King Philip was a clipper ship that wrecked in 1878 on Ocean Beach, on the west coast of the San Francisco Peninsula in the Sunset District, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Golden Gate Park and 7 miles (11 km) west-south-west of downtown San Francisco, California. Ocean Beach is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and administered by the National Park Service. Ocean Beach borders the Pacific Ocean and is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long. This area was largely undeveloped throughout most of San Francisco’s early history due to limited access, cold temperatures, high winds, and frequent fog. Development finally came in 1884 when a steam railroad was constructed to bring people to the Ocean Beach Pavilion, a prominent structure serving various purposes over the years, including as a dance hall and performance venue. It was part of the larger Playland at the Beach amusement area and was demolished in 1972. A boulevard called the Great Highway ran parallel to the beach until March 2025, when is was permanently closed to traffic and repurposed as the Sunset Dunes park that now hosts thousands of visitors.

The clipper ship King Philip was named for Metacomet, a Wampanoag war chief who led an armed conflict in 1675-78 against New England and was known to the English as “King Philip”. Plymouth Colony, the first permanent English settlement in New England, existed from 1620 to 1691. It was first settled by passengers from the Mayflower at a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. In spring 1661, following their father Massasoit‘s death, Metacomet’s brother Wamsutta appeared before the Plymouth Colony court to request that he and his brother be given English names in accordance with Wampanoag custom marking significant events. The court agreed: Wamsutta became Alexander and Metacomet became Philip. 

The clipper King Philip was built in 1856 on the Sheepscot River in Alna, about 8 miles (13km) upstream from Wiscasset, Maine. The medium-sized clipper displaced 1,194 tons, with a narrow wooden hull and three masts carrying a large sail area. These fast ships suited low-volume, high-profit goods such as tea, opium, spices, people and mail. One profitable route, especially during the California Gold Rush, ran from America’s east coast to San Francisco around Cape Horn, famous for violent storms. King Philip had a troubled history, including two mutinies during which the ship survived being set afire. On January 25th 1878 King Philip left San Francisco Bay under Captain Albert W. Keller. Lacking wind, a steam-powered tugboat towed the ship out. Outside the Golden Gate, the tugboat crew had to respond to an accidental death on another vessel and released the tow. King Philip dropped anchor, but it failed to hold. The clipper drifted towards the beach and ran aground in heavy surf, breaking apart. Today the wreckage is occasionally exposed by shifting sands and considered the bay area’s best-preserved shipwreck. Read more here and here. Explore more of Ocean Beach here: