George L. Olson
Steam Schooner · United States · Lost 1944 · The Columbia River Bar & Oregon Coast
A steam schooner deliberately grounded on Coos Bay's North Spit in 1944, whose timbers still resurface from the dunes after big storms.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1917 in Oakland, the wooden steam schooner George L. Olson carried lumber along the Pacific Coast for over two decades. In June 1944 she lost power leaving Coos Bay and struck the North Jetty; after her cargo and machinery were salvaged, she was towed out and cut adrift to ground on the North Spit. Sand has buried and re-exposed her hull episodically ever since, most dramatically during the winter of 2008, when erosion drew thousands of visitors before researchers confirmed her identity.
Vessel
- 1917
- W.F. Stone & Son
- Oakland, California
- Wood
- 223 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam, single screw
- Not established
Loss
- June 1, 1944
- Mechanical failure
- North Spit, Coos Bay, Oregon
- Pacific Ocean
- Coos Bay, Oregon
- Lumber
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 0 ft
- Wooden hull skeleton periodically exposed and reburied by shifting dune sand; bow section and mast visible during major erosion events.
- Not established
- First widely reported 1960s; most recently exposed and identified 2008
- Managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Coos Bay District
Position
- 43.42° N 124.34° W
- Approximate position
- North Bend, Oregon
Position approximates the North Spit exposure site reported in 2008; the buried hull shifts with the dune.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Exact present extent and structural condition of the buried hull are not established between exposure events.
U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Coos Bay District
Identification, loss narrative, salvage history.
2008 identification and dimensions.
