King Philip
Sailing Ship · United States · Lost 1878 · San Francisco & the Northern California Coast
This Boston clipper's timbers still surface from the sand at San Francisco's Ocean Beach more than a century after she wrecked there.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1856 at Alna, Maine, the King Philip was a wooden clipper that sailed for the Boston firm Glidden & Williams. In January 1878 she dragged anchor while waiting outside the Golden Gate and drove ashore on Ocean Beach. The hull gradually buried in sand, and her timbers have periodically resurfaced during storms and low tides ever since, most notably in 2007. The wreck is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Vessel
- 1856
- D. Weymouth
- Alna, Maine
- Wood
- 182 ft
- Not established
- 1194
- Sail
- Glidden & Williams, Boston
Loss
- January 25, 1878
- Grounding
- Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California
- Pacific Ocean
- San Francisco, California
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Buried in sand; stern timbers periodically exposed by tides and storms
- Not established
- Not established
- National Register of Historic Places; within Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Position
- 37.76° N 122.51° W
- Approximate position
- Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California
Approximate location along Ocean Beach where remains periodically surface.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Number aboard and casualty outcome are not established in the sources reviewed.
National Park Service — National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
Build details, loss circumstances, and historic designation.
Periodic re-exposure of wreck timbers at Ocean Beach.
