The Ship That Tore Its Own Bow Off: A Seattle Coal Vessel Lost to the Gale
In January 1877, the 1,200-ton ship *Commodore* was driven ashore at Cape Flattery in a ferocious storm. The crew survived, but the vessel—owned by local Port Ludlow resident Arthur Phinney and valued at $20,000—was destroyed.
LOSS OF THE SHIP COMMODORE.
In a frightful gale on Wednesday, the 10th inst., the ship Commodore, 1200 tons, Capt. Hastorf commanding, was lost off Cape Flattery and nothing saved but the chronometer and the crew. The vessel sailed on the 20th from San Francisco bound to Seattle for a cargo of coal. The ship had a tempestuous voyage all the way, when upon reaching the cape, a tremendous squall from the northwest drove her ashore, notwithstanding that her masts were finally cut away and both anchors let go. The fury of the gale may be best appreciated when we relate that the ship tore her bows completely away while straining upon her cables. The crew upon reaching the shore, immediately made for Neah Bay, where the captain sold the remains of the wreck for $475, to Mr. Lands, of that place. The Commodore was owned by Capt. Saml. Blair of San Francisco, and Mr. Arthur Phinney of Port Ludlow, and was valued at $20,000.
This report captures the sheer volatility of maritime commerce in the 1870s, where a single storm could wipe out the equivalent of millions in modern value. It also highlights the interconnectedness of Puget Sound communities; Arthur Phinney, a key figure in Port Ludlow's development, was an investor in this lost vessel, reminding us that early Seattle's economy was deeply tied to the shipping lanes and risks of the wider region.
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