This interesting photo from February 13 1937 is of the historic shipwreck of the Cottoneva: “Coastguardsmen rig a breeches buoy to the ill-fated coastwise steamer ‘Cottoneva’, driven aground by a 60-mile gale near Port Orford, OR. Twenty-six members of the crew and Captain Eberhard Stahlbaum were rescued” (San Francisco Bureau / Acme Photos)
Along with illustrating a unique view of the event, the foreground of this image depicting the crew members illustrates how photos were retouched before computer image-editing programs like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP.
More photos of the Cottoneva shipwreck in our archive are below:
Maritime Shipwreck SS Cottoneva – Sawyers Collection
You can read more about the history of the Cottoneva at Cape Blanco Heritage Society website.
Gary Burns
These are such great photos! Love them!!
Mike Arneson
Been going to Port Orford for years. When we first visited, the propeller of the Cottoneva was half buried in the ground near someone’s yard on a side street. Also when we were surffishing south of Battle Rock, we would occasionally see the engine block from the wreck in the surf. It disappeared after a storm some years ago. The propeller and shaft are now displayed at one end of the Battle Rock parking lot.
Katya Stahlbaum
Captain Stahlbaum is my Great Uncle. He was a total badass.
Ingrid Schuldt
Hello Katya. He was MY great uncle too! His sister Ellenruth Stahlbaum Hellmann was my Grandmother. We’re planning a trip this summer to the Port Orford Historical Society to see the display. We have pictures of Eberhardt in retirement.