Point Joe shipwrecks - Pebble Beach, California
Posted by: 
hotshoe
N 36° 36.592 W 121° 57.365
10S E 593357 N 4052102
Rocky point has been the scene of more than one shipwreck
Waymark Code: WM605G
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/09/2009
Views: 7
Point Joe is an interesting stop on Seventeen-Mile Drive. There is a sign here titled "Rocks and fog spell disaster" about two of the known shipwrecks which happened on these rocks. Although nothing remains of the ships, it is still possible to identify the exact rocks which were visible in the historic photos of the wrecks.
The history museum in the lighthouse in nearby Pacific Grove has more photographs and information about these wrecks. From their ship binder:
"S.S. Saint Paul, a passenger cargo steamer/barkentine built in 1875 in Philadelphia by Wiliam Cramp and Sons. ... It was stranded on the rocks near Point Joe near Pebble Beach in dense fog on August 8, 1896. Much of its cargo of livestock and crew were rescued by the passenger steamer Gipsy"
"Commercial steam schooner S.S. Celia was built in Benicia, CA by Matthew Turner in 1884. She was wrecked in fog off of Point Joe near Pebble Beach on August 28, 1906. ... enroute from Santa Cruz to Monterey with 160,000 board feet of lumber. Captain, passengers and crew took to lifeboats. Ship became a total loss as did most of cargo. Legend has it that Celia was carrying some doors as deck cargo and that these broke loose and floated around the point toward Pacific Grove where some residents salvaged them and nailed them into the front door of their tent cabins."
In both cases, there were no fatalities.
Date of Shipwreck: 1896. 1906
Type of Boat: Steamboat
Military or Civilian: civilian
Cause of Shipwreck: Dense fog typical of summer weather in this area is the major factor. Point Joe's offshore rocks are also a factor, being just below the surface but beyond the visible surf line.
Accessibility:
Seventeen Mile Drive requires an entrance fee for automobiles. Pedestrians and bicyclists are free.
Diving Permitted: yes
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Visit Instructions:
Only log the site if you have visited it personally.
Floating over a site does not qualify as a find if it is a wreck that requires diving - you must have actually visited the site - therefore photos of the site are good.