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

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."

* Trustee Emeritus

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Jerry Ostermiller President

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

The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. J

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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 The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. I

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

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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.

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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.

DECEMBER 2006 HIGH 1727 6.9 HIGH 0704 7.5

LOW 0013 1.1 LOW 1303 3.1

INBOUND NO SHIPS WILL BE ENTERING BEFORE MIDNIGHT DUE TO BAR CLOSURE

12 HANJIN OSLO 915' (HANJ) 36-01

DECEMBER 2006

SEATTLE (605)

EUROPEAN EMERALD 575' (BAR-O) 27-03 KOREA (601)

(1330-1400) AWAIT BAR OPENING (1330-1400) AWAIT BAR OPENING

JAPAN (AST ANC)

(ABT 1600) COVER WITH OUTBOUND

AURORA ACE 520' (KLINE) 20-02

SFRAN (AST ANC)

(ABT 1600) COVER WITH OUTBOUND

CAMMI I l[nALD 500' (OCN)

ImncA (VAN ANO)

ENDLESS 738' (BLUE) 22-11

NOT DUE TILL 13TH

AURORA ACE 520' (KLINE) 20-11

INFORMATION AST ANG TO COL GRAIN

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)

IRVING ELEV TENT 0900 12TH

CHRYSSA K

623' (CAS) 25-05

DAR 2400 12TI I OW AOT

ABT 2200 12TH

OUTBOUND

39-10

INFO: NEW NAVIGATION 628' (FRITZ) RIVER READINGS: 1.

2.

3.

4.

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RIGGS BARRETT JORDAN WAER

23-03 AST ANC AWAITING BAR OPENING

PORT 3.3 HIGH 5.4 LOW 3.3 VAN 3.2 LV 4.8 5. STOLZ 6. JOHNSON

OUT:

CAPT TIERNEY AND CAPT GLICK AVAILABLE FOR CALL BACK 'SHIPS IN ITALIC AND UNDERLINED

ARE NOT APPROVED BY USCG FOR ENTRY '

0115 MONDAY 11 DEC 2006 • BAR CLOSED· AMBER LIGHT ON

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In a continuation of our series we have selected an article that we feel would be of interest to our readers from the Museum s Library. This article is from Travel, July 1942, Vol. 29, No. 3

Taming the Vagabond Island of the Columbia nel of the Columbia River, and close to B y Leonie N . Brooke 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 chanThe QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. 1

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,

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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.

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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 The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. 1

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The German bark Alsternixe wrecked at Sand Island in 1903 .

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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 The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No . 1

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.

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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

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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.

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

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great nets, was not an uncommon ocThe salmon is the mysterious fish currence when a school of salmon was of the sea. Its habits have been closely passmg. and scientifically studied; experts have During the fishing season, between been detailed by the national government May and August, and the very short fall and the several states to examine into its methods of propagation, with the hopes of catch, crews numbering from twenty-five to sixty men and one dozen to two dozen increasing artificially the number of fish horses, could be seen on the beach durin the sea. Many <leviers for its capture ing the tides. These magnificent horses, have been invented, from the fish pole to the wholesale methods of nets and seines. an important aid in the annual harvest of It was in the hope of increasing the annual the sea, were taken over to the fishing grounds in a scow, and kept in barns on catch of the salmon that the twelve-hunthe island during the short seining season. dred-foot seine was invented and utilized by the commercial fishing interests, when, "Skinners" hitched them to double trees of course, conditions were right for such and ran them down to the water edge, in readiness for their share in the seining large operations. Seining on Sand Island operations. Their job was to hold one end and around Peacock Spit accounted for a of the line while the seine was laid out in very large percentage of the annual catch the sea. They also bore the brunt of the of fish in the lower Columbia.

The catch on lhe island averaged from heavy pull on the full bunt after the seine three to five hundred tons a season. Some had been brought in with the catch.

Crews were kept together as much as season's catches were better than others, due to weather conditions and fishpossible during the fishing season. The men lived in bunk houses right on the ing conditions at the sites where seining island. The horses were sheltered and was carried on. A very large haul, called a "corker" by the boys who pulled in the cared for in barns. Frequently the work of The QuarterDeck. Vol. 33 No . 1

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.

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

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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 The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. 1

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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 QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. 1

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.

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Tranporting the horses for the fishing season.

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

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

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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 The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. I

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.

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Apparently fussed by all the legal minds that pondered over it, and irked by the efforts of the government engineers to confine it, the "bad boy" of the Columbia attempted in 1931 to commit suicide by cutting itself in two, right across its long goose-like neck. Serious though the incision was, the engineers cleverly handled the case. They had the severed neck spliced by filling in the newly cut channel.

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

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

We have to be generous in judging the antics of this unpredictable little two by four island. While we critically review some of its expensive adventures, we still remember that it has always been loyal to the government, first, last and always. It has cooperated with commercial fishermen, making their industry very profitable. It has never been used as a W.P.A. project, even during the depression. It has been somewhat at the mercy of Mother Nature and the uncontrollable elements, but has yielded to the resourcefulness of man through the application of science.

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News and Notes

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.

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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.

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, Vol. 33 No. J

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Upcoming Events

Family Programs during Spring Vacation The QuarterDeck Volume 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

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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

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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 Mark these dates on your calendar!

The Education Department hopes you will consider sending your child, or grandchild, to_Navigating 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.

Th e QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. I

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, memThe QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. 1

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

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Membership Welcome New Members August 2, 2006January 18, 2007 Statesman Patricia Brown Thomas Kircher Joan Knapp John W. Redding Dr. John F. Schilke Maureen Sundstrom Ensign/Indivdual Richard A. Berg Allison Cellars John A. Cowan Linda Giddings Bonnie Lively Bruce Purdy Sam Rascoe Judy Sorrel S. Specht Steve Taylor Crew Paul & Anush Bemus Mr. & Mrs. Huston Bunce Mr. & Mrs. Steve Chambers Rick Decent Rhonda Conrad & Kate Kelso Mr. & Mrs. Scott Farleigh Gary Fiendish Terre Gift Gillum Family Mr. & Mrs. Jim Haven Deborah Jaques & Curtis Clumpner Mary Kay Moskal Dan & Linda Olsvik Evan & Joy Osburn Mr. & Mrs. Don Quackenbush

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Sharon Schomer & Philip Roche Colleen Simonsen & Jan Ferguson Debbie Twombly & Larry Moore Karen Whitman & Brad Shiley Helmsman Larry Pappas Leena Mela Riker Edith Sullivan Mr. & Mrs. Michael Sullivan Boatswain Rick Coleman

Columbia River Society Mr. & Mrs. Ward V. Cook Mr. & Mrs. Thomas V. Dukich Mr. & Mrs. Dale Farr Mr. Alan C. Goudy Mr. & Mrs. John C. Hart Mr. & Mrs. Don Haskell Mr. & Mrs. W. Louis Larson Capt. & Mrs. Rod Leland Mr. & Mrs. Don Magnusen H. Roger Qualman Captain Thron Riggs Mrs. June Spence Mr. & Mrs. Charles Swindells Mr. Samuel C. Wheeler

Upgraded Memberships August 2, 2006January 18, 2007

Welcome Back to Membership August 2, 2006January 18, 2007

Crew Mary C. Butler Steve McCormick Ronald Nordstrom Shirley Randles Stuart Rideout Jeanette M. Riutta Helmsman Mr. & Mrs. G.Norman Hoxsey Roger Rocka & Janet Mitchell Betty & R . David Smith Jeannette Zamon Boatswain Mr. & Mrs. Bill Bennett David & Janice Crawford Mr. & Mrs. J. Carmoreau Hatier Gregory Newenhof Mr. & Mrs. Richard Schroeder Mr. & Mrs. Ron Timmerman Pilot Larry Nordholm Hazel M. Sealy Mr. & Mrs. Ken Tetz Navigator Dick & Delight Leonard

Statesman Michael Parker Carol Povey Crew Dave Eckman Loretta R. Maxwell Mr. & Mrs. Jim Niel Sheri & Mike Posey Betsy Priddy Gwen Wagner Helmsman Robert Newstead Allan & Heidi Schumacher Boatswain Capt. Robert W. Johnson Pilot Mr. & Mrs. C.M. Bishop, Jr. Peter Quinn InHonorof...

August 2, 2006January 18, 2007 Prue Miller Arlene Baker Mabel M. Harris Gwendoline Hase Stock

In Memory of. . .

August 2, 2006January 18, 2007 Jack Abendroth Lorraine Ortiz & Terry Fullan MarkAdams Katherine Karna Eldon Korpela John & Juanita Price Anita Angberg Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Allan Maki Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Mildred Bauman Frank A. Bauman Daniel E. Becker Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Alfred Berthelsen Mr. & Mrs. Ward Paldanius LeeE. Bjork Mr. & Mrs. Ward Paldanius June Spence RoyE. Boyle Mr. & Mrs. Ronald C. Collman Mr. & Mrs. George Silverson Mr. & Mrs. Michael Soderberg June Spence E. Barry Camnbell Dr. & Mrc. David I. Williamc Charles Coggins Mr. & Mrs. Charles Mestrich Mr. James Corkill Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Albert N. Dzobel USS Knapp DD-653 Crew Bill Finucane Eldon E. Korpela Allan Maki Idamae Fomey Dorothy Labiske John Gilbert City View Funeral Home Donald F. Gillum Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Duane Gustafson Donna M. Gustafson Eldon Korpela Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. I

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Donald L. Hawks Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams John Blake Hering Donald & Marilyn Kessler Mr. & Mrs. Donald Magnusen Edith Miller Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas D. Zafiratos Ellis Hill Eldon Korpela Mr. & Mrs. RobertM. Oja Mr. & Mrs. Hugh A Seppa Mr. & Mrs. Peter Strandberg Eileen Thompson Jon Westerholm Capt. Paul A Jackson Charlotte Jackson Florence Jackson Mr. & Mrs. Gilbert V. Kamara Harold A Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja Viola M. Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja Gus Karakalos Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Kaarlo J. Karna Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Oja Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams William R. King Mr & Mrs Tohn R Altsta<lt Mr. & Mrs. P.L. Barnett Mr. & Mrs. Ernest J. Barrows Mr. & Mrs. Max Bigby, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. R. Ben Butler George Chase Mr. & Mrs. Robert Cordiner Gladys Cummings Robert W. Cummings JoannDerie Betsey Ellerbroek Mr. & Mrs. Jon A Englund Mr. & Mrs. Don Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Ed Fisher Mr. & Mrs. John Fitzpatrick Donald Hartill June Henningsen Mabel Herold Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Hjorten Mr. & Mrs. Don King Eugene Knutsen The QuarterDeck, Vol. 33 No. I

Dorothy Labiske Ronald E Lindberg Donald Link Mr. & Mrs. Don Matthews Mr. & Mrs. Toivo Mustonen Harlan Olsen Robert & Dorothy Scott Mr. & Mrs. John R. Warila Carol Welch Bob & Aletha Westerberg Andrew Young Wayne Kuske Jack & Shelley Wendt Carl W. Lindstrom Mr. & Mrs. Clarence 0.

Dreyer Jon Westerholm Walter Lindstrom Mildred Hendrickson Ralph Mace Don & Donna Speed Jim Maher Donna M. Gustafson Rob Mangold Donna M. Gustafson Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Thomas F. Mannex June Spence Carol M. McClean: Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Johnson Rog~r S M~i~r Mr. & Mrs. Donald Magnusen Joe Miller Donna M. Gustafson John McGowan Major Duffy E. Morgan Mr. & Mrs. Robert Christensen Mr. & Mrs. M. Harvey Johnson The Maciolek Family Lawrence & Lela Newell Mr. & Mrs. Myron J. Salo June Spence Bob Morley Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Frame Richard E. Nase Gladys Halsan El:fi M. Nordgren Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams

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Naomi North Allan Maki J. Hope Moberg Peter Norwood Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Annie Oakley Ortiz Louise Christianson Deb & Roger Pyle C. Duane Patching Allan Maki Bill Pitman Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Donald W. Pleier Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Marla Putney Mr. & Mrs. Donald Magnusen D. Lu Reynolds June Spence LartyRiser Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Frame Anna Roberts Dorothy Labiske Betty Schnipper John & Tmdy Dawson Willard D. Sheahen Mr. & Mrs. Louis Kennedy, Jr. Dr. Elmer Specht Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Miles Walter R. Swart Donald & Marilyn Kessler Mr. & Mrs. Toivo Mustonen Mr & Mrs Ni.,holas n Zafiratos Victorio E. Torres Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Terri Warner Dr. & Mrs. David I. Williams Leland Westley Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Hjorten Allan Maki Larry & Jean Petersen Norman Workman Mr. & Mrs. Donald Magnusen

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New from the Museum Store Use your Member Discount to shop online

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.

Now and throughout the coming New Year use your on-line code "crmmember" to help you take advantage of your 10% discount when shopping in our online web store. Its easy, just go to the Museum's website www.crmm.org and click on the store link, log in and enter your code. Check the web store often for new merchandise added weekly.

crmm.org

-Rachel Wynne, Store Manager

COLUMBIA RIVER MARITIME MUSEUM 1792 MARINE DRIVE ASTORIA, OREGON 97103 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Astoria, Oregon Permit No. 340