Posted in Oregon History August 23, 2021 by Sarah McCosham

There’s A Shipwreck Ruin From 1880 With Well-Preserved Artifacts At This Beach In Oregon

The Oregon Coast is a place of mysterious intrigue and allure; its waters as bright and beautiful as they are wild and untamable. Nowhere is Mother Nature more powerful than the Pacific Ocean, where epic storms and tempestuous tides have claimed many a fleet over the years. The most infamous, of course, is the Wreck of the Peter Iredale, a stunning ruin located at Fort Stevens State Park. And while this skeletal ship is definitely a bucket-list must, it’s not the only spectacular shipwreck ruin in Oregon. In Gold Beach, the Mary D. Hume is a vessel from 1880 with surprisingly well-preserved artifacts and a truly fascinating story. But you’ll want to visit this shipwreck ruin in Oregon soon, as the Hume is slowly being swallowed up by the sea.

Built in 1881 by R.D. Hume of Astoria, Oregon, the Mary D. Hume was named after its creator's wife, and the ship was quite the beauty, back in the day.

The Mary D. Hume had quite the colorful career. She tirelessly hauled cargo up and down the shores of the Pacific Northwest, and even spent several years as a whaling vessel in the Arctic, setting record upon record for the duration and success of her expeditions.

Today, the boat still carries the record for longest-serving vessel off the Pacific Coast. However, since 1978, she's been in permanent retirement at Gold Beach.

And the waters are slowly swallowing her up.

There's something tragically poetic about the Mary D. Hume, a vessel that is quite literally returning from whence she came.

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, you'll find this half-submerged ship at 29980 Harbor Way, Gold Beach, OR, 97444.

Remarkably, much of the boat's original framework and features still remain, albeit covered by algae and remnants from the sea.

Come and gaze upon this slowly sinking shipwreck in Oregon, but don't be sad. Instead, remember the Mary D. Hume as a heroic Oregon vessel that set incredible records which will forever live on, long after she—and all of us —are reclaimed by the earth.

Did you know about the legendary Mary D. Hume? Have you visited this shipwreck ruin in Oregon before? If so, please share your experience in the comments below!

For another place in Oregon that was quite literally swallowed up by rising waters, you’ll want to read about this underwater ghost town.

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Address: Mary D. Hume, 29980 Harbor Way, Gold Beach, OR 97444, USA