1853 — Jan 9, bark Vandalia found bottom-up off McKenzies Head ~North Head WA–9-12

–9-12 Marshall, Don. Oregon Shipwrecks. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Pubs., 1984, p. 134.

Narrative Information

Gibbs: American Bark Vandalia….was carried ashore, bottom up, near McKenzie head. Four bodies floated ashore near the wreck [one was Cpt. Edward Henry Beard ]….among the three other bodies was that of a fourteen-year-old boy.

“The cause of the disaster was never known, but the supposition was that the vessel had missed stays while beating in towards the bar and had drifted into the breakers. She probably fouled her bottom, filled, and capsized — which may or may not be the missing link in the tragic loss that caused the death of twelve seafarers.” (pp. 203-204.)

Marshall: “Vandalia 1/9/1853 Bark. Bound San Francisco-Columbia….The Vandalia was discovered bottom-up near McKenzies Head….The ship’s dead captain, E. N. [sic. H.] Beard, washed into a small defile now known as Beard’s Hollow. Three other bodies were recovered. It is believed between 9 and 12 people were drowned in the wreck.”

Sources

Gibbs, James A. Pacific Graveyard. A Narrative of Shipwrecks Where the Columbia River Meets the Pacific Ocean. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Publishing, 1993.

Marshall, Don. Oregon Shipwrecks. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Publishing, 1984.