War Hawk
Clipper Ship · United States · Lost 1883 · Puget Sound & Discovery Bay
A Newburyport-built medium clipper that rounded the world in the waning years of sail, burned to the waterline at the Port Discovery mill dock in 1883.
Toby W.
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
War Hawk was built in 1855 at Newburyport, Massachusetts, by George W. Jackman Jr. during the twilight of the clipper era. After decades in the global trades she entered the Pacific Northwest timber trade, hauling lumber from the Olympic Peninsula to California. On the night of April 11, 1883, a fire broke out in her galley while she lay at the S.L. Mastick & Co. mill dock at Port Discovery, and she burned to the waterline. Her charred remains lie in the shallows of Discovery Bay.
Vessel
- 1855
- George W. Jackman Jr.
- Newburyport, Massachusetts
- Wood
- 193 ft
- 36.6 ft
- 1015 tons
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- April 11, 1883
- Fire
- Mill Point, Discovery Bay
- Discovery Bay
- Puget Sound, Washington → San Francisco, California
- Ballast; preparing to load lumber
- Not established
- 0
- J. H. Drew
The Wreck Today
- About 25 to 40 feet
- Partially buried hull structure with charred timber remains.
- Not established
- Not established
- Protected under Washington State law (RCW 27.53)
Position
- 48.02° N 122.86° W
- Approximate position
- Discovery Bay, Washington
Position reported near Mill Point, Discovery Bay; approximate.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
The number of people aboard at the time of the fire is not documented in the sources reviewed.
HistoryLink.org, Port Discovery essay
Loss context and community history.
United States Ghost Towns, Port Discovery
Fire date and site details.
