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The Beeswax Wreck, A Manila Galleon in Oregon, USA

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Early Navigation in the Asia-Pacific Region

Abstract

Before settlement of the Oregon Territory by Euro-Americans at the turn of the 19th century, a ship constructed of teak and carrying a large cargo of beeswax and Chinese porcelain wrecked along the sand spit of Nehalem Bay in what is now northwest Oregon, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The unidentified wreck was referred to as the “Beeswax Wreck” due to the tons of beeswax cargo scattered for miles over the spit and shores of Nehalem Bay, as well as beaches to the north and south.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Schurz’s (1939) erroneous claim that the Santo Cristo de Burgos burned and sank near the Marianas Islands is addressed later in this paper.

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Acknowledgments

The Beeswax Wreck Project has been possible through the generous financial and technical support of David Chaffee of Naga Research, Richard Rogers, Mitch Marken, Christopher Dewey, Jeff Groth, and the Nehalem Valley Historical Society. This research has benefitted from the insight and research of Mitch Marken, Curt Peterson, Richard Rogers, Christopher Dewey, and numerous others, although any errors or omissions are the sole responsibility of the author. The paper has greatly benefited by review of earlier drafts from Lance Wollwage and Craig Holstine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Washington State Department of Transportation, 2214RW Johnson Boulevard. SW, Tumwater, WA, 98512, USA

    Scott S. Williams

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  1. Scott S. Williams
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Correspondence to Scott S. Williams .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Maritime Archaeology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China

    Chunming Wu

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Williams, S.S. (2016). The Beeswax Wreck, A Manila Galleon in Oregon, USA. In: Wu, C. (eds) Early Navigation in the Asia-Pacific Region. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0904-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0904-4_8

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