"The past actually happened but history is only what someone wrote down." A. Whitney Brown.

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San Juan Archipelago, Washington State, United States
A society formed in 2009 for the purpose of collecting, preserving, celebrating, and disseminating the maritime history of the San Juan Islands and northern Puget Sound area. Check this log for tales from out-of-print publications as well as from members and friends. There are circa 750, often long entries, on a broad range of maritime topics; there are search aids at the bottom of the log. Please ask for permission to use any photo posted on this site. Thank you.

08 December 2024

TWO HALVES OF ONE SHIP –– COOS BAY OREGON


ALASKA CEDAR 
(ex-JOHN J. MANSON)
Lost when she struck the north jetty at 
Coos Bay, Oregon while outbound for 
Crescent City, CA. 
Photo date 4 December 1962
Original photo by Chuck Von Wald,
Portland, OR.
From the archives of the 
Saltwater People Historical Society©

"1951: The ALASKA CEDAR (ex-JOHN J. MASON) was brought from the east coast for the Puget Sound-Valdez trade, for the Alaska Ship Lines. Her engines and house were aft and she had a traveling crane that operated the full length of the forward deck.

1962: When the ALASKA CEDAR struck the jetty, 20-foot seas were sweeping the stranded vessel and soon broke her back. The ship and much of her 2,000,000 feet of lumber cargo were lost.
At the time of the wreck, the vessel was owned by J.J. Tennant of Portland with Capt. N.F. Hall."
Source: H.W. McCurdy's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Edited by Gordon Newell. Superior Publishing. 


24 crew of the lumber freighter 
ALASKA CEDAR
came ashore by breeches buoy, 
set up by the Coast Guard. 
2 Dec. 1962.
By 6:00 p.m. the rescue operations 
were complete, seven were hospitalized, 
no lives were lost.
Click image to enlarge.
UPI Telephoto from the archives 
of the Saltwater People Historical Society©



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