South Oregon Coast's Wreck of the Sujameco: Where (and When) to Find It

Published 02/08/26 at 6:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Coos Bay, Oregon) – The Coos Bay area is a rather complex one, and full of way more interesting to unusual finds than most coastal towns. But then again, it's technically more than one town. Kara J. Long photo

Even more fascinating is that many of its wildest treasures aren't in any town at all: they're on the shoreline that borders all three of those little burghs of Charleston, Coos Bay and North Bend. They exist even in vast, sandy stretches where you'd think there's nothing but dunes.

One of those is the unsung treasure of the wreck of the Sujameco at Horsfall Beach (part of the Siuslaw National Forest), an attraction that spends a fair amount of time either under sand or sea.

It arrived at Horsfall rather violently on March 1, 1929, and after getting lopped away and dismantled it eventually began sinking farther and farther beneath the sands, until it started only popping up parts of the year. But when it does, the Sujameco easily rivals the more famous Peter Iredale wreck near Astoria, and has its own set of crazy tales.

But how to find the wreck of the Sujameco?

Courtesy Oregon's Adventure Coast

This also means “when to find it?”

Don't expect to find it during summer. It's often gone by then, or there's very little to see. Sand levels fill up in summer, covering up a lot of things. Still, seeing only a piece of metal sticking up is pretty cool.

However, the when is just not possible to accurately pin down. Sand levels drop during winter's stormy scouring action, and that's when your chances increase.

According to Sunset Bay State Park manager Lee Ricci:

“Unfortunately, there is no good way to predict when the shipwreck will appear,” she told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “In any given area, the ocean will deposit sand through weather and tidal events, or remove it through the same forces. If there is a cycle to which years are better to see the shipwreck, we haven’t figured it out. My recommendation would be to follow local social media groups, as people often post when they can see the ship starting to be uncovered.”

In fact, Oregon Coast Beach Connection often hears from Oregon's Adventure Coast when and if it pops up.

How to find it is much easier. Indeed, there's even a plaque at the overlook at Horsfall. This access is known as the Horsfall access as well as Beach Access #126 (according the yellow emergency numbered sign).

Directions To Wreck of the Sujameco. These are essentially the same as to the main access of Horsfall Beach. It lies out in front of the wooden viewing platform at the end of Horsfall Beach Road. From Highway 101 and the McCullough Memorial Bridge over Coos Bay, take the Jordan Cove Road westward .08 miles; stay to the right .2 miles on Trans Pacific Lane. Turn right on Horsfall Beach Road and go 1.4 miles to the end.

The GPS coordinates of the wreck are: 43.45415965183901, -124.27751782006584.

There are even pictures of it from space through Google Maps.

The ship was built in 1920 and roamed the seas mostly carrying lumber. On that fateful night some 9 years later, it was heading to what was then called Marshfield (now Coos Bay). (When Marshfield and Empire Became Coos Bay).

Then heavy fog hit. Captain JF Carlson was leading the Sujameco and its 35-man crew, but he became confused about where he was.

The ship grounded about 9:30 a.m., and communications later in the afternoon sent one ship speeding its way down from Astoria to assist. Seas were too wild to attempt much, but even when they calmed down, she was too deep for men to safely jump out. Because of large shoals in the area, a tug rescue could not get close enough.

A day or so later, certain types of tug could get close enough but attempts to move it succeeded only briefly, with the tides shoving it back towards land and eventually really getting stuck. Strangely, the crew sat aboard the ship for what appears to be weeks before finally being let off.

The wreck was largely intact for a decade, until World War II happened when it was dismantled for parts and metal. See full story Slow But Epic Oregon Coast Drama, Coos Bay's Sujameco Wreck Still Visible

The Sujameco may often pop up in winter, but it's been known to throw people a curve ball. In one recent year, it didn't really fully emerge until later in spring and then stuck around until June.

That's truly odd for any Oregon coast object that's normally hidden beneath the sands.

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