V30 N1/2 Pilot Boat 'Peacock', the Columbia River Bar Pilots Donate the Legendary Vessel

From the Wheelhouse

Afterguard

Capt. Rod Leland , President

Thomas V. Dukich , Vice President

Cheri Folk , Past President

Don Magnusen , Treasurer

Prudence M . Miller, S e cretary

Jerry L. Ostermiller, Executive Director

Board of Trustees

George F. Beall

Dennis Bjork

Peter Brix*

Richard T. Carruthers * Fred Fields

Walter Gadsby, Jr.

Alan C . Goudy * W Dennis Hall

E H (Ted) Halton, Jr

Jonathan Harms

Don M Haskell

Senato r Mark Hatfield *

Rep. Betsy Johnson

Dr. Russell Keizer

S . Kenneth Kim

W. Louis Larson

Robley Mangold *

Thomas F. Martin

James Mi::Claskey

John McGowan * Ken M Novack

Larry Perkins

David W. Phillips

Hugh Seppa

J une Spence

Joe Tennant

Willis Van Dusen * Bruce Ward

Samue l C. Wheeler

Bill Wyatt

Ted Zell

* Trustee Emeritus

Distinctive and Unique

One of the most interesting aspects of boats and ships is how their shape is defined by their intended use. Experienced mariners have an eye and a language for this all their own, containing dozens of words such as lines, chines and aspect ratios. Folks who "have been around" can gaze upon a vessel and read the designers mind like the rest of us can read a book. Some vessels look so similar that it takes a bit of study to see any difference at all, yet others are strikingly umque.

In this issue of the Quarterdeck we are featuring one of the most uniquely designed vessels to operate on the Columbia River. I have heard visitors guess that she is some kind of special submarine used for research; others are just plain stumped as to her purpose because of her overall look and configuration. Sixteen years ago my wife and I first saw the Peacock when she motored up to the Museum's dock on a Christmas weekend. An astonished crowd of children stood waiting for the fully dressed Santa to get into the daughter boat on the Peacocks aft deck and launch into the river. After "snorting and roaring around a bit" Santa's little "daughter boat" motored up to the dock

where he handed out Christmas goodies to the entire crowd. The distinctive "turtle back" deck and hydraulic opening transom implied a very special use, a vessel designed to take on any sea state, and able to launch and retrieve its own "daughter boat" to safely transfer a pilot to a moving ship in the roughest seas.

The Columbia River Bar Pilots honored the Museum by donating the Peacock to our collections a few years ago, and we have plans to put her on display in the near future It is with great pleasure that I invite you to read all about her in this special issue of the Quarterdeck. Please take the time to "study her lines" in the enclosed photographs and to read bar pilot and good friend Captain Thron Riggs' history of this very special pilot boat. I am sure you will find this story interesting and informative and who knows, perhaps you will find yourself standing on the Museum's plaza pointing out to a small crowd of visitors her unusual lines and distinct equipment. As you share with them what you have learned regarding the Peacocks story, you will open their eyes as to how "form follows function" and how to read this vessel's purpose through its distinctive and unique design.

-Jerry Ostermiller , Executive Director

The Pilot Boat Peacock

by Captain Thron Riggs

Any person interested in the history of the Columbia River would be quick to recognize the date May 11, 1792 as being of singular significance, for it is the day Captain Robert Gray entered the river in his ship Columbia Rediviva, the first non-native to do so. How many scholars or armchair historians would attach similar significance to the date July 31, 1967? How about the ship Ostfriesland, arriving that date, and a certain consignment of her deck cargo?

The world of merchant shipping was undergoing a transformation in the 1960s as profound as the one experienced fifty years earlier when steam finally overhauled sail as the primary motive power for deepsea commerce. Malcom MacLean's revolutionary concept of containerization was changing forever the way freighters looked and operated. Breakbulk ships no longer stayed in port for indeterminate days or weeks working cargo; it was becoming apparent that time alongside was going to be measured in hours, not days, in the future. Similarly the trend was

to bigger, faster ships having regularly scheduled calls; itineraries that could be advertised, like a railroad timetable, to prospective customers. Liner service, as it was called, was not new, but heretofore it had been reserved for certain ships of certain abilities owned by certain companies with a particular infrastructure and expertise. The sizeable remainder of general cargo shipping had been in the holds of"tramps": ships that followed the cargo availability, as arranged by the home office, agents and sometimes the master, rather than a set route. General cargo tramping (bulk cargo tramping is another matter) was relatively slow and inefficient, and on its way out. Containers on liners were the general cargo wave of the future. Meanwhile competition among ports on the west coast of the United States for the emerging liner services was strong. The Columbia River, and Portland in particular, seemed to be at a decided disadvantage as the weather and sea conditions at her entrance were known to be arbitrary and capricious in

Frame 5 looking forward. The comple xity of her construction has been a continuous marvel to naval architects and surveyors who have had occasion to examine her throughout her life .

On The Cover: Pilot boat Peacock surfing her way acros s the bar, into an east wind .

Photograph cou rtesy of the Ship Inn

The first pilot boat Peacock, a converted NavyYMS minesweeper, passes under the Astoria Bridge still under construction.

the extreme. Mention of the Columbia River Bar at a shipmaster's lounge in Rangoon or in a tattoo parlor in Rotterdam elicited the same general reaction, although perhaps the language might have been a bit different in each place: constant winter gales, tremendous seas, long delays awaiting weather favorable for crossing, routine damage. The subject was well suited to the sailor's particular delight in yarning: if one spoke of waiting a week to cross, someone else was sure to recount how his ship was obliged to heave to for a fortnight awaiting a pilot, while the crew was reduced to eating their shoes, then chafing gear and then manila after their stores ran out. Perusal of the Bar Pilots' logbooks up to the early 1960s confirms that closures of two and three days were not unusual, and indeed, in the age of sail, ships could be held up for weeks, sometimes giving up and running to the Puget Sound for a lee and perhaps a loading berth.

The Columbia River Bar Pilots were fully aware of the situation. Shipmasters all, each had come ashore to venerable Astoria

after long and distinguished careers at sea to pilot ships across the notorious entrance. Their method of boarding ships in the open ocean, even though second to none, was ready for an overhaul. Indeed, change was necessary if they were to meet the challenge of keeping the Columbia River competitive: why would a shipping company risk getting seriously behind schedule waiting out a bar closure if he could just gather all his Pacific Northwest cargo in Seattle, or Vancouver B.C., or even San Francisco for that matter? The number of bar closures had to be reduced from the historical 20-30 per year to a number that was insignificant, and that meant working tougher weather.

In 1965 the pilots were using two boats: the 61-foot Columbia, built in Portland to their specifications in 1958, served as a "summer" boat, and the 136-foot Peacock, a converted Navy YMS minesweeper. The Peacock did the dirty work, staying on station from sometime in September to sometime in May. Hers was a labor intensive operation, requiring a crew of 10. Actual boarding or disembarking of ships

while the Peacock was on station was accomplished from a 16- foot pulling (rowing) boat, which was launched and retrieved from davits each time it was used. While the Peacock could stay out in most of the rather nasty winter weather experienced outside the bar, the pulling boats limited the practical amount of weather that could be worked. It simply wasn't safe to launch and row a sixteen-foot boat, even in the lee of a ship, in much over 3 5-40 knots of wind and 15 feet of swell. Once the swell got somewhere over 17 feet, boarding was a moot point; the bar would be breaking right across the entrance on the ebb and nobody was going anywhere.

When the pilots couldn't work ships, the bar was "closed," and everyone in Astoria knew it because an amber light was shown from the roof of the pilots' office as a warning. Those could be wild nights in the lower river, with ships hanging on by their eyebrows to straining groundtackle, the gale sounding a din in their rigging matched only by the roar issuing from waterfront beer joints. It cer tainly is a sailor's exhilarating relief to be

stuck in Astoria during a winter storm rather than waiting it out a "safe" distance west of the lightship. Fiddlers, cops, crimps; the dark rain lashing windowpanes; cardsharks, prostitutes and trapdoors: in clearing weather retrospect probably more than one jolly tar caught inside figured he would have been safer nosing into 65 knots and 30 feet outside.

Bar Pilots knew both sides of this picture. It wasn't unusual for them to be stuck in the ocean, at times through several tides, unable to cross a breaking bar And no doubt it wasn't unusual for those pilots ashore during bar closures to be found discussing the situation in some local establishment. By the mid 1960s a consensus was being reached on a radical new approach to pilot transportation. An idea first broached by aggressive visionaries in the group and sold slowly to the conservative membership. It was proposed that a pilot boat be built on the lines of the German North Sea rescue cruisers These boats had a reputation for invincibility : an anecdote told of one, found

Launching or retrieving the pulling boats required 5 men: two on the davits, two in the boat and the captain or mate on watch in the wheelhouse, all exercising superb coordination and seamanship on a routine basis. The third man in the boat is the pilot who will be taken to the inbound ship. In contrast the daughter boat operation, while requiring equal but somewhat different skills, required only two men, one to handle the Peacock and one in the boat.

Thi s v iew of the P eacock shows the e x treme camber or "whaleback" design of the deck w ith th e stem ramp lower ed. The modeling of the bow is characteristic of the power and beauty of her hull. These features were life savers for those who sailed on her.

running serenely along after having been out in the worse storm of the century, without a soul on board. With such a boat, ships could be worked in all but the most extreme weather, providing the men were up to the challenge. Shipping interests on the river could confidently assert to potential callers that new technology would be arriving that, along with anticipated dredging, would reduce the number of bar closures to a point where it would not be a factor to anyone running a liner service. Portland could compete with San Francisco and Puget Sound.

The prototype for the new boat was the rescue cruiser Arwed Emminghaus, the latest evolution in a long line of rescue vessels designed for the German Lifeboat Institution by Maierform GmbH of Bremen and Geneva. Although several of the Bar Pilots participated at one time or another, Captain Kenneth McAlpin was the lead representative for the Bar Pilots during the project. Correspondence between Astoria and Geneva starting in 1964 reveals that details, both

large and small, took considerable time to work out; for the rescue cruiser configuration needed significant modification to be useful as a pilot boat.

The Emminghaus class of vessel was double hulled for ultimate strength with a flush deck of extreme camber ("whaleback") for most efficient water shedding. She had positive righting arms beyond 90 degrees of heel, which meant that she was self righting, and in fact was designed to roll over or be completely covered by a breaking wave and to not only survive, but keep running. Actual rescue operations were performed with a 23foot "daughter boat," launched from a sloping ramp incorporated into the hull through a hinged, opening stem. The daughter boat, having performed a rescue, was escorted by the mother boat back to sheltered water for retrieval.

The Bar Pilots specified that the hull as designed be lengthened 4 feet, and that the interior watertight bulkhead spacing be reduced. The Emminghaus class was a one

Andy Carlson remembers one day getting a report from the weather service that was over four hours old (unbeknownst to him) and proceeding to sea. Not being able to see in the darkness, they were caught offguard when they got in the vicinity of buoy 6, where they were completely covered by a top to bottom breaking wave. Fighting their way through several others before reaching the relative safety of the open ocean, they called the weather service and asked them what happened to the 14-foot swells they were told to expect. It was then that they learned that the report had not been current and that now the swell was 3 8 feet. "She saved our bacon that day" is the way Carlson puts it.

On another occasion Don Nelson was making an attempt to get in when, at buoy 2, a wave picked them up and laid the boat on her side. The Peacock, having broached, was carried down the face of a breaking wave laying on her beam ends for what Don

describes as an eternity. When the wave finally passed underneath, they looked around and found themselves at buoy 6. They had been carried 2 nautical miles ... something more than the distance from the Maritime Museum to the bridge. There was no alternative then but to continue in and hope they made it. They did. Don didn't hazard a guess as to the size of the swell that day.

To deliver a pilot, the ship is given a course and speed to make the best possible lee, the Peacock is maneuvered close alongside, the daughter boat is started while still in the cradle, and released with one pull of a lanyard. From sliding down the ramp into an inhospitable ocean to the daughter boat's unmuffled, dry exhaust roar, it is indeed an experience. Here the pilot can be seen leaning against the landing pad while behind him the operat or starts toward the ship. All eyes are on the ladder.

Don Nels on is one of the few owner operators to have worked during both the pulling boat and daughter boat eras. It is conservatively estimated that he has crossed the bar at least 50 ,000 times .

"She saved our bacon"

When returning to the Peaco ck, the daughter boat is driven up the ramp as far as possible , then the retrieval line is snapped into the bow, as has just happened in this view. Then the boat is winched into its cradle , lashings passed and the stern ramp closed.

compartment design, which meant that one compartment (between watertight bulkheads) could be flooded and the vessel would retain her buoyancy and stability, but the Bar Pilots specified a two compartment standard for their design. Skeptical inquiries from Geneva about the necessity of such extreme measures were answered by McAlpin with an invitation to visit. Whether or not such a fact finding trip occurred isn't clear, but soon thereafter the tone ofletters from the experts in Europe assumed a respectful, unquestioning acceptance of suggestions, proposals and requests from the Astoria boat committee.

The new Peacock, as she was to be called, would define the standard for bulletproof boat construction, and the Columbia River Bar Pilots were to retain and enhance their worldwide reputation as the experts in heavy weather pilot operations.

Other modifications were necessary to the German design. For pilot service the daughter boat would have to be retrieved in the open ocean under the most severe conditions; as it was not practical to return over the

often tempestuous bar to calm water to regain the boat, as was the German practice. Aside from the inherent danger of unnecessary bar crossings, ships often had to be worked in quick succession and time consuming boat retrievals would result in unacceptable delays. The Maierform modifications made to the ramp and stem design to allow open ocean retrieval of the daughter boat were proven, once the new boat went into service, to be inadequate. According to Don Fastabend of Astoria Marine Construction Company (AMCCO), it was soon apparent that the hinges and hydraulic rams that the articulating stem hung on were too weak to stand the pounding incurred when the daughter boat was driven onto it. Soon into the first winter of the Peacock's service, the stem flap was braced and welded open as a temporary fix until permanent changes could be affected. AMCCO expertise worked their solutions into the stem during the boat's first haul out the following spring, and these were good enough to last the remaining 30 years of the boat's active service.

Then there was the matter of mechanical complexity. As a state sponsored rescue operation, the Emminghaus type could afford to be heavily manned, and they were. In Germany the boats had large crews, including engineers. The Bar Pilots needed to get away from reliance on large, wage earning crews, and intended to eventually make a select cadre of local talent into share holding members of the organization as "owneroperators," and run the boat with three owneroperators on board at a time. A crew of that size had no time for the labor intensive routines established in the rescue service. For example, just to start the engines took an act of mechanical perseverance unreasonable in the extreme to good old American know how. First a generator had to be started, which was necessary to get a boiler running to warm up the cooling water, which was then circulated after starting another pump . Then the oil pump was started, and when pressure reached a certain level another relay automatically closed which allowed the starter switch to be activated, with the starter slowly going

up to speed without turning the engine until a certain starter RPM was reached, then the bendix spring engaged the flywheel and the engine turned over. Getting the engines going took patience, attention to detail and a minimum of 15 minutes. There is an interesting story about what happened to the boat and a nearby dock when one particularly unmechanical pilot, determined to show that he could master the routine, went below to start the engines. We'll leave that narrative for another day. Suffice it to say that the Mercedes engines and the controllable pitch propellers that came with the boat were replaced with American technology well before the end of their natural lives.

In any case, the new Peacock, as delivered, was listed by the builders as being 87 9 feet over all, 18.4 feet on the beam, with a 5.6 foot draft. The center engine was a 1350 horsepower MB820Db Mercedes, and the two side engines were each 525 horsepower MB836Bb Mercedes. She displaced 72.5 tons. The 23- foot, 3.15 ton

Dave Fastabend talks to a ship over the radio while steering the Peacock.

Keeping Peacock Operational

The pilot boat Peacock was undoubtedly the most sophisticated nonmilitmy small vessel delivered to the West Coast, or perhaps anywhere, up to that time. Operating her was difficult enough, but maintaining her was another matter entirely. The bent plating comprising her hull, beautifully formed and faired, enclosed a unique complexity, with her construction mimicking airplane technology in one place, submarine technology in another. The four bladed controllable pitch propellers were constantly requiring attention as they were too delicate to take the frequent encounters with debris, both large and small, encountered on the grounds. The high strung, supercharged engines often gave trouble. The pilots themselves ran the boat initially, and some of them were not the best of small boat handlers. Someone had to take care of this temperamental thoroughbred through thick and thin.

Astoria Marine Construction Company (AMCCO), located on the banks of the Lewis and Clark River roughly opposite Fort Clatsop, had maintained the pilot boats in recent memory. By the time the Peacock arrived the wartime workforce of 400 or so had shrunk to no more than 20, roughly a quarter of them shareholders. Fish and tugboats, along with the pilot boats were their stock in trade. Don Fastabend, one of the shareholders, was yard supervisor, and to him fell the responsibility of keeping the Peacock going. Not that he wanted it, but as AMCCO were the recognized experts and Don was the lead man

No one could have been better suited for the job. He is, by all accounts, eminently practical and mechanical (by age 22 he was supervising a work force of 99 whose job was to ready the laid up ships at Tongue Point for sea), with a good business head and an admirable sense of responsibility to his customer. Piloting is a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year operation, and it seems that every story of a memorable breakdown starts out with "It was about midnight and blowing 60 when I got a call." Don shrugs his shoulders and claims, "Anyone would have done it," when asked about it. Maybe so but considering the frequency of such occurrences probably not, and certainly not while retaining his considerable and concise sense of humor. Don has known and worked side by side with two generations of Bar Pilots, sharing their disappointments and joys, and remembering the best about each one of them. He has been, and remains, as important to the smooth running of the operation as any of the pilots, and is the longest continuous thread running through their narrative of the last 50 years. He is the only Columbia River Bar Pilot to have never been issued a license as such by the state.

The Building of Pilot Boat Peacock

Captains Dougan, McAlpin and Quinn. McAlpin was a prime advocate and mover ofthe project. Captain Quinn was the President ofthe Bar Pilots at the time and no doubt had his hands full with negotiations and internal relations. By all accounts he was well suited for the task. Captain Dougan accompanied McAlpin and Quinn to Germany for the acceptance trials.

daughter boat was fitted with a 105 horsepower Mercedes. The builder, Schiff und Bootswert F.R. Schweers of Bardenfleth Weser, demonstrated during acceptance trials that the Peacock made 22.5 knots based on an average of three runs. The daughter boat made 12.4 knots. The specifications were for 24 and 14 knots respectively, and who can say that German hospitality didn't make up for the difference to Captains McAlpin, Quinn and Dougan, who were in attendance, as there is nothing to indicate any displeasure. The bill of sale for the boat was $459,293.82, as compared to a quote of$450,000. The daughter boat was billed at $31,793.82 against a quote of$30,000.

This brings us to July 31, 1967. On that day, at one o'clock in the afternoon, the German freighter Ostfriesland, 3964 net tons, was boarded outside the bar by Captain Martin West and taken to anchor above buoy 40, off what is now the Museum. After the necessary

preparations, her deck cargo, consisting of the new pilot boat Peacock, was discharged directly into the river using the ship's two jumbo booms. Thus began a new era in the history of navigation on the Great River of the West, as the promise was tendered to the world's commerce that, in the emerging climate of competitive liner service, ports on the Columbia River were to remain players in international trade. The developing Willamette Valley and points beyond were to have convenient, cost effective access to world markets.

To say that the effect of the Peacock's arrival was far reaching and profound would not be an exaggeration. She proved to be everything that the Bar Pilots had envisioned boarding and disembarking pilots safely in weather that previously had been considered unworkable. Quantifying reductions in bar closures due to her presence is difficult, as from year to year there is a variation in the

Terminal 6 in Portland is a picture of vitalic commerce. Last year (2003) saw 339,571 twenty-foot equivalent containers and 366,383 cars and trucks handled by the Port of Portland. Having direct terminal access to I-5, but also rail and barge connections which serve the Pacific Northwest and beyond is a major stimulus for the regional economy. While the Peacock would be lost to sight tied up at this dock , her stature as an enabler of the scene would render the ships alongside dwarfs.

number and strength of winter storms, but there can be no doubt that the Bar Pilots consistently worked all but the most violent weather after putting the Peacock in service. Her arrival, coupled with the eventual dredging of the bar channel to 55 feet, virtually eliminated the weather bottleneck at the entrance: we now find the bar closed only on rare occasions, and even then usually only on the ebb tide. As a consequence, liner trade to the river is an established business practice, and the massive infrastructure developed in Portland at terminals 4 and 6 to accommodate the container ships and car carriers. Indeed the current vitality of the whole river system itself gains directly from the initiative and foresight of the Columbia River Bar Pilots and the diminutive, orange and green "submarine with a bow" tied up at the Museum's docks. Only if the Museum could somehow acquire the Columbia Rediviva herself would they have an artifact of greater importance than the Peacock. July 31, 1967 belongs on the same page in history as May 11, 1792.

So, Astoria, every time you pass the Columbia River Maritime Museum, acknowledge their curatorial discretion while tipping your stylish Victorian top hat to the Peacock and the men and women who served on her. And if one of us happens to be taking our leisure in the shadow of her absolute presence, forgive us ifwe can't find words to describe our attachment. With her we challenged the maw, and no matter how great the eventual circumstance, she always folded her wings around us and brought us home.

About the Author Captain Thron Riggs shipped out as a wiper after high school. After 27 years at sea he joined the Columbia River Bar Pilots in 1993.

Summer at the Maritime Museum

Summer is just around the corner and CRMM's Education Department has some great programs to offer when you come to visit. Our education program Navigating the Past provides opportunities for families to participate in Museum activities together. Our popular summer day camp is also a component of this program.

Join us in the Ford Family Foundation Education Center Monday through Friday for plenty of hands-on activities. You and your family members can examine examples of trade items used during the fur trade, simulate an oil spill clean up, or learn about different cultures from around the world. These programs will begin June 28 and run through August. Activities start at 10:30 and run continuously until 3:30 each day. Programs will vary throughout the summer so call the Museum for a schedule.

Don't wait too long to register your child or grandchild for our popular summer day camp. This is the third summer for camp and the Education Department is already receiving

calls from repeat campers wanting to register. The sessions are filled with hands-on activities, experiments, crafts and adventure walks. June 21-25 is for children going into second and third grades. Third and fourth grade students may attend July 19-23 and the fifth and sixth grade session is August 26. Camp goes from 9:00 AM. to 3:00 P.M. daily. The cost is $50 for Museum members and $75 for nonmembers. Please call for registration information.

Museum Staff:

Kim Bakken

Russ Bean

Celerino Bebeloni

Ann Bronson

Valerie Burham

Cheryl Cochran

Betsey Ellerbroek

John Gibbens

Helen Hanf

Charlotte Jackson

Kathy Johnson

Arline LaMear

Lynne Leland

Jim Nyberg

Jerry Ostermiller

Robin Parker

David Pearson

Molly Saranpaa

Hampton Scudder

JeffSmith

Cynthia Svensson

Patric Valade

Shelley Wendt

Rachel ffynne

News and Notes

A special thank you to the Bank ofAstoria for their generous and invaluable support of our Winterfest celebration . Winterfest is a full day of educational programs and entertainment for people of all ages here at the Museum. Bank ofAstoria has continued to be a proud partner in this special community event through the years. Thank you!

The Education Department recently received funds from the Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust to assist us in reprinting our three publications that are given free to teachers requesting them.

Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation also contributed a grant enabling us to print resource materials for our classroom programs . Both contributions assist us in continuing to provide quality materials to teachers all over the country

Upcoming

Ev ent s :

Sunday June 22nd 1 P.M. to 4 P.M .

Don't miss Father's Day this year at the Maritime Museum. The Museum will be featuring a full afternoon of special activities for families and Dads. This includes a chance to build your own tugboat with our Education Department. Fun for the whole family. Watch our web site for more details.

Hail and Farewell

We bid a sad farewell to Office Assistant/ Receptionist Barbara Abney Barbara and her husband are retiring to a new home on the shore of the Long Beach Peninsula. We will miss her friendly face and professionalism in the office, but wish her the best ofluck and smooth sailing in her new ventures.

We welcome three new staff members aboard. Robin Parker will join us as the new Office Assistant/Receptionist. Robin has a varied and experienced background which she brings to the Museum. Kathy Johnson joins us in Visitor Services and Valerie Burham will be helping out in the Museum Store as a new sales associate. Be sure and stop by and say hello during your next visit.

In Memoriam

It is with great sadness we note the passing of two dedicated Museum advocates. Dr Bernard Berenson passed away this spring. He was a surgeon by trade, practicing in Portland for over 30 years, but also a maritime historian in his own right. Dr. Berenson was a longtime supporter of the Museum and an advocate for the growth and development of the Museum library. A good friend to all, he will be sorely missed.

It is with great sadness we note the passing of John J. Supple . John was a longtime leader in the fishing industry, managing tuna plants in Hawaii and Astoria for Bumble Bee Seafoods . After his retirement he founded Astoria Warehousing in Astoria. A longtime advocate ofthe Museum, John will be missed by all.

Set Sail Aboard the Most Luxurious Ocean

Liner Ever Built

As part of our program of membership benefits, we have joined together with other maritime museums to offer an extraordinary oceangoing experience to our members. The adventure starts on Oct. 10, 2004, with our flight to New York City. In the morning, after a city sightseeing tour, we embark on the fabulous, new Queen Mary 2 for 7 day / 6 night trans-Atlantic journey followed by 5 days / 4 nights in London. We can't think of a better way to combine cruising and maritime history in the company of fellow travelers with similar interests.

This historic, inaugural season of the QM2, Cunard's newest flagship, marks the debut of the world's largest ocean liner, cont inuing the heritage of the magnificent ships before her. Our voyage is entitled "Maritime Seminars at Sea," and features fifteen special seminars on maritime subjects. Our Museum Director will be one of the speakers along with Peter Stanford (President Emeritus of the National Maritime Historical Society), Adm. Paul Gillerist (combat and Th e Quarte rD eck, Vol. 30 N o. 1-2

test pilot and author), and James Delgado (Executive Director of the Vancouver Maritime Museum). These presentations, covering a wide selection of topics, will certainly be exciting and are only available to our travelers.

While in England the first two days, we will be treated to customized tours of many historical points of interest including Portsmouth Royal Naval Museum and historic dockyard, HMS Vzctory, HMS Warrior, Mary Rose, the National Maritime Museum and observatory at Greenwich, the Imperial War Museum, Churchill's Underground Cabinet War Room, and more. You will also have two full days to enjoy optional tours including a trip to Normandy during the 60 th anniversary ofD-Day.

The Museum is hosting an informational meeting on Sunday, June 13th from 5 P M. to 7 P M. for anyone interested in learning more about this historic trip. Call the Museum to RSVP at (503) 325-2323.

Length: 1,132 feet Beam: 135 feet Draft: 32 feet 10 inches Height (Keel to Funnel): 236 2 feet

Gross Tonnage: 151 ,400 gross tons

Passengers: 2 ,620 Crew: 1,253

Top Speed: 30 knots Power: 157 ,000 hp

Cost: $800 million dollars

The Quarterdeck

Volume 30, No . 1-2 Spring-Summer 2004 The Quarterdeck is published by the Columbia River Maritime Museum, 1792 Marine Drive, Astoria, Oregon 97103. Tel: (503)325-2323 Fax : (503)325-2331

www.crmm.org

Editor : David Pearson Editorial Staff: Robin Parker Betsey Ellerbroek

Jerry Ostermiller Molly Saranpaa Jeff Smith Shelley Wendt

Printed by PrintGraphics

Beaverton, Oregon

Welcome back to Mary Lou Haggren

Mr. & Mrs. Grant Orr

James "Stretch" Corlett

Mr. & Mrs. George E Membership!

Jerry Ostermiller & Lynne Siverson

November 20, 2003- Margaret Phillips Johnson

Helen Sorkk:i April 20,2004 Jill K. Storey Ardelle Phillips

Mr. & Mrs Joseph L. Pilot Jack 0 Daly Thompson

Philip Hayes

Statesman

Mr. & Mrs. James W . Davis Nancy Thorsness Mary Jane Dixon ILWU Local #21 Bob & Virginia Kearney

Mr. & Mrs Gordon Bill Gunderson Admiral Lovella DeMun Wolfgram

Mr. & Mrs. Robert J . June Spence

Mr. & Mrs. William H

Mr. & Mrs. F. Lewis Wright Krohn DeArmond Andrew Dennon Billy Hatch Kaye Mulvey Nancy Lowe Marcella L. Hatch Michael Parker Memorial Donations Gladys Haglund Duncan George Hediger Mr. & Mrs. John L. Price

November 20, 2003 Dorothy Labiske

Mr. & Mrs. Victor W. Donald Sutherland

April 20, 2004 Almond Eastman Horgan Ensign/Individual Mr. & Mrs. Clarence J. Edith V. Berlin

Mr. & Mrs. Paul Forrer Viola Abrahamson Barendse Allan Maki Sandra Lee Swain

Mr. & Mrs. Art Filliger Mike Elorriaga

Captain Paul Jackson Thomas G. Thompson Mr. & Mrs. Norman Forney Mr. & Mrs. Donald Robert Chamberlin Mr. & Mrs. Craig Weston Roberta Jo Glenn Magnusen

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Chopping Crew/Family Helen Johnson Ann Fearey Betsey Ellerbroek & Capt. Mr. & Mrs. William K. Mr. & Mrs. Jeffery H. Mr. & Mrs. Victor W. ThronRiggs Blount Johnson Horgan

Captain & Mrs. James T. Mr. Michael Driscoll Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Captain & Mrs. James T. Maher Mark, Geri, & Andrew Fick Donald & Janet Mackey Maher

Jerry Ostermiller & Richard & Daniel Green Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Oja John Ford Lynne Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Harlan Olsen Kathleen Slotte June Spence Haglund Roberta Riutta Ernie Garcia Jack & Shelley Wendt Mr & Mrs. Kent Holtzclaw Mark & Lisa Tolonen Mrs. Myron Beals

In Honor of . . Doug & Vicky Iverson Guy Tucker Roberta C. Graham Mr. & Mrs. J.H. Joiner Mr. & Mrs. Dennis A. Mr. & Mrs. William Walman Phil Nock

Mr. & Mrs. John C. Hart Larson Jean Anderson Herman Haggren George A. D. Kerr Rev. & Mrs. Richard Loop Mr. & Mrs. Victor W. Roma Bigby

Mr. & Mrs . Donald Sheri & Mike Posey Horgan Allen and Natalie Cellars Magnusen Earl & Mary Rogness Commander William M . Jeanne Clifford

Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Tevis Robert A. Sheets Barney Mr. & Mrs. Ronald C. Captain Alan Knox Robert H . Thomson, III William & Ann Harvey Collman Carol Povey Helmsman Happy 60 th Wedding Mr. & Mrs. Clarence 0. Jeane F. Knutsen Jerry & Carolyn Glein Anniversary Dreyer Mr. & Mrs. William Shaw Mr. & Mrs. Frank 0. Glenn, James & Jean Bayless Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Frame Betty Korpela III Mr. & Mrs. Harry Dichter Mr. & Mrs. Robert Gauthier Ronald and Lila Collman Pat J. Jenkins Kathleen Brady

Mr. & Mrs. Clarence 0. Cal & Phyllis Johnson June Spence Harold Hendricksen Dreyer Frances M. Johnsrud Yvonne Brecht Mr. & Mrs. Ellis Hill

Donna M. Gustafson

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas V. Mr. & Mrs Dan Stephan Marjorie Larson Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Hjorten Dukich Celia Tippit & Bill Williams

Deloris Evans Boatswain

In Loving Memory of Bob & Virginia Kearney

Captain Peter F & Dorothy Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Mr. & Mrs Donald F Mr & Mrs Ken Austin G Butler Eldon Korpela

Fastabend Mr. & Mrs. Robert C. Joanne Chamberlin

Kenneth & Esther Lampi

Mr. & Mrs. Dale R. Bishop, III Chris & Dave Bennett Eleanor Leppinen

Allan Maki

Frandsen Dr. Thomas Duncan Kelly Breen

Donna M. Gustafson

Robert Chamberlin Mr. & Mrs. Warren Mattson Mr. & Mrs. Walfred

Captain William Connolly Lucille Perkins Hendrickson

Mr. & Mrs Rod L. Moxley Harry Phillips

Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Pat Samuelson Johnson

Frank & Betty Satterwhite

Robert and Sheryl Ginn Leslie & Frances Clark June Olson June Spence Dick Olsen Sam & Judith Holteen Larry & Jean Petersen Mildred M. Larson Allied Cran Contractors Wahkiakum County Alliance Doroth):'. Yocke):'. Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Mr. & Mrs. Russ Bean for the Mentally Ill Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Johnson

The Bridge Club David & Valerie Olson Knutsen Captain Calvin (Mike} Robert Chamberlin Robert & Judy Paavola Leback Mr. & Mrs. Ronald C. Mr. & Mrs. Dan Stephan George Fulton Collman Deloris Suomela Roberta Jo Glenn Jack Harvey Mr. & Mrs. Michael Captain & Mrs. Warren G. Marjorie Leback Swanson Leback Captain & Mrs. Rod Leland John Supple Mary Olsen Mr. & Mrs. Dewey Maxson Bank of Astoria Mr. & Mrs. Ward Paldanius Dorothy Sarpola Mr. & Mrs. Todd Barnes Mr. & Mrs. Carl H. Erling Orwick Mr. & Mrs. Ernest J. Paronen Maxine Mason Barrows Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Pierson Captain & Mrs. James T. Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Eugene Matthews Maher Mr. & Mrs. Ted Bugas Mr. & Mrs. Ernest J. Thomas B. Parker Mr. & Mrs. Allen V. Cellars Barrows Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Tevis Mr. & Mrs. Robert Chopping Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Sandra Ramsdell Del & Cheri Folk Roy and Dorothy Boyle Mr. Melton Lucore, III & Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Frame Mr. & Mrs. Bob Canessa Family Donna M. Gustafson Mr. & Mrs. Allen V. Cellars Ton):'.Robnett Mary Lou Haggren Freda Englund Captain & Mrs. James T. Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Hjorten Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Maher Bob & Virginia Kearney Frame Arthur Sagen, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Knutsen Mr. & Mrs. Dick Keller Gurie O'Connor Mr. & Mrs. Thomas F. Patrick Killion Captain Stanle):'. Sa):'.ers Mannex Kenneth & Esther Lampi Captain & Mrs. James T. Elizabeth Martin Mr. & Mrs. Vern 0. Larson Maher John McGowan Joh n McGowan Colonel Arnold W. Seeborg Art & Ruby Miline Mr. & Mrs. Ward Paldanius Columbia House Condo Susan Miller Mr. & Mrs. Gordon minium Homeowners Jerry Ostermiller & Wol f gram Association Lynne Johnson Anne McGowan Ken & Joan Campbell Mr. & Mrs. Bob Parnell Mr. & Mrs. Victor W. Donna M. Gustafson Mr. & Mrs. Larry Perkins Horgan Mr. & Mrs. Robley L. Mr. & Mrs. Frank Royston Captain & Mrs. James T. Mangold June Spence Maher Mr. & Mrs. George E. Russ and Nancy Taggard Dagmar Mclnt):'.re Siverson Shawn & Cathy Teevin Mr. & Mrs. Richard E . Mr. and Mrs. Michael Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Cam eron Soderberg Wolfgram McNary Elementary School Howard Simonsen Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. Dorothy R Mickelson Roy & Dorothy Boyle Ziessler The lma B. Moisio Mr. & Mrs. William M. Kline Shirle):'. Temple Judy Peterson Mr. & Mrs. Robert M . Oja Mr. & Mrs. Richard E. Lorraine Street Mr. & Mrs. Jack E. Paaso Cameron Gary Walker Mr. & Mrs. George E. Bob Uhrbrand Dou g las Mclver Siverson Robert Chamberlin Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. June Spence Mr & Mrs Clarence 0 Tevis Daniel L. Stephan Dreyer Davi d C Me):'.e r Llewellyn Elementary Lower Columbia Danish Mr. & Mrs. James W . Davis Raymond & Caroline Badger Society

Sally Morris Gayanne Bicandi Allan Maki

COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM 1792 MARINE DRIVE ASTORIA, OREGON 97103

Queen Mary 2 offers Special Maritime Seminars at Sea

Join us on an historic "crossing of the pond" aboard the largest and most elegant cruise ship in the world, the Queen Mary 2.

The Columbia River Maritime Museum is offering a special cruise in a partnership with Cunard Lines and a collection of national level maritime museums for a cruise from New York to London. Our voyage is entitled "Maritime Seminars at Sea," and features fifteen special seminars on maritime subjects.

The Adventure begins October 10, 2005.

See page 15 for more details

Non-profit Organizat ion U.S. POSTAGE PAID Asto ria , Oregon Permit No. ::140