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.
Delmar/Google Local The Hume was a striking sight to behold; she weighed 150 tons and measured 96 feet long.
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.
Delmar/Google Local The boat holds the record for largest catch of a baleen whale in the industry, in fact.
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.
NoeHill/Wikimedia Commons
And the waters are slowly swallowing her up.
Delmar/Google Local
There’s something tragically poetic about the Mary D. Hume, a vessel that is quite literally returning from whence she came.
half-Brit/TripAdvisor
Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, you’ll find this half-submerged ship at 29980 Harbor Way, Gold Beach, OR, 97444.
Justin G/Google Local
Remarkably, much of the boat’s original framework and features still remain, albeit covered by algae and remnants from the sea.
Wonderlane/Wikimedia Commons
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.
Acroterion/Wikimedia Commons
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!
Delmar/Google Local
The Hume was a striking sight to behold; she weighed 150 tons and measured 96 feet long.
The boat holds the record for largest catch of a baleen whale in the industry, in fact.
NoeHill/Wikimedia Commons
half-Brit/TripAdvisor
Justin G/Google Local
Wonderlane/Wikimedia Commons
Acroterion/Wikimedia Commons
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