The Gosford was a steel-hulled, four-masted, barque rigged sailing ship completed in Scotland in December 1891.  She was on her second voyage with a consignment of soft coal to heat the homes of San Francisco when her cargo spontaneously combusted.

For several days, the crew moved tons of coal by hand and bravely fought the fire as the hull glowed bright red.  The steam schooner Casper provided a tow to safe anchorage in Cojo Bay south of Point Conception.  Several other ships arrived on the scene but even with their assistance, the fire could not be quenched.  Five days after it started, the fire began to die down, causing the hull plates to cool and cracks to open along all the seams.  The sea rushed in and the Gosford went down.