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Oregon Coast Cannon Artifacts Open for Public View March 18

Cannon stored at Nehalem Bay State Park

(Manzanita, Oregon) - On Tuesday, March 18, staff at Nehalem Bay State Park will be draining water from the storage vats that hold two historic cannon found at Arch Cape in mid-February. Local residents who would like to see the cannon up close and hear speculation about their origins are welcome to visit the park. The public viewing will be held in the state park maintenance yard from 11 a.m. to Noon, Tuesday, March 18. Nehalem Bay State Park is off Hwy 101 three miles south of Manzanita.

Cannon information web page: www.oregon.gov/OPRD/PARKS/cannon.shtml

The cannon are soaking in vats as the first step in what is sure to be a long conservation process, said Oregon Parks and Recreation Department communications director Chris Havel. “Oregon Department of State Lands are working to assemble a team of local, state and federal representatives to decide on the next steps (which will likely involve getting the cannon into the hands of a qualified marine archaeologist for study and further conservation before putting them on public display),” he said.

Cannon found at Arch Cape in February (photo Tiffany Boothe, Seaside Aquarium)

More information will be released when Havel has it, he said.

The cannon artifacts are thought to be from the USS Shark, which wrecked off the Columbia River in the 1840’s. One of its carronade cannon were found at Arch Cape about fifty years later, in 1898. That cannon gave Cannon Beach its name.

The two cannon found in February made major news in media around the region, the nation and the world, along with a variety of shipwrecks found on the central coast, ghost forests (ancient stumps 1,000- to 4,000 years old) and geological oddities called red towers – all of which emerged because of abnormally low sand levels along the Oregon coast.

Officials will drain the pool for the public as they have before

The cannon are covered in a thick layer of natural concrete: the product of the metals working with the salination of the water over time beneath the sands. Havel said it will take a lot of painstaking peeling off of each layer. There are polished stones embedded in the concretion, and the shape of the cannon are barely discernible through the black casing.

“Estimates are this process could take six months to two years,” Havel said. The process could involve various chemical and even electrolysis processes.

Beach Ranger David Woody said the objects have been buried beneath 10 to 20 feet of sand – the amount of sand that is currently missing from that area of beach because of massive winter storm action.

Red towers at Hug Point

The cannon are immersed in fresh water and covered in burlap, to keep the parts sticking out of the water wet as well. This helps preserve them from corrosion and quick deterioration after decades of being in an oxygen-free environment.

“They would fall apart in three months without this method of preservation,” Woody said.

Plenty of other oddities are continually open to the public, dependant only on the tides. Low tides in places like Hug Point, Arch Cape (just south of Cannon Beach) and central coast spots like Thiel Creek allow viewing of the ghost forests there. Low tides tend to be in early morning, or around six p.m. You cannot see the Arch Cape ghost forest at anything but low tides.

Neskowin's ghost forest

Also viewable at low tides at Hug Point are a plethora of surreal, reddish shapes called “red towers,” which only emerge at such low sand level events.

The ghost forest at Neskowin is the most spectacular of all the ancient stump strands, and it is the most visible. A few miles up the road, just north of the Pacific City limits, a hidden road leads to the beach on the north face of Cape Kiwanda, where some small stumps can be seen, as well as the bedrock on which that area sits.

The shipwreck sticking out of a cliff near Coos Bay is accessible via a six-mile hike, although there are sometimes individuals offering rides to the wreck for five dollars.

Inn at Cannon Beach. Beautifully wooded natural setting at quiet south end of Cannon Beach. Great during winter storms with a new book by the fireplace – or when the sun is out for family fun and beach strolling. Handsome beach cottage-style architecture. Lush flowering gardens and naturalized courtyard pond. Warm, inviting guest rooms. Continental buffet breakfast. Warm Cookies. Family and Pet Friendly. Welcome gifts. Smoke-free. Complimentary Wireless Connectivity. Wine and book signing events. 800-321-6304 or 503-436-9085. Hemlock At Surfcrest, Cannon Beach, Oregon. www.atcannonbeach.com.

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