege. The ship survived a literal war zone long after it was wrecked. In June 1942, a Japanese submarine surfaced off the coast and fired shells directly over the Peter Iredale toward Fort Stevens. The ship sat right in the crossfire of the only attack on a continental U.S. military base during World War II. (Humorously, the only real damage from that bombardment was to a nearby baseball dugout). The skeleton is a rare visual monument to the dangers of the Columbia River Bar. This area is nicknamed the "Graveyard of the Pacific" because the collision of the river's massive currents and violent ocean waves has claimed thousands of ships. The Peter Iredale is simply the one that refused to hide underwater.
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