Coos Bay Mosquito Fleet

The Coos Bay Mosquito Fleet comprised numerous small steamboats and motor vessels which operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on Coos Bay, a large and mostly shallow harbor on the southwest coast of the U.S. state of Oregon, to the north of the Coquille River valley.

Coos Bay is the major harbor on the west coast of the United States between San Francisco and the mouth of the Columbia River.

They built and operated Messenger, doing business as the Coos Bay and Coquille Transportation Company.

[2] In 1872, the steamboat Satellite made daily trips from Empire City to Isthmus Slough.

[2] In August 1874, construction began on a steam-powered narrow gauge portage railroad to replace the mule-hauled cars.

[4] Frank Lowe had a shipyard in Marshfield, and in the early part of the century he produced many vessels for the Mosquito Fleet, including the propeller Coquille and the sternwheelers Millicoma and Rainbow.

[5] In 1899, the 13-ton propeller steamer Alma (later renamed Jauniata) was built for passenger service on Coos Bay.

Gasgo, 8 tons, powered by gasoline, was built in 1900 at Marshfield, and was placed in passenger service on Coos Bay and the Umpqua River.

In 1901, the small (9 tons) gasoline-engine launch Relief was built at Marshfield by the Holland Brothers for passenger and towing work on Coos Bay.

Turtle (16 tons) was built the same year, and a good photo of her survives, loading wood components, probably ship's knees for the construction of a steam schooner.

On March 6, 1912, Curlew, which had been hauling milk from Sumner to Marshfield, collided with the Simpson Lumber Company's tug Columbia at North Bend, and sank as a result.

[9] Marshall summed up Life-Line's career and ended as follows: This little ship, under zealot Captain Lund, ran up and down the coast for the Baptist Missionary Society saving the souls of erring seaman and longshoremen alike.