No one knows how many cries for help went unanswered along this isolated coast. If shipwreck victims were not overcome by pounding surf, they would perish in a cold sea. But once the Life-Saving Station was established in 1889, victims of the coast were offered a new hope of survival. While Point Reyes is now a place for visitors to create pleasant memories, there was once a time when it was the source of nightmares for wreck victims. The wrecks below are but a few of the many vessels that have met their end on this hazardous point.
Shipwrecks, left to right:
Munleon - 1931, 28 lives saved, none lost
Passengers and Crew: 28
Cause of Wreck: Navigational error in heavy fog and wind
Location: Point Reyes Headlands, ran aground at full speed
Rescue method: 36-foot motor lifeboat
Outcome: All hands saved
Hartwood - 1929, 27 lives saved, none lost
Cargo: Lumber
Passengers and Crew: 27
Cause of Wreck: Navigational error in heavy fog and wind
Location: Point Reyes Headlands near Chimney Rock
Rescue method: 36-foot motor lifeboat and breeches buoy
Outcome: All hands saved
United Airlines DC-3 - 1938, 2 lives saved, 5 lost
Cargo: 30 bags of US Mail
Passengers and Crew: 7
Cause of Wreck:
Lack of fuel, after losing bearings in a storm
Location: 1 1/4 miles west of lifeboat station lookout
Rescue method: Hoisting victims up a 400 foot cliff via rope
Outcome: 2 lives saved, 5 lost
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