United States lightship ''Columbia'' (WLV-604) is a lightship located in Astoria,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. ''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 Boothbay is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,003 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Back Narrows, Dover, East Boothbay, Linekin, Oak Hill, Ocean Point, Spruce Shores, and Trevett. The Boothbay reg ...

, ''Columbia'' was launched with her sister-ship, ''Relief'' (WLV-605). The new WLV-604 replaced the aging vessel LV-93, which had been in service on the Columbia River since 1939. From 1892 until 1979, the Columbia River lightships guided vessels across the Columbia River Bar and an area known as the

Graveyard of the Pacific The Graveyard of the Pacific is a somewhat loosely defined stretch of the Pacific Northwest coast stretching from around Tillamook Bay on the Oregon Coast northward past the treacherous Columbia Bar and Juan de Fuca Strait, up the rocky western c ...

. ''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 A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

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. In 1978, ''Columbia'' was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. It was removed from the Register in 1983 due to relocation from its historic location. She was returned to the Register in 1989 when she was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

, listed under the name Lightship ''WAL-604'', "Columbia". and
WLV-604 is now located at the

Columbia River Maritime Museum The Columbia River Maritime Museum is a museum of maritime history in the northwest United States, located about southeast of the mouth of the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. It has a national reputation for the quality of its exhibits a ...

, alongside the navigational buoy that replaced her in 1979.

References

External links

* Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club station
W7BU
Lightship ''COLUMBIA'' museum. * * National Historic Landmark Nomination for Lightship Columbia {{DEFAULTSORT:Columbia (Wlv-604) 1950 ships Columbia River Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon Lightships of the United States Museum ships in Oregon Museums in Astoria, Oregon National Historic Landmark lighthouses National Historic Landmarks in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Astoria, Oregon Ships built in Boothbay, Maine Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Ships built by Rice Brothers Corporation

History

See also

References

External links