The Wreck of the Peter Iredale

The Columbia River bar is a graveyard of wrecked ships. It has long been known as a treacherous waterway, even today with the construction of jetties and constant dredging of the shipping channel. Just on the Oregon Side of the river is, naturally, a shipwreck, that of the Peter Iredale.

I don't know what it is about my family and historical interest. Whenever I go on a trip I plan it around what ghost towns, museums, and yes, shipwrecks can be seen along the way. I probably get it from my mother, who was an archaeologist before marriage, but that's another story. Regardless, the wreck of the Peter Iredale was top on our list of things to see on our recent trip to the coast.

The Peter Iredale was built in 1890 in England for the Peter Iredale & Porter Line, a British sailing firm. It was one of the last wind-powered ships built, with an iron frame and steel plate sheathing. Her primary use was the transportation of grain from the Pacific Northwest of the United States to Australia.

In 1906 a navigation error left the captain of the ship with the assumption that the shoreline was farther than it really was. The Peter Iredale ran aground after 16 years of service, one of the last unpowered (non-engined) ships left sailing commercially.

Over the years encroaching sand dunes, brought about by the Jetties, plus time, weather, and vandalism, has caused most of what is left of the ship to sink into the sand. The Bow has broken off, and remains the largest portion of the ship to remain above ground.

Enjoy,

Josh