Shipwreck Discoveries Continue to Intrigue Beachcombers…

Shipwrecks as history are in vogue, for they are in the news frequently of late. 
Public interest is obvious in the flocks of visitors to see the mystery shipwreck which recently appeared in the Coos Bay area.
  More previously-lost bits of ships are turning up. The unprecedented churning of December’s big storms may be partly to blame.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

 In December 2007, a partially-burned shipwreck piece washed ashore near Ocean Shores, Washington.  No identity has been determined for that wreck.  Could it be a vessel previously unidentified, or is it a part of a known shipwreck?

 At left,  one of many featured photos from the framed, matted version of Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard, depicting the Frank W. Howe, which ran aground on North Head.  Two lives were lost as well as the ship and cargo of lumber.

On Presidents Day, two cannons were discovered near Arch Cape, Oregon.
They are believed to be from the USS Shark, a war ship/survey schooner which attempted to cross the Columbia River bar in 1846, and sank there.
The ship is listed in her rightful place on Dead
Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard which is the most detailed, most beautiful shipwreck chart created to date by Bill Brooks of NW Limited…History in Vogue^TM.

Bill’s contribution to local history, as well as local culture are commendable for the sheer volume of information available here. 
It must be seen to be believed!

(detail below of the mouth of the river portion of Dead Reckoning of the Pacific Graveyard, showing the USS Shark among the multitude of others)

She may have been wrecked at the mouth of the Columbia, but where the USS Shark’s cannons ended up were a secret which the elements chose now to reveal….
or is it the beginning of another saga, the story of another shipwreck altogether?

The discoveries of these wrecks and their wreckage are significant in that these events are the story of all of us, of communities, places and people.  They are a part of our past, present and future.  History. In Vogue!
This quote from the the Oregonian Oregon Blog Live site illustrates well the concept of how shipwrecks have far-reaching effects:
“After it wrecked, part of the ship’s wreckage came ashore near Hug Point. A trio of carronades was among the wreckage. At the time, a Navy sailor was sent to recover the wreckage but he was able to reclaim only one of the cannons. He moved it to higher ground, but it eventually was covered in sand and disappeared until 1898 when it washed ashore. That cannon later became the namesake of Cannon Beach. ”
Archaeologists are requesting that visitors leave the relics where they lie, and not disturb them so that they can better determine their origin. You can, however, have your very own shipwreck chart, which is even better with all the “extras” you will receive in the framed version. (click this link for a preview of this amazing piece of history)
$50 for the lithograph in a tube, and $500 for the framed, matted, intensively detailed version.  There will be 500 of each available. 
Call 503-338-6056 or email bill@nwlimited.com  to find out more.

KGW News: Hands off historic cannons near Cannon Beach, archeologists say
OPB News: Beachcombers Find Cannons on Oregon Beach
Pair of Cannons Found on Oregon Coast Could Be From 1846 Ship
Mystery Ship Revealed in Deep Sand Near Coos Bay, OR