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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2022 • B1
‘SHIPWRECKS!’
Maritime Museum charts
legacy of Columbia River’s
‘Graveyard of the Pacifi c’
By LISSA BREWER
The Astorian
F
rom one corner of the Columbia
River Maritime Museum, a beacon of
light sweeps across a series of maps
and constellations, emanating from
the shell of a lighthouse. A rotating
Fresnel lens directs visitors as it once
guided ships, illuminating a sign for the
museum’s newest exhibit, “Shipwrecks!”
“Shipwrecks are windows to the past,” it
reads, “come and discover their secrets.”
Harrowing encounters with the sea
take shape in the display, brought to life
through fi rsthand accounts, historical
images, archival footage, news clips and
artifacts.
Jeff Smith, the museum’s curator,
points to one central piece, a steel frag-
ment from the ill-fated Exxon Valdez.
“That hull fragment represents the
state of shipbuilding for tankers before the
wreck and oil spill up in Alaska,” Smith
said. “After the wreck of the Exxon Val-
dez, tankers were required to have double
hulls,” he added.
Though the Alaskan incident aff ected
commercial fi shing across the Northwest,
many shipwrecks featured in the exhibit
occurred within just miles of Astoria.
Thousands of vessels have met their end
among the swells, currents and sandbars
of the Columbia River Bar, where more
than 1,200 miles of current fl ow into the
Pacifi c Ocean.
“In the Graveyard of the Pacifi c,
there’s plenty to choose from,” assistant
curator Matthew Palmgren said, referenc-
ing the region’s nickname. “We talk about
the Admiral Benson, the Iowa, the Rose-
crans, a bit on the Emily Reed. There’s
so many to count,” he added. One dis-
play spotlights, with a series of images,
local remains of the Peter Iredale, while
another displays pieces of beeswax, cargo
found after the wreck of a Spanish gal-
leon near Nehalem.
Still another notable incident, the
Mauna Ala, also known as the Christ-
mas Ship, wrecked after turning back
toward the Columbia during World War
II. “It was carrying Christmas trees, tur-
keys and almond r oca bound for Hawaii,”
Palmgren said.
‘SHIPWRECKS!’
On view now at the Columbia River
Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine
Drive, Astoria
Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
www.crmm.org
As a wartime precaution, blackouts
were in eff ect along the North Coast. With
limited visibility, the Mauna Ala missed
the entrance to the Columbia. “It ended
up grounding, and when it grounded,
there were turkeys washing ashore. Many
people in the local area actually cooked
up these turkeys for the holidays,” he
added.
Rescue operations are also woven into
the exhibit, with diving gear and tools
illustrating the work of lifesaving crews.
One life-size display features a breeches
buoy, a rope secured rescue device used
for transport from vessels in peril.
“Before helicopters and other means
of escape, that was a common way to get
somebody from a shipwreck to shore,”
Palmgren said. A line throwing gun, used
in these rescue eff orts, is also on dis-
play. “That would shoot a line and they
would hook another line up,” Palmgren
said. “What that’s demonstrating is that
process.”
Most of these objects are secured by
donation, some stored within museum
collections for decades before public dis-
play. “The museum has been collecting
these objects since 1962,” Palmgren said.
He notes that the museum receives
many requests from people in the com-
munity looking to donate items, some
from personal collections and others
passed along through family members.
“The Columbia River Maritime Museum
is a great place for that,” he added, “they
can count on that being well preserved.”
Together, the artifacts make up a por-
trait that aims to chronicle both the stories
and lessons that shipwrecks bring. “We
hope that visitors will come to under-
stand what causes shipwrecks, what we
learn from them and how they can be pre-
vented,” Smith said. “I expect this exhibit
will be enjoyed for a long time.”
Photos by Lissa Brewer/The Astorian
TOP: A Fresnel lens rotates on display at the Columbia River Maritime Museum. ABOVE: Matthew
Palmgren, assistant curator, stands beside a sign for ‘Shipwrecks!’
From left, a map lists shipwreck sites along the Oregon Coast, a display spotlights rescue eff orts
and a steel piece from the Exxon Valdez.
Displays tell the stories of the Iowa and the Admiral Benson, two shipwrecks occurring in
the 1930s.
Items from a Spanish galleon shipwreck near Nehalem, including pieces of beeswax and a
display about the unique cargo.