GPS Coordinates: 45.7415833, -123.9536712
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EXPLORE > SECRETS OF SHIPWRECKS
The Oregon Coast has often been referred to as a graveyard due to the inordinate number of ships which have wrecked along her 300+ miles (482+ km) of rugged shoreline. With so many wrecks, it is a joyous occasion when all the crew and passengers of a stricken ship make it to shore alive. Such was the case in October 1913 when a large clipper ship called the Glenesslin smashed against the rocks at the base of Neahkahnie Mountain (shown above). The ship was a total loss, yet all 21 men onboard emerged from the ordeal unscathed. But how? The treacherous, rock-strewn waters at the base of the mountain had claimed ships before. Archaeologists believe that the famous “Beeswax Wreck” was probably the first sailing vessel to crash here some two hundred years before the Glenesslin. There have also been persistent rumors of an unknown pirate ship becoming stranded in the same location, and the crew hiding their booty on the forested mountain slopes where it remains to this day (See Buried Treasure on Neahkahnie Mountain). |
How Curious...But the wreck of the British-owned clipper was strange as it occurred on a clear, sunny day during calm seas when something as large as a mountain should have easily been avoided by even an inexperienced ship’s pilot.
Captain Owen Williams and Second Mate John Colefield were accused of being intoxicated at the helm when the wreck occurred. Both were later suspended from their jobs for three and six months respectively. Such mild penalties for destroying something as valuable as a sailing ship (valued at the time at $30,000) caused some to wonder if there was more than alcohol at play in the accident. Coincidentally, the Glenesslin incident was recorded by a local man named Paul Bartels who happened to be on the beach that day with his “old-timey camera.” In a 1978 interview, Bartels affirmed his belief that the entire crew was drunk, yet the images he made show an intact Glenesslin and a crew at least capable enough to make it ashore fully dressed with all of their personal belongings and without a single injury. |
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It Gets Stranger...
There were other coincidences as well. Though declared unsalvageable, the Glenesslin carried no cargo at the time of the disaster which greatly reduced the financial loss. Eyewitnesses on shore, including Bartels, all noted that the ship seemed to set a straight path into the rocks. Immediately following the wreck, Captain Williams was unable or unwilling to provide any details about its circumstances, as was reported by the East Oregonian newspaper on October 2, 1913:
“Captain Williams would not talk much of the wreck. When interviewed he said: “All I can say is that the boat is ashore and is a total loss.”
“Who was at the wheel when she struck?” was asked.
“One of the seamen. I don’t remember his name,” was William’s reply.
When asked how he came to be so near the rock of Necarney (Neahkahnie), the captain refused to reply and closed the interview.
Don Best, a photographer and historian working out of nearby Rockaway Beach suspects that the Glenesslin incident was staged to collect the insurance money. It’s not a new theory, but it’s never been proved. In a phone interview with the Oceanscape Network, Best said that sailing ships like the Glenesslin were fast becoming obsolete during the early twentieth century and an insurance settlement would surely bring in more money than simply selling off an antiquated vessel.
“Nothing can be proved at this late stage, of course,” Best laughed. “But there’s some good reason to believe that the captain intentionally wrecked the ship, making sure it was unloaded and conditions were such that the crew could get ashore. Pretty clever, if you ask me.”
Related Features: Lifesaving Services on the Oregon Coast | Nehalem River and Bay | Oswald West State Park and Vicinity
Photo Credits: Don Best, Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, Lincoln County Historical Society, Salem Public Library, Cannon Beach History Museum.
“Captain Williams would not talk much of the wreck. When interviewed he said: “All I can say is that the boat is ashore and is a total loss.”
“Who was at the wheel when she struck?” was asked.
“One of the seamen. I don’t remember his name,” was William’s reply.
When asked how he came to be so near the rock of Necarney (Neahkahnie), the captain refused to reply and closed the interview.
Don Best, a photographer and historian working out of nearby Rockaway Beach suspects that the Glenesslin incident was staged to collect the insurance money. It’s not a new theory, but it’s never been proved. In a phone interview with the Oceanscape Network, Best said that sailing ships like the Glenesslin were fast becoming obsolete during the early twentieth century and an insurance settlement would surely bring in more money than simply selling off an antiquated vessel.
“Nothing can be proved at this late stage, of course,” Best laughed. “But there’s some good reason to believe that the captain intentionally wrecked the ship, making sure it was unloaded and conditions were such that the crew could get ashore. Pretty clever, if you ask me.”
Related Features: Lifesaving Services on the Oregon Coast | Nehalem River and Bay | Oswald West State Park and Vicinity
Photo Credits: Don Best, Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, Lincoln County Historical Society, Salem Public Library, Cannon Beach History Museum.