Maritime Heritage: Shipwrecks

The MBNMS Submerged Cultural Resources Study of 2001 (Smith and Hunter 2003) includes a database of 463 reported vessel losses that occurred within the jurisdiction, or adjacent to the boundaries, of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Upon wrecking, vessels are known to drift at least 15 miles (e.g., Point Arena). Therefore, losses located just to the north of the sanctuary in Marin County and just to the south of the sanctuary in San Luis Obispo County are included. All wrecks on the Pacific side of San Francisco County (10) and those located at the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (8) are included.

There may be hundreds of vessels for which no written record exists, but whose archaeological remains lie within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Therefore, the MBNMS database is not exhaustive nor will such a database ever be considered complete. Reported vessel losses are listed in alphabetical order below. In addition, Shipwreck Profiles describing historic vessels and wreck events are available below (see hyperlinked vessel names).

For further reference, a larger study of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf includes an inventory of coastal properties, underwater cultural heritage, and modeling of paleolandforms (ICF International et al. 2013).

The impetus behind acquiring information about recorded and postulated submerged cultural resources of the sanctuary is to provide management direction for future protection and enhancement of these resources.