1923 – Dec 13, steam schooner C.A. Smith grounds, North Jetty, Coos Bay Harbor, OR ~10
— 10 Marshall, Don. Oregon Shipwrecks. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Pubs., 1984, p. 43.
–4-9 Contino, H.S. Shipwrecks of Coos County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pubs., 2011, p. 42.
— 8 Le Mars Globe-Post, Le Mars, IA. “News of the Week…” 12-24-1923, p. 2.
Narrative Information
Contino: “…On December 16, 1923, the C. A. Smith struck the Coos Bay’s north jetty while attempt9ing to cross the bar in heavy seas. The ship was fully loaded with 1.5 million board feet of lumber. The vessel cracked amidships and eventually broke up…Although reports vary, between four and nine crewmen were lost during the wreck of the C. A. Smith.
Marshall: “C. A. Smith 12/16/1923 Steam schooner, wood, 1878 tons, 275’ in length, built by Kruse & Banks in 1917…Under Capt. T. Blomberg, she carried 1,500,000 feet of lumber when she went on the North Jetty of Coos Bay Harbor, 10 of her people died, 14 were saved.”
Newspaper
Dec 24: “The steamer C. A. Smith, loaded with 1,500,000 feet of lumber, struck on a submerged rock at the entrance of Coos bay harbor, near Marshfield, Ore., and will be a total loss. Eight of the crew were lost.” (Le Mars Globe-Post, Le Mars, IA. “News of the Week…” 12-24-1923, p. 2.)
Sources
Contino, H.S. Shipwrecks of Coos County (Images of America). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publications, 2011. Accessed 4-15-2020 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=V0He2JrQ-lYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=true
Le Mars Globe-Post, Le Mars, IA. “News of the Week…” 12-24-1923, p. 2. Accessed 4-15-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/le-mars-globe-post-dec-24-1923-p-2/
Marshall, Don. Oregon Shipwrecks. Portland, OR: Binford & Mort Publishing, 1984.
COVID19
April 20, 2020 @ 11:24 am
The wreckage has set this sleepy beach town abuzz with speculation about the name of the vessel and the story behind its demise. Was it a majestic, three-mast schooner that sailed shortly after the Civil War? Or a worn, wooden barge, stripped of its masts, brimming with coal that sank in the late 18?