Burning Ships

So the other day I was walking at the beach and I saw a man moving slowly along the shore. He had his head bent as he went along, like he was looking for shells. Or maybe sea glass, which is always my personal quest. He picked up what looked like a piece of petrified dog poop and put it in his pocket but I kind of doubted that, so I asked. He told me that between the early 1900’s and the 1950’s, wooden ships were burned in the water there to salvage scrap iron. They were steered and grounded on the beach at high tide and when the tide receded, the wooden hulls were set on fire, leaving behind iron and copper and brass.The practice was most prevalent during World War II when those things were needed and lots of people came out from town to watch. This guy was a real history buff and was from British Columbia, which is actually right up the road, and I was fascinated to learn about the burning ships. He knew so much about it and went on with details. I wasn’t bored in any way but I think his wife must have been because I commented to her that he sure knew a lot about the history here. I realized she’d probably heard it all more than once because she sighed, dramatically rolled her eyes and said, “He certainly does.” But at least she smiled when she said it.

Photo courtesy Museum of History and Industry, Seattle