This is a list of shipwrecks located in Californian waters.
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.Del Norte County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother Jonathan |  United States
|
30 July 1865 | A paddle steamer that ran aground off Crescent City. | |
| Emidio | United States
|
20 December 1941 | A tanker that was sunk by I-17 off Crescent City. | 41°45′1.96″N 124°11′47.95″W / 41.7505444°N 124.1966528°W / 41.7505444; -124.1966528 (SS Emidio) |
Humboldt County
Main article: List of shipwrecks of Humboldt County, CaliforniaLos Angeles County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ada Hancock |  United States
|
27 April 1863 | A steam-powered tender suffered a boiler explosion in Los Angeles Harbor killing 26 of her 53 passengers. A common urban legend states that onboard was $125,000 in gold, transported by a Wells Fargo messenger, which was never recovered. | |
| Ace I | 29 April 1948 | A barge that foundered in a storm and was scuttled as a hazard to navigation off San Pedro, Los Angeles. | ||
| Avalon | United States
|
16 September 1964 | A passenger ship that foundered under tow off Palos Verdes. | 33°43′34″N 118°21′14″W / 33.726°N 118.354°W / 33.726; -118.354 (SS Avalon (1891)) |
| USS Burrfish | United States Navy
|
19 November 1969 | A Balao-class submarine that was sunk as a target off San Clemente Island. | |
| Charles F. Crocker | 1929 | A barquentine that was run aground and dismasted for a movie off Santa Catalina Island, sometime around 1929. The wreck was later burned, and then moved further inland by a tidal bore. | ||
| Dauntless | 3 October 1928 | A schooner that was blown up for the movie The Rescue off Catalina Harbor, Santa Catalina Island. | ||
| Diosa del Mar | United States
|
30 July 1990 | A wooden schooner that ran aground on Ship Rock at Santa Catalina Island. | 33°27′46″N 118°29′31″W / 33.462770°N 118.491925°W / 33.462770; -118.491925 (Diosa del Mar) |
| Dominator | United States
|
13 March 1961 | A cargo ship that ran aground on Rocky Point, Palos Verdes. | 33°46′26″N 118°25′42″W / 33.77389°N 118.42833°W / 33.77389; -118.42833 (SS Dominator) |
| F.S. Loop | 1947 | A barge that sank near Angel's Gate and was blown up as a hazard to navigation. | ||
| Georgia | 22 February 1966 | A barge that was scuttled off Redondo Beach. | ||
| Georgia Straits | A tug that sank under tow off Los Angeles. | |||
| USS Gregory | United States Navy
|
4 March 1971 | A Fletcher-class destroyer that was bombed as a target off San Clemente Island. | |
| Johanna Smith |  United States
|
22 July 1932 | A schooner that caught fire and sank off Long Beach. | |
| USS John C. Butler | United States Navy
|
1971 | A John C. Butler-class destroyer escort that was sunk as a target off San Clemente. | |
| USS Koka | United States Navy
|
7 December 1937 | A Bagaduce-class fleet tug that ran aground off San Clemente Island. | |
| Margaret C. | A schooner that was blown up for a movie in Catalina Harbor, Santa Catalina Island, in about 1926. | |||
| Monfalcone | 31 August 1930 | A gambling ship that caught fire and sank off Long Beach. | ||
| USS Moody | United States Navy
|
21 February 1933 | A Clemson-class destroyer that was blown up in San Pedro Bay for the MGM movie Hell Below. | |
| USS Moray | United States Navy
|
18 June 1970 | A Balao-class submarine that was sunk as a target off San Clemente. | 33°25′30″N 117°37′44″W / 33.425°N 117.629°W / 33.425; -117.629 (USS Moray (SS-300)) |
| USS Naifeh | United States Navy
|
11 July 1966 | A John C. Butler-class destroyer escort that was sunk as a target off San Clemente Island. | |
| Ningpo | 1938 | A Chinese junk that was beached then burned at Santa Catalina Island. | ||
| Olympic II | 4 September 1940 | A barge that collided with the Japanese freighter Sakito Maru off San Pedro. The wreck was blown up as a hazard to navigation. | ||
| Palmyra | A schooner that was beached and burned off Santa Catalina Island, around 1938. | |||
| Princess Louise | 20 June 1990 | A cruise ship, later converted into a floating restaurant, that sank under tow about 16 nautical miles (30 km) southwest of Point Fermin, while en route to Catalina to be sunk as an artificial reef. | ||
| Sacramento | 2 December 1968 | A barge and ferry that foundered off Redondo Beach. | ||
| Sansinena |  Liberia
|
17 December 1976 | An oil tanker that exploded at the Port of Los Angeles. | 33°42′52″N 118°16′29″W / 33.71444°N 118.27472°W / 33.71444; -118.27472 (SS Sansinena) |
| S.N. Castle | 17 February 1926 | A barquentine that was burned and sunk in Catalina Harbor at Santa Catalina Island, for the movie Old Ironsides. | ||
| SueJac | 14 November 1980 | A schooner that ran aground on Casino Point, Santa Catalina Island. | ||
| USS Stribling | United States Navy
|
January 1937 | A Wickes-class destroyer that was sunk as a target off San Pedro. | |
| UB-88 | United States Navy
|
3 January 1921 | A Wickes-class destroyer that was sunk as a target off San Pedro. | |
| USS Vammen | United States Navy
|
18 February 1971 | Sunk by a Condor missile strike off San Clemente Island. | Lat 118-33.0 N, Long 32-54.05 W |
Marin County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labouchere |  United Kingdom
|
14 April 1866 | A paddle steamer that ran aground off Point Reyes. | 38°05′N 123°01′W / 38.083°N 123.017°W / 38.083; -123.017 (Labouchere (paddle steamer)) |
| San Agustin |  Spain
|
November 1595 | A Manila galleon under the command of Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho that was wrecked at anchor in Drakes Bay, the first shipwreck in California. | 37°59′48″N 123°01′11″W / 37.99677°N 123.01984°W / 37.99677; -123.01984 (San Augustin) |
| Tennessee | 6 March 1853 | A passenger steamship that ran aground off Indian Cove, now renamed Tennessee Cove. |
Mendocino County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Il’mena |  Russia
|
19 June 1820 | A Russian-American Company maritime fur trade brig that wrecked at Point Arena. All people and cargo was saved and taken to Bodega Bay and Fort Ross. | |
| Frolic | 1850 | An opium-trading brig wrecked near Point Cabrillo Light in 1850. Frolic was the subject of a 2003 episode of Deep Sea Detectives. | ||
| Josephine Woolcot | 1886 | A schooner wrecked by a storm off Mendocino City. Ship broke in half mid ship into two sections – bow and two mast / transon and two mast, sank with fantail pointing northwest in large surf. | ||
| Sea Foam | 28 January 1931 | A schooner that was wrecked at Point Arena. |
Orange County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Brown | 21 April 1932 | A barge that ran aground off Laguna Beach. | ||
| Elsie I | 17 October 1951 | A barge that capsized in a storm off Huntington Beach. | ||
| Foss 125 | 17 November 1958 | A barge that foundered in a storm off Laguna Beach. |
San Diego County
San Francisco County
San Luis Obispo County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montebello | United States
|
23 December 1941 | An oil tanker that was torpedoed by I-21 off Cayucos. | 35°35′N 121°16′W / 35.583°N 121.267°W / 35.583; -121.267 (SS Montebello) |
San Mateo County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier Pigeon | United States
|
6 June 1853 | A clipper that ran aground near Pigeon Point. "On the night of June 6, 1853, the clipper ship Carrier Pigeon ran aground 500 feet off shore of the central California coast. The area is now called Pigeon Point in her honor. The Carrier Pigeon was a state-of-the art, 19th Century clipper ship. She was 175 feet long with a narrow, 34 foot beam and rated at about 845 tons burden. Launched in the fall of 1852 from Bath, Maine, the Carrier Pigeon ... started out on her maiden voyage on January 28, 1853. Out of Boston and bound for San Francisco, the Carrier Pigeon was under the command of Captain Azariah Doane." (Pigeon Point History). There were no deaths in the sinking. | |
| Sir John Franklin | January 17, 1865 | Clipper ship. The ship was headed for San Francisco and in heavy fog struck rocks off of the point, since then renamed Franklin Point. The ship was destroyed, killing the Captain and eleven men. The point is located in Ano Nuevo State Reserve. The seamen were buried there; the officers in San Francisco. | ||
| Point Arena | 1913 | A steam schooner. Pieces of the hull are on display at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. | ||
| San Juan | 29 August 1929 | A passenger steamer that was rammed by S. C. T. Dodd off Pigeon Point. | 37°11′N 122°25′W / 37.183°N 122.417°W / 37.183; -122.417 (San Juan) | |
| USS Thompson | United States Navy
|
February 1944 | A Clemson-class destroyer that was sunk as a target in San Francisco Bay. | 37°33′10″N 122°09′27″W / 37.5529°N 122.1576°W / 37.5529; -122.1576 (USS Thompson (DD-305)) |
Santa Barbara County
Santa Cruz County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto | United States
|
1929 | A concrete ship sunk in shallow water at Seacliff State Beach as an entertainment venue, and now serves as an artificial reef. | 36°58′11″N 121°54′48″W / 36.969592°N 121.913416°W / 36.969592; -121.913416 (SS Palo Alto) |
Sonoma County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pomona | United States
|
17 March 1908 | A steamship that ran aground near Fort Ross Cove, Fort Ross. | 38°30′37″N 123°14′44″W / 38.510278°N 123.245556°W / 38.510278; -123.245556 (SS Pomona) |
Ventura County
| Ship | Flag | Sunk date | Notes | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS Agerholm | United States Navy
|
18 July 1982 | A Gearing-class destroyer that was sunk as a target off San Nicolas Island. | 32°45′N 119°32′W / 32.750°N 119.533°W / 32.750; -119.533 (USS Agerholm (DD-826)) |
| USS Deperm | United States Navy
|
22 September 1982 | A degaussing vessel, sunk as a target. | 32°58′N 119°41′W / 32.967°N 119.683°W / 32.967; -119.683 (USS Deperm (ADG-10)) |
| Equator | 2 July 1949 | A fishing vessel that ran aground off Anacapa Island. | ||
| La Jenelle | United States
|
13 April 1970 | A cruise ship that was grounded off Port Hueneme, California. | |
| USS Makassar Strait | United States Navy
|
April 1961 | A Casablanca-class escort carrier that ran aground on San Nicolas Island. | |
| USS Ulvert M. Moore | United States Navy
|
13 July 1966 | A John C. Butler-class destroyer escort that was sunk as a target off San Nicolas Island. | |
| Winfield Scott | United States
|
2 December 1853 | A paddle steamer that ran aground on Anacapa Island. |
Citations
- Numismatist, The California (2011-05-17). "A Gold Coin Treasure in San Pedro Bay? - or - Just Another Tale of Wells Fargo?". CoinWeek. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
- "Shipwreck Database - San Juan". Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- "S.S. Pomona Shipwreck Project". Indiana University. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
References
- "Southern California Shipwrecks". California Wreck Divers. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
Further reading
- Marx, Robert F. (1987). Shipwrecks in the Americas. New York: Dover. pp. 145–191. ISBN 0-486-25514-X.
| Shipwrecks by location | |||
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| International waters | |||