V33 N1 'Ranger' Crossing the Legendary Columbia River Bar

Afterguard

Donald Magnusen, Chairman

Thomas V. Dulcich, Vice Chairman

Prudence M. Miller, Secretary

Capt. Rod Leland, Immediate Past Chairman Shelley Wendt, Treasurer W Louis Larson , Advisor

Mr. Ward Cook, Advisor Cheri Folk, Advisor

Jerry L. Ostermiller, President

Board of Trustees

George F. Beall

Diane Beeston

Peter Brix*

Richard T. Carruthers * Dave Christensen

Dale Farr

Fred Fields

Walter Gadsby, Jr.

Alan C Goudy * W. Dennis Hall

E H. (Ted) Halton, Jr. Jonathan Harms

John Hart

Don M. Haskell

Senator Mark Hatfield *

Senator Betsy Johnson Dr. Russell Keizer

S Kenneth Kirn

Robert Lovell

James McClaskey

John McGowan * Larry Perkins

David W. Phillips H Roger Qualman

Peter Quinn

Capt. Thron Riggs Hugh Seppa

June Spence

Ambassador Charles V. Swindells

Willis Van Dusen *

Samuel Wheeler Bill Wyatt

* Trustee Emeritus

From the Wheelhouse

One of the benefits of my position with the Museum is the opportunity for a bit of adventure. I have crossed the Columbia River

bar aboard just about every type of vessel but without a doubt, the most demanding, dangerous yet most interesting adventures have been underwater archaeology dives off the tip of Sand Island, just within the area of the river known as the Bar.

I have donned scuba gear over a dozen times to dive the bar and enter a world only a handful of people have ever experienced. Diving the wrecks of Sand Island tests all ones' skills and abilities in handling cold water, minimal visibility, incredible currents and potential of entanglement in 150 years of lost nets and lines. The target of my interest has been the wreck of the steamship Great Republic, and as a trained Historical Archaeologist, I have been monitoring the changing sands effect on the state of preservation of this historically significant wreck.

In this issue of the QuarterDeck two great stories will allow you to learn about this area and this wreck, without incurring risk or discomfort. These articles will give you insight as to what makes the Bar dangerous and the role Sand Island has played for vessels lost, such as the Great Republic So grab a warm cup of coffee or tea, settle down in your easy chair, and enjoy.

On the Cover:

This series of photographs was captured from the Columbia River Bar Pilots helicopter as the ship Ranger made her way out of the river through a rough winter bar crossing.

When a river or bay discharges through a relatively constricted neck into the ocean, the current slows down on reaching salt water and suspended sand or silt drops out, creating a shallows, or sandbar, at the mouth. Due to the fanning out of the water, this shoal typically is crescent shaped. This shallow area is "the bar." At the mouth of the Columbia River, the sandbar starts (in very rough terms) where the jetties meet the land, and extends more than six miles offshore. At times the strong river discharge meeting the heavy Pacific swell headlong in this shoal area creates the conditions that render passage unsafe for any vessel.

In the days before jetties and dredging, 23 feet was considered the maximum safe draft for a bar transit. Man's intervention has taken this "safe" limit to 40 feet, but only when nature allows: bar conditions are notoriously quick to change and violent. The Columbia River Bar, unrivalled in its combination of oceanographic, meteorologic and geographic magnitude, has always been and is still known to seamen around the world as the "Graveyard of the Pacific."

Jerry Ostermiller President

A special thank you to Captain Robert Johnson for the cover photos.

Bar Closures, Amber Lights & Dope Sheets

By Captain Thron Riggs , Columbia River Bar Pilot

Only in Astoria, that most maritime of towns, would talk of a Bar closure mean anything other than "last call." Likewise, amber lights and dope sheets don't necessarily suggest gothic police blotter drama to Astorians. These terms are part of the vernacular of a people lucky enough to live in the lower Columbia area, a place of compelling natural beauty and power a place where one of the most dramatic meetings of river and sea in the world occurs.

On the Columbia River, when it is said "the Bar is closed," the reference is to the fact that conditions, singly or in combination, of ocean swell, sea, wind, and river current ( collectively known in this context as "weather") have made the Columbia River Bar impassable for ships and the Bar Pilots have stopped bringing ships in or taking them out of the river. It does not mean that the Pilots have forbidden anyone to cross the Bar-this isn't within their authority. It simply means that they have suspended service until conditions on the Bar improve sufficiently to allow them to move ships safely. As a practical matter, when the Pilots close the Bar, nothing else crosses, as it is usually self evident to all that if a ship can't safely cross, neither can a tugboat or dragger. Usually. There have been disasters.

The decision to close the Bar is not taken lightly, as doing so interrupts the complicated and well coordinated flow of Pacific Northwest commerce. In today's world, cargoes are loaded or discharged, whenever possible, on a "direct hit" basis. This means they arrive at the dock and go directly from the train or truck to the just arrived ship eliminating the costly logistics of dock storage Thus the failure

of a loaded grain ship to vacate a berth in Kalama due to a Bar closure denies the next ship in line their scheduled loading opportunity. The train carrying its cargo from North Dakota must be stopped somewhere enroute, as there is usually no accommodation for it in the vicinity of the dock. This ripple effect reaches all the way to the elevator in the Midwest loading the next cargo for that rail route, as it must stop until things get moving again. Container ships, car ships and to a lesser degree tankers all are similarly affected. And what about the ships arriving from offshore to find the Bar closed? They are obliged to wait outside in conditions at best uncomfortable and often times dangerous until a Pilot can board.

In the not too distant past, when communications on the River were by signals, the Bar Pilots established an amber light on Tongue Point, in a position that was visible to River Pilots on outbound ships as they neared Astoria. This light, when showing, indicated that the Bar was closed, and that the River Pilot was to anchor his ship in Astona, where 1t could await better weather. After time this light was moved to atop the Bar Pilot office on the dock at 14th Street. In 2005, when the Bar Pilots moved to their new offices over the water just west of the Museum, some questioned the necessity of maintaining the light, as VHF radio and cell phones had rendered visual signaling obsolete. In a worthy gesture to history and tradition, the light was installed on the new office and continues to shine when the Bar is closed

Reproduced on the next page is a shipping list, generated by the Bar Pilot dispatcher, known in the trade as a "dope sheet." The particular sheet shown is for a day that the Bar was closed. The upper half of the page lists the inbound ships

with length, agent and draft, where from and to, and time expected. The bottom half shows outbound ships with length, agent and draft, dock sailing from and time expected to sail. The "Pilot lineup" appears after the outbound information. With this information, duty Pilots can see where they are in the lineup and estimate when they will work by correlating projected outbound times in Astoria with inbound times, and "handicapping" shipping activity on a timeline. Jobs are taken in strict rotation; this means that the number three pilot will be getting the third job on the list. Note the reference to the amber light in the last line. The dope sheet is available to all online at www.columbiariverbarpilots.com.

1630 MONDAY 11 DECEMBER 2006 INBOUND

So now, well informed CRMM member, the next time the wind-driven rain flies horizontally past your face and the trees start to fall, point out to your visiting friend the distinctive light showing from the Bar Pilots office and explain its purpose. Recall from the dope sheet you read with your morning coffee the names of the ships that are riding out the storm outside the Bar, not forgetting to mention where they are coming from and how long they have been at sea (12 days from the Panama Canal, 7-15 days from the Far East). Pontificate on long trains waiting on sidings somewhere east of the Rockies, empty shelves in big box retailers, and ripple effects. The amber light still shines. The Bar is closed.

HIGH 1727 6.9 LOW 0013 1.1

HIGH 0704 7 5 LOW 1303 3.1

NO SHIPS WILL BE ENTERING BEFORE MIDNIGHT DUE TO BAR CLOSURE 12 DECEMBER 2006

HANJIN OSLO 915' (HANJ) 36-01 SEATTLE (605) (1330-1400) AWAIT BAR OPENING

EUROPEAN EMERALD 575' (BAR-O) 27-03 KOREA (601) (1330-1400) AWAIT BAR OPENING CHRYSSA K 623' (CAS) 25 05 JAPAN (AST ANC)

AURORA ACE 520' (KLINE) 20-02 SFRAN (AST ANC)

CAMMI I l[nALD 500' (OCN) ENDLESS 738' (BLUE) 22-11

ImncA (VAN ANO) NOT DUE TILL 13TH

INFORMATION

(ABT 1600) COVER WITH OUTBOUND (ABT 1600) COVER WITH OUTBOUND DAR 2400 12TI I OW AOT

AURORA ACE 520' (KLINE) 20-11 AST ANG TO COL GRAIN ABT 2200 12TH

OUTBOUND

PYXIS LEADER 656' (NYK) VAN10 CALL 0830 12TH EMINENT ACE 556' (N-L) 415 CALL 0830 12TH

ZIM KOREA 774' (MERIT) 37-06 604 TENT 0900 12TH

BRIGHT SKY 520' (GEN) 31-04 VAN ANG TENT 0900 12TH

MARDI GRAS 555' (INCH) 31-02 PTLD BULK TENT 0900 12TH

CORAL ACE 609' (BAR-O) 39' VAN ANG TENT 1000 12TH

CHRIS 738' (BLUE) 39-10 IRVING ELEV TENT 0900 12TH

INFO: NEW NAVIGATION 628' (FRITZ) 23-03 AST ANC AWAITING BAR OPENING RIVER READINGS: PORT 3.3 HIGH 5.4 LOW 3.3 VAN 3.2 LV 4.8

Taming the Vagabond Island of the Columbia

B y Leonie N B rooke

SAND ISLAND, a low, elongated goose-shape sand bar in the mouth of the Columbia River, is tagged the "problem child" of the Columbia. It has a case history which fills volumes. In the course of time it changed its shape, cut itself in two, changed the course of ship channels, caused shipwrecks and became an enemy of navigation.

This roving boy of the Island family just refused to "stay put." In its urge to travel it became the subject of extensive legal litigation, bringing fat fees to attorneys and annoyance to the fish canneries using its seining sites. All the while Uncle Sam enjoyed fat revenues from its lease rights. At last, this wandering prodigal is compelled to behave.

Sand Island, now a tract four and one half miles in length, with a maximum width of a mile, is located at present on the northwest side of the main ship chan

nel of the Columbia River, and close to Cape Disappointment. Ever since Uncle Sam fell heir to this insignificant stretch of wandering real estate, it has been one big headache.

The story of the island's wandering is as old as the history of the mighty Oregon itself and as intriguing as the search for the River of the West.

Shortly after Captain Robert Gray sailed up the river that later was named from his ship Columbia, Lieutenant W.R. Broughton of the Royal British Navy, as a member of Captain George Vancouver's expedition, surveyed his way up the river, but failed to note the island near the mouth of the Columbia. To quote the Pacific Coast Pilot of 1889, in commenting on the roving propensities of this irrepressible chunk of barren sand in the Columbia, "Sand Island may disappear altogether, as we know it did not exist at the time of Broughton's survey."

Captain William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition in November, 1805,

From the Archives

In a continuation of our series we have sele cted an article that we fee l would be of interest to our readers from the Museum s Library. This a r ticle is from Tr ave l, July 1942, Vol. 29, No . 3

The side-wheel steamer Great Republic sits hard aground on Sand Island. She was one of the largest passenger ships of her time and famous for her elegance and passenger comforts , even offering salt water baths for her first-class passengers.

was unable to tell which was the course of the deepest water. His reference to "three small islands off the mouth of the river" and southwest of Cape Disappointment, indicates that some island, likely Sand Island, was trisected, or was located where the south jetty stretches at present.

If it is true that the island was once submerged, we may assume that in time it tired of that position. Twenty-one years from the date Captain Robert Gray sailed up the Columbia, when Astoria was still called Fort George, the British Sloopof-war Racoon, guided by Broughton's survey, struck the sand bar heavily, suffering considerable damage This was the first of a series of ill-fated ships which later met disaster on the shifting and treacherous sands of Sand Island. In 1830 the position of the Hudson Bay Company was seriously weakened by the loss of the British Bark Isabella, when it was stranded on Sand Island and later abandoned by its crew

Although navigation in the Northwest had greatly increased in the 1850s and 1860s, and marine craft were more numerous, we hear of no more fatal wrecks on the island until the Windward was lost there in 1871. The French brig Sidi followed suit three years later. One of the great tragedies in the annals of lost ships is that of the Great Republic, an old China liner, which in 1879 grounded on the island and became a total wreck. The site was long marked by both spars of the sunken ship itself and by government engineers ever since that year. Eleven persons perished when the last life boat, battling through heavy seas, was caught by a breaker and capsized.

The Great Republic had come in over the Columbia River Bar at midnight on a smooth sea Captain James Carroll told the pilot that they were approaching too close to Sand Island . The pilot thought differently. When the captain called "Port your helm and put it very hard," the pilot failed

CRMMPhoto

to do so and continued to run the steamer toward the island for several minutes. He then put the helm over hard a-port, but the ebb tide caught the Great Republic, together with its 550 cabin and 346 steerage passengers. She soon grounded on Sand Island, and four tugs failed to pull her off the gripping sands. The crew then threw the coal cargo overboard, and the passengers were taken ashore in its life boats, with all safely making it, except the last one that capsized. The next evening a southwest gale drove the Great Republic more deeply into the sands of the island, and she began breaking up. Of the twentyseven horses aboard only seven were saved

The bones of other wrecks have been interred near those of the Great Republic. The British bark Delharrie in 1880; the four-masted German bark Alsternixe in 1903, and the river boat Efin, which was burned near Sand Island in 1937 . There have been many near-disasters of ships

that lost their bearing, or were grounded on shoaling sands near the island. But most of these were later refloated. Unless a master of a ship was carrying the latest chart of the mouth of the Columbia, or brought his ship into the month of the river with a Bar Pilot, he never could be certain of the location of the island, or the condition of the channel. Heavy seas, currents, storms, fogs and shoaling sands caused more wrecks, however, than did the relaxation of vigilance on the part of the ship pilot, such as occurred with the Great Republic.

By 1864 Sand Island had arisen above high water, and was still clinging quite close to the Oregon side of the Columbia. These, of course, were lroul,led times in the nation's history. Partly actuated by patriotic motives, and partly by fear that the Confederate government would send an expedition to seize the Oregon country during the Civil War, the five-year-old state ceded Sand Island to Uncle Sam.

The German bark Alsternixe wrecked at Sand Island in 1903

The government in tum was to fortify it as a military reservation. It failed, however, to do so. On that score hangs a long tale and much legal controversy, with the federal government successfully defending its right of ownership and settling that touchy question, "who owns Sand Island?"

In one of its numerous lawsuits to regain possession of the island, when its big-hearted generosity had turned to regrets, the State of Oregon alleged that at the time the state was admitted to the Union, Sand Island was a mere sand shoal , the surface of which was wholly below high-water mark. Therefore, the island became the property of the state upon its admission in 1859 and remained its property until voluntarily ceded to the federal government in 1864.

Not only did Uncle Sam neglect to fortify the island, but refused to return the sandy spit to Oregon, especially when it was discovered that it was probably one of the most valuable salmon seining grounds in the world. Back in 1880 the

federal government executed its first lease for the seining sites. J W and V. Cook were the lessees, and the yearly rental was the modest sum of $509. At the end of a half century of this leasing practice, the government was receiving $46,000 for yearly concessions.

During any fishing season up until 1932, when the last seining lease was rescinded, it was always a thrilling sight to watch seining operations on Sand Island during the commercial fishing season. There is nothing more colorful in the salmon fishing industry of the Northwest than the horse-seining operations. The "poor fish" in making the long and treacherous j oumey back to their breeding grounds to spawn and die met a new danger when the great drag nets were spread out.

No branch of our fisheries has occupied so public a position as that held by the salmon industry This prominence is largely due to legislation and to the more or less constant wrangle between factions of the commercial fishing interests

The salmon is the mysterious fish of the sea. Its habits have been closely and scientifically studied; experts have been detailed by the national government and the several states to examine into its methods of propagation, with the hopes of increasing artificially the number of fish in the sea. Many <leviers for its capture have been invented, from the fish pole to the wholesale methods of nets and seines. It was in the hope of increasing the annual catch of the salmon that the twelve-hundred-foot seine was invented and utilized by the commercial fishing interests, when, of course, conditions were right for such large operations. Seining on Sand Island and around Peacock Spit accounted for a very large percentage of the annual catch of fish in the lower Columbia.

The catch on lhe island averaged from three to five hundred tons a season. Some season's catches were better than others, due to weather conditions and fishing conditions at the sites where seining was carried on. A very large haul, called a "corker" by the boys who pulled in the

great nets, was not an uncommon occurrence when a school of salmon was passmg.

During the fishing season, between May and August, and the very short fall catch , crews numbering from twenty-five to sixty men and one dozen to two dozen horses, could be seen on the beach during the tides. These magnificent horses, an important aid in the annual harvest of the sea, were taken over to the fishing grounds in a scow, and kept in barns on the island during the short seining season. "Skinners" hitched them to double trees and ran them down to the water edge, in readiness for their share in the seining operations. Their job was to hold one end of the line while the seine was laid out in the sea. They also bore the brunt of the heavy pull on the full bunt after the seine had been brought in with the catch.

Crews were kept together as much as possible during the fishing season. The men lived in bunk houses right on the island. The horses were sheltered and cared for in barns. Frequently the work of

Net Skiff being pushed out from Sand Island for the next layout of the seine net.

The bunt is the midsection of a fishing net in which the catch is concentrated. Woven with the heaviest gauge line, the bunt is the strongest part of the net.

CRMMPhoto

the day extended far into the night-sometimes to the dawn of another day. Thus, it was difficult to mark the beginning of the seiner's day, or just when he scheduled to knock off work.

An old railroad rail served as a gong to get the gang up for breakfast, or mess, as it is called. The "skinners" were out first on the beach. They had to get the horses ready and hooked to the double trees. By dawn, if the tide was right, the three fellows that manned the skiff were already aboard, preparing to uncurl the great net. One of the men passed bights of the seine to the other, whose business it was to cast the seine as far as possible over the rail into the sea. The farther the bights of a seine were cast from a boat, the less the other part of the seine would retard the progress of the layout boat.

The boat carried it out in arc-like formation, with one end of the seine staked to the land, holding it in place. The tug towed the loaded skiff until the full 1400 feet of net had been laid out.

Those that worked on the boats, on

the beach and who rode the double trees were strong, tough, plucky fellows. Hauling back to shore some 290 fathoms of net, with a few ton of fighting salmon, takes more pluck than the average laborer possesses. But these men had what it takes. Some of them were farmers from nearby coast farms; others were loggers who drifted down from the hills during the slack logging season, and a third group, and by far the largest, were young college fellows between eighteen and twenty-two years of age, who found the summer fishing job something of a vacation, and at the same time a source of income for financing their college tuition.

Gathering in the seine, after it has been out at sea an hour or two, was a sight well worth witnessing. Flashes of silver in the air, fighting, thrashing fish in the water, were all indicative of the struggle of the salmon to escape this hazard of commercial fishing. Slowly, carefully, Zip the tug boat drew the seine shoreward. The fish had to be kept from escaping and the net from tangling. When the two ends of

Seiner's Camp on Sand Island in 1915 Tents, cook shack and horse barns during the fishing season . CRMMPhoto

the net were in, and the entire bunt was in shallow water, the beachcombers ran down the sloping beach into the water, in readiness to close the cork line over the lead line, thus preventing the fish from jumping out. Teams of horses were now ready to drag the heavy packed bunt up on the beach.

No sooner was the bunt safely landed, than the "pot" was dumped. Glistening fish were strewn all over the sandy bank, but not for long. Waiting wagons were quickly filled with the salmon, and transported across the sands to the dock. A scow carried them to the canneries at Astoria, Oregon, and Ilwaco, Washington, where the fish were cleaned, cut up by a battery of power knives, and made ready for the tables of the ultimate consumers.

While seining is an important part of the Sand Island story, it is not the whole story. As a matter of fact, it ceased to exist after the dikes were built in 1932, and Uncle Sam was deprived of a neat source of revenue.

But to go back to Sand Island before

the building of the great north and south jetties, which extend out into the harbor like long welcoming arms to entering vessels at that time the island was enjoying a more or less constant spree. It became a wandering , prodigal gadabout, feared by mariners and discussed by legal min<ls Maps an<l official surveys show in 1841 the island was an insignificant bit of uplifted shoal sands, almost abreast of Point Adams, Oregon. A large sandy shoal lying between Point Adams and Cape Disappointment was designated as "Middle Sands." Later these "Middle Sands" disappeared. In 1851 Sand Island shows on a United States Coast Survey as being a little further away from Point Adams. When Oregon deeded the island to the United States government in 1864, it was shown as being in the mouth of the Columbia, near Oregon, and subject to overflow between high and low tide. Then, true to its diabolical nature, the island decided to change its shape. With the aid of tides, storms and winds, the island began to look like a boomerang in more ways than one.

Workers at Sand Island. ca. 1920s

Tranporting the horses for the fishing season.

CRMMPhoto

A record 30-ton haul on the beach on Sand Island, August 21, 1921.

CRMMPhoto

Crews collecting the salmon from the nets and loading the wagons. The fish are then transferred to a waiting cannery tender

CRMMPhoto

Besides the litigation for the wardship of the island, which has involved two sovereign states and the national government, covetous eyes were long cast on the rentals collected for fishing sites. Commercial fishing corporations were involved in expensive and lengthy litigation.

Claims and counterclaims continually littered up the court dockets. There was the battle over the island's possession when Oregon sought to reclaim it from Uncle Sam. There was the boundary line dispute between Oregon and Washington, which the United States Supreme Court decided to settle. There was the issue of whether a channel is a channel when ships quit using it. Oregon fought to have its fishing rights restored when it failed to get the island back. Bills were introduced in Congress asking for return of title to Oregon, plus some $400,000 which Uncle Sam had collected for leases during a score

of years. A United States Senate investigating committee made a junket trip to Sand Island one nice summer, and gave the place the "once over." The fish packers got involved in a federal court suit to prove Oregon still controlled the fishing rights of the island. Even an Indian Congress was held in Spokane, Washington, when they discussed the moot question of who owns the island, and claimed that the famous Stevens Treaties of 1851 plainly gave the fishing rights of Sand Island to the Chinook tribe of Indians.

The audacity of the island is unbelievable. After the United States Supreme Court defined and settled, once and for all, the boundary controversy between the contending states of Oregon and Washington, the impudent stretch of sand attempted to embarrass the court by moving northward in a big way, practically shoaling Baker's Bay, as well as upsetting the location of the North Channel.

Seining crew workers pose for a photo on a huge section of driftwood. Year unknown

Apparently fussed by all the legal Sand Island over the Years minds that pondered over it, and irked by the efforts of the government engineers to confine it, the "bad boy" of the Colum

z bia attempted in 1931 to commit suicide "' by cutting itself in two, right across its "' I;., long goose-like neck. Serious though C Sand Island the incision was, the engineers cleverly c.; handled the case. They had the severed t., neck spliced by filling in the newly cut .... c..., channel. "'

Later, the engineers built three wing Q,, dams or dikes on the ocean side of the 1850 island. This was dynamite to the commercial fishing industry in that locality.

Scientific skill succeeded in outwitting 2; the jumping sandpile and keeping it in -,: its own backyard. But the world-famous 0 seining sites were no more. Thus the c..., -engineers, all unwittingly, deprived this .... story of its otherwise "happy ending." t., ....

We have to be generous in judging c.i "' the antics of this unpredictable little two Q,, by four island. While we critically review some of its expensive adventures, we still 1900 remember that it has always been loyal to the government, first, last and always. It

has cooperated with commercial fisher- -,: men, making their industry very profit- ~ Sand Islan'dable. It has never been used as a W.P.A. '.: project, even during the depression. It has c... .... been somewhat at the mercy of Mother t., Nature and the uncontrollable elements, c..., but has yielded to the resourcefulness of "( man through the application of science. Q,, 1950

To view an interactive map of the movement of Sand Island over the last :..., 200 years, visit our web site and go to the C library research page at: c..., http: // crmm.org/ library.htm :.... .... c..., "' Q,,

WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON

News and Notes

Diane Beeston, President of the Friends of the Columbia River Maritime Museum , presented a check to the Museum's Education Department to support the Museum in the Schools program. A special thank you to the Friends for all their hard work and dedication throughout the year in support of the Museum

The Education Department is also grateful to the Quest for Truth Foundation for their continuing support of our Education programs this year.

The 157' luxury yacht Marathon makes her first port of call at the Museum after her launching from Christensen Shipyards while waiting out poor bar conditions. Designed for chartering in the Mediterranean and Caribbean the ship was truly a sight to see on a stormy day on the Columbia, although no one had much use for an outdoor Jacuzzi and sundeck in Astoria this time of year. We had a great visit with the crew and wished them smooth sailing.

The Museum's commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the wreck of the bark Peter Iredale was a great success for all. The Museum worked in partnership with all the local attractions in a group organized by the great crew at Fort Stevens State Park. Thanks to a generous grant from TLC Federal Credit Union we were able to bus school groups to the wreck at Fort Stevens and to the Museum for more shipwreck activities.

Special recognition and thanks to the Clatsop County High Angle Rescue Team who donated a day of their time to come out and re-rig the Lightship Columbia masts. They repaired and replaced all the standing lines, halyards, blocks, and the radio antenna. It is great to see the lightship back in ship-shape condition, and would not have been possible without their assistance.

The Museum's landscaping project has begun in full force. The front of the Museum has a new elegant rock garden and native plantings and progress will continue as the weather improves.

The QuarterDeck

Volum e 33 , No 1

Winter 2007

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: Betsey Ellerbroek

Lorraine Ortiz

Jerry Ostermiller

Jeff Smith

Printed by Printgraphics Beaverton, Oregon

Upcoming Events

University Sea Grant program. The presenter, Pat Corcoran , will also address the biggest hazard of them all, a big earthquake and tsunami. Pat is currently the education and outreach coordinator for the NOAA/Sea Grant Coastal Storms Program.

Summer Day Camp

July 9-13 and August 6-10

Family Programs during Spring Vacation

March 26 30 from 10:30a.m. to 3:30p.m.

Make a pirate map, find out what floats and what doesn't, clean up an oil spill or make a puppet. These are the type of activities that your family can participate in during our family programs offered throughout winter, spring and summer school vacations. If you happen to be in the vicinity of the Museum March 26 through 30, be sure to stop in. Hands on activities will be offered Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Ford Family Room. Each day will be devoted to a different maritime topic. The Education Department has a variety of replicas and hands-on items for children to handle and examine. A craft is included so you won't leave empty handed. :¥ho knows, while you are participating m the program with your family members you may learn something new yourself. Of course these programs are free for our members.

April 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Coastal Storms and Hazards

This presentation will highlight maps, models, weather and storm-related tools developed by NOAA, and Oregon State

Mark these dates on your calendar! The Education Department hopes you will consider sending your child, or grandchild, to_ N avigating the Past summer day camp this year. July 9-13 is for children going into third and fourth grades. Older children that will be in fifth and sixth grades are welcome August 6-10. Both camps provide lots of fun hands-on activities. Members receive a discounted fee.

In Memoriam

We note with great sadness the passing of long time Museum volunteer and friend William King Upon enlisting in the Coast Guard in 1939 Bill's first station was the Lightship Columbia at the mouth of the Columbia River. Years later he would be back aboard a Columbia River Lightship at the Museum, guiding thousands of visitors through the ship and telling his sea stories over the years. Bill will be greatly missed by us all.

It is with great sadness we note the passing of Sam McKinney ; historian, author and boat builder. A great friend to the Museum and a maritime colleague Sam was best known for his book Reach of Tide , Ring of History: A Columbia River Voyage, that follows his solo maritime explorations across the bar and up the Columbia River. Sam will be truly missed.

You Can Shape the Columbia River Maritime Museum's Future

Establishing a will or other estate plan can be satisfying on many fronts . Completing this undertaking provides you with the opportunity to create a lasting legacy for those who survive you. For many, a part of that legacy includes furthering the mission of their favorite non-profit organization. Such estate gifts, whether large or small, have a lasting impact at the Columbia River Maritime Museum .

When we receive notification that someone has included the Museum in their estate plan, we know the donor has taken time to clarify what he or she cherishes in the community. Along with providing for family members or others, the donor is asking us to utilize their gift to enhance the impact the Museum has on our community and our visitors. That principle holds true whether the bequest is for general Museum use or designated for a special purpose at the Museum, like our endowment fund.

We believe estate planning is a wise exercise for everyone and encourage all of the Museum's friends and supporters to take the time to prepare or update a will or estate plan. It is one of the most important documents you own.

Should you choose to include the Columbia River Maritime Museum in your estate plan, we would love to be notified so that we may both thank you and include you in our special society of donors who have made similar designations-The Heritage Society. Heritage Society members serve as leading examples of generosity for friends, family and others to follow, and it is our desire to let our bequest donors know how much their thoughtful planning means to the future of the Museum. And, there are benefits to membership. Among other things, mem-

bers of the Heritage Society gather together each year, in our beautiful riverfront location, for a luncheon in their honor.

We are always available to discuss ways for our members and donors to shape the future of the Museum. From a wide variety of volunteer opportunities to an equally wide variety of donation options, we have a program that fits your desires.

If you would like more information, please contact our Development Office at 503-325-2323.

Are you interested in assisting the Columbia River Maritime Museum further its mission?

Planned gifts can help ensure the future of the Museum and may also offer you tax benefits and income for life. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is to include the Museum in your estate, thereby making current arrangements for a future gift.

The Museum's Development Office can work with you and your attorney or financial advisor to explore or facilitate any of the following giving opportunities:

• including the Columbia River Maritime Museum in your will or living trust;

• gifts of stock or mutual funds;

• charitable gift annuities;

• charitable remainder trust;

• gifts of real estate; or

• IRA rollover gifts.

To learn more about these options, please contact our Development Office at 503-325-2323.

Please let us know if you have included the Columbia River Maritime Museum in your estate plans. We would love to add your name to the Heritage Society rolls.

Museum Staff:

Russ Bean

Celerino Bebeloni

Linda Bowen

Ann Bronson

Valerie Burham

Betsey Ellerbroek

HelenHonl

Kathy Johnson

Arline LaMear

Jim Nyberg

Lorraine Ortiz

Jerry Ostermiller

David Pearson

Deb Pyle

Nathan Sandel

Hampton Scudder

Jeff Smith

Cynthia Svensson

Patric Valade

Rachel Wynne

Membership

Welcome New Members

Sharon Schomer & Philip

Columbia River Society In Memory of Roche Mr. & Mrs. Ward V. Cook

August 2, 2006Colleen Simonsen & Jan Mr. & Mrs. Thomas V. January 18 , 2007

Ferguson

Dukich

August 2 , 2006- Debbie Twombly & Larry Mr & Mrs Dale Farr

Jack Abendroth January 18 , 2007 Moore

Mr. Alan C. Goudy Lorraine Ortiz & Terry Fullan

Karen Whitman & Brad Mr. & Mrs John C Hart MarkAdams Statesman

Shiley Mr. & Mrs. Don Haskell Katherine Karna Patricia Brown

Helmsman Mr. & Mrs. W. Louis Larson Eldon Korpela Thomas Kircher Larry Pappas Capt. & Mrs. Rod Leland John & Juanita Price Joan Knapp

Leena Mela Riker Mr. & Mrs. Don Magnusen Anita Angberg John W. Redding Edith Sullivan H. Roger Qualman

Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Dr. John F. Schilke Mr. & Mrs . Michael Captain Thron Riggs

Allan Maki Maureen Sundstrom Sullivan Mrs. June Spence

Dr. & Mrs David I. Williams Ensign/Indivdual Boatswain Mr. & Mrs. Charles Swindells Mildred Bauman Richard A. Berg

Frank A. Bauman Allison Cellars

John A. Cowan

Rick Coleman Mr. Samuel C . Wheeler

Daniel E. Becker

Welcome Back to Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Linda Giddings

Upgraded Memberships

August 2 , 2006- Membership

Alfred Berthelsen Bonnie Lively January 18 , 2007 August 2, 2006- Mr & Mrs. Ward Paldanius Bruce Purdy January 18, 2007 LeeE Bjork

Sam Rascoe Crew Mr. & Mrs. Ward Paldanius Judy Sorrel Mary C. Butler Statesman

June Spence S. Specht

Steve McCormick Michael Parker RoyE Boyle Steve Taylor Ronald Nordstrom Carol Povey Mr. & Mrs. Ronald C . Crew Shirley Randles Crew Collman Paul & Anush Bemus Stuart Rideout Dave Eckman Mr. & Mrs. George Silverson Mr. & Mrs. Huston Bunce Jeanette M. Riutta Loretta R. Maxwell Mr. & Mrs. Michael Mr. & Mrs. Steve Chambers Helmsman Mr. & Mrs. Jim Niel Soderberg Rick Decent

Mr. & Mrs. G.Norman Sheri & Mike Posey June Spence Rhonda Conrad & Kate Hoxsey Betsy Priddy E Barry Camnbell Kelso Roger Rocka & Janet Gwen Wagner

Dr. & Mrc. David I. Williamc Mr. & Mrs. Scott Farleigh Mitchell Helmsman Charles Coggins Gary Fiendish Betty & R David Smith Robert Newstead

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Mestrich Terre Gift Jeannette Zamon Allan & Heidi Schumacher Mr. James Corkill Gillum Family Boatswain Boatswain

Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Mr. & Mrs. Jim Haven Mr. & Mrs. Bill Bennett Capt. Robert W Johnson Albert N Dzobel Deborah Jaques & Curtis David & Janice Crawford Pilot

USS Knapp DD-653 Crew Clumpner

Mr. & Mrs . J . Carmoreau Mr & Mrs. C.M. Bishop, Jr. Bill Finucane Mary Kay Moskal Hatier Peter Quinn Eldon E Korpela Dan & Linda Olsvik

Gregory Newenhof

Allan Maki Evan & Joy Osburn

Mr. & Mrs . Richard

InHonorof Idamae F omey Mr. & Mrs Don Schroeder

August 2 , 2006- Dorothy Labiske Quackenbush Mr & Mrs. Ron Timmerman January 18, 2007

John Gilbert

Pilot City View Funeral Home

Larry Nordholm

Prue Miller Donald F. Gillum Hazel M Sealy Arlene Baker

Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Mr. & Mrs Ken Tetz Mabel M. Harris Duane Gustafson

Navigator Gwendoline Hase Stock Donna M. Gustafson Dick & Delight Leonard Eldon Korpela

Mr. & Mrs. Robert M . Oja

Donald L. Hawks Dorothy Labiske

Naomi North Dr. & Mrs David I. Williams Ronald E Lindberg Allan Maki

John Blake Hering Donald Link J. Hope Moberg Donald & Marilyn Kessler

Mr. & Mrs Don Matthews Peter Norwood Mr & Mrs Donald Magnusen Mr & Mrs Toivo Mustonen Mr. & Mrs . Louis Kennedy, Jr. Edith Miller Harlan Olsen Annie Oakley Ortiz

Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas D. Robert & Dorothy Scott Louise Christianson Zafiratos

Mr & Mrs. John R. Warila Deb & Roger Pyle Ellis Hill Carol Welch C. Duane Patching

Eldon Korpela Bob & Aletha Westerberg Allan Maki Mr & Mrs. RobertM Oja Andrew Young Bill Pitman

Mr. & Mrs. Hugh A Seppa Wayne Kuske Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Mr. & Mrs. Peter Strandberg Jack & Shelley Wendt Donald W. Pleier Eileen Thompson Carl W. Lindstrom Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Jon Westerholm

Mr. & Mrs. Clarence 0. Marla Putney

Capt. Paul A Jackson Dreyer

Mr. & Mrs. Donald Magnusen

Charlotte Jackson Jon Westerholm D. Lu Reynolds

Florence Jackson Walter Lindstrom June Spence Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert V. Kamara Mildred Hendrickson LartyRiser

Harold A Johnson Ralph Mace Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Frame Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja Don & Donna Speed Anna Roberts

Viola M. Johnson Jim Maher Dorothy Labiske Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Donna M. Gustafson Betty Schnipper

Johnson Rob Mangold John & Tmdy Dawson Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja Donna M. Gustafson Willard D. Sheahen

Gus Karakalos

Mr & Mrs Louis Kennedy, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Thomas F. Mannex Dr. Elmer Specht Kaarlo J. Karna June Spence Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Miles Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja Carol M. McClean: Walter R. Swart Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams

Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Donald & Marilyn Kessler William R. King Johnson Mr. & Mrs . Toivo Mustonen Mr & Mrs Tohn R Altsta<lt Rog~r S M~i~r Mr & Mrs Ni.,holas n Mr. & Mrs. P.L. Barnett Mr. & Mrs. Donald Magnusen Zafiratos Mr. & Mrs. Ernest J. Barrows Joe Miller Victorio E. Torres Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Donna M Gustafson Dr & Mrs. David I. Williams Mr. & Mrs. R. Ben Butler John McGowan Terri Warner George Chase Major Duffy E. Morgan Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Mr. & Mrs. Robert Cordiner

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Leland Westley Gladys Cummings Christensen

Mr. & Mrs . Melvin Hjorten Robert W. Cummings Mr. & Mrs. M. Harvey Allan Maki JoannDerie Johnson Larry & Jean Petersen Betsey Ellerbroek

The Maciolek Family Norman Workman

Mr. & Mrs . Jon A Englund Lawrence & Lela Newell Mr. & Mrs . Donald Magnusen Mr. & Mrs. Don Fisher Mr. & Mrs . Myron J. Salo Mr. & Mrs. Ed Fisher June Spence Mr & Mrs John Fitzpatrick Bob Morley

Mr. & Mrs . Robert E. Frame June Henningsen Richard E. Nase Mabel Herold Gladys Halsan Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Hjorten El:fi M. Nordgren Mr. & Mrs . Don King Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams 19 Eugene Knutsen

Donald Hartill

New from the Museum Store

Your Museum Store is very pleased to present as our featured item Coast Guard Rescues. This is a bundle of four DVDs: Rescue Swimmers; Survivors; Helicopters to the Rescue; and Dangerous Rescues. All of the footage is taken from actual rescue operations by Coast Guard photographers and it had us white knuckled several times while viewing .

If you have purchased Martha LaGuardia-Kotite's new book, So Others May Live, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: Saving Lives, D(!/ying Death, then you will be interested to know that many of the rescues and people Martha writes about are on these four DVDs.

This is a very exciting new addition to the Store. Each disc is approximately 50 minutes long. The bundle retails for $80.00, but with your 10% Museum member discount your cost is just $72.00.

Wynne, Store Manager