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Over a century since it ran aground, the remains of Peter Iredale’s rusted bow and masts are still visible jutting out of the sand and are a popular tourist attraction of the west coast of the United States.
25 October 1906
Peter Iredale was a four-masted iron and steel barque. She was built by Ritson’s & Co. of Maryport and launched in 1890. On 28 September 1906 the Peter Iredale sailed from Salina Cruz, Mexico with 1000 tons of ballast and a crew of 27, including a couple of stowaways. She was bound for Portland, under the command of Captain H Lawrence where she was to pick up a cargo of wheat for the United Kingdon. The voyage up the coast was unremarkable until the night of 25 October, when the captain sighted the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse at 3.20am local time. The crew altered course to enter the mouth of the Columbia River in thick mist and a rising tide. Under strong winds, an attempt was made to turn the ship away from the shore, but a heavy northwest squall grounded Peter Iredale on Clatsop Sands (now called Clatsop Spit). High seas and winds drove the ship ashore. A lifeboat was dispatched from Hammond, Oregon and assisted in evacuating the crew. No casualties occurred in the accident.
