A sketch depicting the Crown of England aground.

The Crown of England was returning from San Diego to Nanaimo, British Columbia engaged in the coal trade. While steaming north in heavy fog, ran aground on Ford Point.  Unable to locate any inhabitants on land, a few of the crew rowed to Santa Monica.  Eventually, the tug Fearless arrived, the wreck lay broadside to the shore and badly holed.  The California Iron and Wrecking company was hired to salvage the steamer and they successfully recovered the machinery and most of the hull of the wreck.

Today, only a few hull plates remain on the bottom, evidence of a thorough salvage.  A large anchor is said to lay in deeper water.  Most notable is the large steam powered donkey engine that for years stood on top the bluff overlooking the site.

Used the in salvage of the wreck, the donkey engine was a prominent landmark until recent years, when erosion undermined it and it tumbled down on the rocks below.