| United States lightship Columbia (WLV-604) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Career (USA) |   |
| Name: | USCGC Columbia (WLV-604) |
| Namesake: | Columbia River |
| Builder: | Rice Brothers Corporation, Boothbay, Maine |
| Launched: | 1950 |
| Commissioned: | 1951 |
| Decommissioned: | 1979 |
| In service: | 1951 |
| Homeport: | Astoria, Oregon |
| Status: | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 617 long tons (627 t) |
| Length: | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Beam: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draft: | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 × 550 hp (410 kW) Atlas-Imperial direct reversing 8-cylinder diesel engine |
| Speed: | 10.7 knots (19.8 km/h; 12.3 mph) |
| Complement: | 17 enlisted, 1 warrant officer[1] |
United States lightship Columbia (WLV-604) is a lightship located in Astoria, Oregon, United States of America. Columbia was formerly moored near the mouth of the Columbia River.
History[]
Commissioned in 1951, Columbia was the fourth and final lightship stationed at the mouth of the Columbia River. Built by Rice Brothers Shipyard in Boothbay, Maine, Columbia was launched with her sister-ship, Relief (WLV-605). The new WLV-604 replaced the aging Columbia vessel No. 90, which had been in service on the Columbia River since 1939. The Columbia River lightships guided vessels across the Columbia River Bar and an area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific from 1892 until 1979. Columbia was the final lightship to be decommissioned on the U.S. West coast. She was replaced by an automated navigational buoy soon after. The buoy has since been retired.
Because of its importance, the Coast Guard had a permanent 18 man crew stationed on board, consisting of 17 enlisted men and one warrant officer who served as ship's captain. Everything the crew needed had to be on board. In the winter, weeks of rough weather prevented any supplies from being delivered. Life on board the lightship was marked by long stretches of monotony and boredom intermixed with riding gale force storms. The crew worked two to four week rotations, with ten men on duty at all times.[2][3]
In 1983, Columbia was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4] She was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989 under the name Lightship WAL-604, "Columbia".[5][6] WLV-604 is now located at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, alongside the navigational buoy that replaced her in 1979.
References[]
- ↑ "U.S. Lightship Station Assignments". U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office. http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/Lightship_Station_Index.asp. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
- ↑ "WLV-604-Columbia Lightship". rudyalicelighthouse.net. http://www.rudyalicelighthouse.net/NWLts/LV604/LV604.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ↑ "WLV-605-Lightship RELIEF". rudyalicelighthouse.net. http://www.rudyalicelighthouse.net/CalLts/LV605/LV605.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ↑ "National Register of Historic Places #89002463". National Register of Historic Places. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/or/Clatsop/state.html. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ↑ "LIGHTSHIP Wal-604 "COLUMBIA"". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2088&ResourceType=Structure. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ↑
Delgado, James P. (30 June 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Lightship WAL-604 "Columbia" / Columbia WLV-604". National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Text/89002463.pdf. Retrieved 2012-08-28. and
Delgado, James P. (30 June 1989). "Accompanying 5 photos, exterior, from c.1960, 1980, 1982.". National Park Service. http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NHLS/Photos/89002463.pdf. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
See also[]
- List of lighthouses on the Oregon Coast
- Columbia Bar
External links[]
- Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club station: W7BU, Lightship COLUMBIA museum.
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to US Lightship Columbia. |
The original article can be found at United States lightship Columbia (WLV-604) and the edit history here.