The Wreck of Yankee Blade

Over the past two centuries, many ships have wrecked along our local California coastline just north of Point Conception including at Arguello Point and Honda Point. One of the first known shipwrecks was that of SS Yankee Blade, which occurred during the height of the California Gold Rush. Richard Irwin Smith, Andy Anderson, and Harvey Clemens were among local divers who recovered artifacts from Yankee Blade, which are now held by SBMM. Items include a porthole, fork, and a scupper. SBMM did not receive the 500-pound brass cannon that was recovered – this item was held in a private collection until it eventually disappeared.

In May 1853 the Independent Line contracted the construction of Yankee Blade, which would be a new sidewheel steamer. Once completed, the ship’s hull was 275 feet long and 39 feet across the beam, with a draft of 22 feet. The engines powered 32-foot paddlewheels. Launched on November 11, 1853, she was one of the first steamships to transport goods, gold, and passengers between the Panama Canal and San Francisco, completing the second leg of the journey connecting New York to San Francisco. 

On the afternoon of September 30, 1854, Yankee Blade departed San Francisco with more than 800 passengers, 125 crew, and a large amount of gold. The Daily Alta California newspaper bet $5,000 that Yankee Blade could beat fellow steamship Sonora in a race to Panama. The two ships set out – Sonora moving out to sea while Yankee Blade hugged the coastline. The next day, Yankee Blade found herself in a bank of dense fog. With zero visibility, Captain Henry Randall believed the ship to be 10 miles off the coast when they ran aground off Point Arguello. 

With the stern hard up on the rocks, the ship wouldn’t budge. Captain Randall struggled to maintain order, as the crew who manned the first round of lifeboats to shore were threatening desertion. Randall manned a lifeboat and rowed ashore to persuade his men to continue their rescue efforts. Meanwhile, the purser found the hold containing passengers’ coins under several feet of water, so he locked the hold and left $163,000 in coins, worth $6 million today.   

Throughout the day, the waves dismantled the wreck and by sunset the promenade deck had been washed away, while other parts of the ship were scrapped for life rafts. One first-person account recalled the haunting wails and prayers of the passengers still aboard as the fog rolled back in, halting rescue efforts for the night. The next morning the fog cleared, and SS Goliah appeared, bound for San Diego. More than 600 passengers were taken aboard the ship, while around 300 passengers and crew were taken ashore to wait for future rescue – all while the bow of the Yankee Blade finally slipped beneath the waves. Without the timely appearance of Captain Samuel Haley and Goliah, many of the passengers would likely have perished, as rowing through the breakers to shore was slow and dangerous, and several lives had already been lost in the surf. The remaining 300 survivors were in dire straits; they were stranded on shore with the remaining provisions but several of the crew had armed themselves and mutinied, taking the supplies for themselves. Luckily, Goliah returned on October 7, to recover the rest of the survivors.