How to find the Wreck of the Mary D. Hume – Gold Beach, Oregon
The Mary D. Hume is an Oregon shipwreck of an old tugboat that’s wasting away, sinking into the mud, just a few feet away from the beach. If you’re traveling the Oregon Coast, this is a quick stop right along the highway if you’re interesting in seeing a shipwreck.
Wreck of the Mary D. Hume – Location
The Mary D. Hume shipwreck is located right off the 101, just after (or before, depending on your direction of travel) the Patterson Bridge), near a small shopping / touristy area in the harbor. It’s right by the famous Jerry’s Rouge Jets. Plenty of free parking is available and it’s just a short walk across the parking lot to see the shipwreck.
Related: Point Reyes Shipwreck in California
The Wreck of the Mary D. Hume – quick history
The Mary D. Hume was built in 1881 and named after the shipbuilder’s wife. The ship would haul goods from Oregon to San Francisco and also made voyages to Alaska and the arctic. The Mary D. Hume was retired in 1978, and was simply left in this spot to rot away. Fortunately, in 1979, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the intention that it would become a museum. But in 1985, the ship started sinking and funds just weren’t available to rescue the boat, and thus, has been sinking into the mud now for decades.
Another Oregon shipwreck: Read about the Wreck of Peter Iredale
Visiting the Wreck of the Mary D. Hume
The shipwreck is free to visit and is located several yards from the shoreline, so you cannot go up to the boat to explore; you’ll have to admire it from the shore. You’ll notice all kinds of grasses, moss and vegetation growing on the ship’s deck — this is a great place to see all kinds of birds who now enjoy perching and nesting on the boat.
For each year that goes by, the Mary D. Hume sinks further and further into the water. There isn’t that much left of the ship these days – and it’s almost hard to even tell it was once a ship — but it’s still an interesting photo opportunity if you happen to be in the area and like these sorts of abandoned things. I’ve visited here a few times, with the first time being in 2015, and it’s jarring to see how much it’s changed in just a few short years.
Have you visited the Wreck of the Mary D. Hume? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
