ASTORIA – The search for the elusive Beeswax shipwreck along the northern Oregon coast will begin again in July, the Maritime Archaeological Society announced Thursday.
The wreck, named for the large lumps of beeswax that have been found scattered along the coast for the past two centuries, is believed to be a Spanish galleon that wrecked in the late 1600s.
The search has been ongoing for at least 11 years, said Chris Dewey, president of the Maritime Archaeological Society. But this expedition is poised to be the most comprehensive search for the wreck yet, he said Thursday morning in Astoria.
"In the past, we've been operating with volunteer charter boats and divers," Dewey said. But organizers hope that with newfound funding, the wreck will finally be found this year.
The Preserving Oregon Grant program is providing $6,600 from the state Parks and Recreation Department, allowing the search to be relaunched. A team of about a dozen people initially will scan the coast between Cape Falcon and Manzanita.
Using an Astoria-based charter boat, the team will use a magnetometer, designed to locate steel and iron used in the ship, and will use sonar to attempt to locate the wreck.
"The reason I'm excited about it and the reason we think other people should be excited about it, (is) this shipwreck would have been the first European shipwreck on the Northwest coast," said Scott Williams, the lead investigator.
Along with beeswax, which researchers say beachgoers can still find, the ship is also thought to have been transporting porcelain and other luxury items.
A training period will begin in early July for the team, then the search will begin. After scoping out areas of interest, the group plans to employ a Remote Operating Vehicle and archaeological dive teams to investigate further later this year, weather permitting.
The Oregonian/OregonLive