Sunday Drive: Shipwreck, 1927 - Descanso Point, Baja California

The caption to these two undated photos from the Currey family album, written in barely legible white ink on black paper, turned out to be somewhat accurate, although the name of the freighter was misspelled: "Cincunius on the rocks 50 miles from home* in Mexico[.]"

[From the Currey family album in my personal collection]

Since a search for the ship by name wasn't successful, the next thing was to establish the date of the photos. Fortunately the snapshots weren't glued on the page and when carefully extracted I found this on the back:

[From my personal collection]

Examining the photos it was clear that the freighter's grounding was recent as all the rigging was still in place--in fact, close inspection showed that there was a barge alongside it.

So next I turned to the newspapers and found this in the Albuquerque Journal for September 26, 1927:

[Newspapers.com]

[Baja California. Secretaria de Agricultura y Fomento : Direccion de Estadios Geograficos y Climatologicos ... Mexico. 2a. Edicion, 1922

Source: David Rumsey Historical Map Collection]

The San Diego Union had more about the Circinus.

[Thursday, September 29, 1927   Paper: San Diego Union (San Diego, California)   Page: 5  

© This entire service and/or content portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or its content providers

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

The Circinus eventually was towed to San Francisco, after a stop in San Pedro where the damage was assessed and bids taken for repairs, which turned out to be more expensive than first thought. Her captain had his license suspended for a while.

[Monday, October 24, 1927   Paper: Evening Tribune (San Diego, California)   Page: 7  

© This entire service and/or content portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or its content providers

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

When her repairs were completed, the Circinus resumed service and, after a sale and name change (SS Vermar) several years later, ended up as the Russian steam ship Karaganda. Built in 1919, she was scrapped in 1967.

You can read her history here.



*Since San Diego wasn't her home port I assume the reference was made to the Currey home in Encanto.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Shipwreck, 1954 - Long Beach Peninsula, Washington

Although this wreck on Washington State's Long Beach looks like it could have been there for decades when we visited it in July of 1954, the 185-foot barge (formerly the Navy sailing ship "Intrepid") actually went aground during a storm the previous February.

Unfortunately Mother's 1954 trip diary falls silent about the time we spent while we were in Oregon and Washington but I had just turned 7 so I have some memory of this occasion. It was cold, the wind was blowing and I didn't want to be on that deck--you could feel it every time a wave hit the stern. No doubt that's why I was clinging tightly to that stanchion. (I also remember my red rubber boots.)

[All from my personal collection]

Of course I didn't know the name of the vessel but the internet has provided me with more information about the wreck.

[Date: Thursday, February 25, 1954   Paper: Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington)   Page: 47  

This entire product and/or portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society. 2004.

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

[INTREPID - Square-Rigger and then a barge on the beach.

Postcards from the archives of the S. P. H. S.©]

And from this undated postcard it's clear my unease wasn't completely misplaced.

[Shipwreck Intrepid Long Beach, Washington Original Vintage Postcard

by CardCow Vintage Postcards]

If you're interested in learning more about this perilous coast, here are several excellent websites: Graveyard of the Pacific; Shipwrecks: Graveyards of the Pacific; and Log of the Saltwater People Historical Society. In case you missed it here's a link to an earlier post about the perils of the Southern Oregon coastline here.



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Shipwrecks on the Southern Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is breathtakingly beautiful but historically it's been a perilous place for ships.

[Historic Wrecks of Oregon Coast. Many Ships Have Piled up at Coos and Coquille, but Loss of Life Has Been Small. Date: Sunday, January 30, 1910   Paper: Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)   Volume: XXIX   Issue: 5   Section: Five   Page: 2   Piece: One of Two. 

This entire product and/or portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society. 2004

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

[Topography, Oregon (Coos Co.) Coos Bay Quadrangle, U.S.Geological Survey, 1896.

Source: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection, University of Texas Libraries]

Since Harold Currey (1902-1981), the father who raised me, grew up in Marshfield* in Coos County, Oregon, in the early part of the 20th century perhaps it's inevitable that his photograph album features postcards showing some of the famous wrecks.

[All postcards here from the Currey Family Album in my personal collection]

The oldest of the three wrecks shown here is what's left of the schooner Marconi which was lost on March 23, 1909, while being towed out to sea to begin a voyage to Valparaiso, Chile. No lives were lost.

[Date: Wednesday, March 24, 1909   Paper: San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California)   Page: 18.  

This entire product and/or portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society. 2004.

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

Although the Czarina could easily be seen from shore on January 12, 1910, the stormy weather made it impossible to rescue those on board. As recounted in this article from the Aberdeen, South Dakota, Daily News, only one man survived.

[Big Steamer is Wrecked in Storm Engines Helpless through an Accident, Ship Was at Mercy

Date: Thursday, January 13, 1910   Paper: Aberdeen Daily News (Aberdeen, South Dakota)   Page: One.  

This entire product and/or portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society. 2004.Source: GenealogyBank.com]

The Santa Clara's fate on November 2, 1915** was also reported in newspapers around the country. The example below is from the Rockford, Illinois, Republic.

[Date: Wednesday, November 3, 1915   Paper: Republic (Rockford, Illinois)   Page: 1  

This entire product and/or portions thereof are copyrighted by NewsBank and/or the American Antiquarian Society. 2004

Source: GenealogyBank.com]

*The city's name was changed to Coos Bay in 1944.
**For more about the Santa Clara including photos, look here

.

© 2015 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.