View Artifacts and Gold from the Sunken S.S. Brother Jonathan Ship, the West Coast’s Titanic, at Del Norte County Historical Society’s Museum in Crescent City

Learn the story of this notorious shipwreck off the West Coast of California

At a half city block long, the S.S. Brother Jonathan was one of the largest wooden ships transporting people and equipment to the American Frontier between San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Ships would port in Crescent City’s natural harbor – one of the largest ports in the U.S. at the time – before sailing a very treacherous stretch of the Pacific Ocean.

On July 30, 1865, the Brother Jonathan floated into Crescent City to load more provisions and people before continuing its voyage north during stormy seas. The ship struck a submerged rock only eight miles from land (a.k.a. Jonathan Rock) along Crescent City’s coastline, the ship sank quickly (just like the Titanic) and 225 people–including the captain and $20 million worth of gold–went down with the ship. One single life boat made it to land safely with only eight passengers and eleven crew members. Four black sailors who piloted the life boat were credited with saving their lives.

The S.S. Brother Jonathan ship wreck sits on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean as captured from the OPB documentary “The Wreck of Brother Jonathan”

The sea disaster spurred the construction of the Saint George Reef Lighthouse in 1892 – the most expensive and remote lighthouse ever built in the United States. It was considered an incredible engineering feat and would cost twenty-times more than a typical lighthouse.

After reports of gold bars being found by local fishermen, treasure hunters took note. In the 1990s, Deep Sea Research started searching for the lost ghost ship, which was finally found in 1996 300-feet below the sea’s surface, and only five miles from shore. The salvors brought up a bag of gold coins worth $4 million dollars. Unfortunately, they didn’t get to keep their treasure due to legal issues.

Today, you can view this wildly sad piece of maritime history at the Brother Jonathan Memorial, located near Crescent City’s Beachfront Park. The Brother Jonathan Memorial contains a mass grave with 66 people’s remains. Some are identified by name and some remain nameless.

See an actual gold piece, the ship’s bell and wheel, and other ship artifacts at the Del Norte County Historical Society’s museum in downtown Crescent City. Until the Saint George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society can re-open their popular helicopter tours (they’re working on it), you can charter a boat tour from the Crescent City Harbor with Stella’s Adventures, or head to the Point St. George Beach Trails along Pebble Beach Drive to catch a glimpse of the towering lighthouse on a clear day only seven-miles off shore.

To learn the whole story of this once lost ship, watch Oregon Public Broadcasting’s (OPB) documentary “The Wreck of Brother Jonathan” that aired on June 22, 2026 on an episode of Oregon Experience, and visit Del Norte County Historical Society’s museum for a tour and to see the remaining artifacts for yourself.