United States lightship ''Columbia'' (WLV-604) is a

lightship A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

located in Astoria,

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. ''Columbia'' was formerly moored near the mouth of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

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 neighborhoods of Back Narrows, Dover, Linekin, Oak Hill, Ocean Point, Spruce Shores, and the villages of East Boothbay and ...

, ''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 The Columbia Bar is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It is one of the most dangerous bar crossings in the world, earning the nickname Graveyard of the Pacific. The ...

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 wester ...

. ''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 Regimes, 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 cust ...

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 Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. 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 National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

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