AH-WR-0466

Churchill

Schooner · United States · Lost 1917 · The Hawaiian Islands

An Oregon-built four-masted schooner lost at French Frigate Shoals in 1917 under suspicion of deliberate destruction, its scattered wreckage tentatively identified by NOAA archaeologists decades later.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1900 in North Bend, Oregon, the four-masted schooner Churchill carried copra from Tonga toward Seattle when she ran aground on a reef at French Frigate Shoals on September 27, 1917. All 12 crew members were rescued, but a fire that broke out afterward led surviving crew to accuse the captain of intentionally destroying the ship. The wreck lay unidentified until NOAA archaeologists, surveying scattered anchors, rigging, and machinery discovered in 2005, concluded in 2007-2008 that the site is most likely Churchill, based on the artifacts' size and construction matching her known dimensions.

Vessel

Built: 1900
Builder: Asa Meade Simpson
Yard: North Bend, Oregon
Material: Wood
Length: 178 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 600
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: September 27, 1917
Cause: Grounding
Location: French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Nuku'alofa, Tonga → Seattle, Washington
Cargo: Copra (dried coconut meat)
Aboard: 12
Lives lost: 0
Master: Captain Charles Granzow

The Wreck Today

Depth: 8-15
Condition: Broken up; anchors, rigging, pumps, and deck hardware remain scattered across the reef
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2005 (site); tentatively identified 2007-2008
Protection: Within Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

Position

Coordinates: 23.87° N 166.28° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii
Region: The Hawaiian Islands

Position approximates the surveyed wreck site at French Frigate Shoals' south reef.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)

The wreck's identity as Churchill is a probable match based on artifact analysis and has not been conclusively confirmed.

Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
Build details, voyage, wrecking narrative, and tentative identification methodology.
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Discovery history and identification process.