The Lady Washington Carries a Cargo of History in the Pacific Northwest by Jarnes "Flagg" Locke
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her crew refer to affectionately as the "Dhe original Lady Washington was Sail." In 1986, the Grays Harbor Histo ribrought to life in the early 1750s in cal Seaport Authority was form ed as a a shipyard on the North River near public entity to administer and operate Boston , Massachusetts. She was a coaster, a co mmon rype of vessel for the era and for what was ro become the Washington State the purpose that she was built to fulfill. If, Tall Ship Ambassador, Lady Washington, for instance, o ne wished to carry ca rgo in her late r guise as a brig. With the foundations set for the profrom New York or Boston to the Carolin as, ject, Lady Washington's keel was laid in one would use a coaster. These vessels 1987 in the hi storic town of Aberdeen , in cou ld hold a steady speed with a fair wind a shipya rd at the co nfluence of the Wishka and had a large capacity for cargo. H er and C heahlish ri vers on the sire of the A.]. displacement sat at 170 tons, and she was West sawmill of 1880, Aberdeen's first able to carry up to 99 tons of cargo. As th e industrial saw mill. Two years of work by Am erican co lonies grew, so did co mm ercial acti vity along the Atlantic coast, and some 15 or so shipwrights, contributions sloops like Lady Washington were used as in skill and materials from across th e Stare, the eightee n wheelers of their day. and the tireless work of a phalanx of volunIn the Revo lutio nary War, the co lo nists teers led ro her launching in 1989 to the had a limited array of ships to throw against cheers of so me 2000 exuberant specrarors. the might of the British navy, Four more months were spent and Lady Washington was by local riggers in insralling logged into rhe history books mas ts, yards and six-plus miles as a privatee r. With a lerrerof standing and running ri gof-marque from the Comging. Then, on 11May1989, monwealth of M assac husetts, 197 years after Rob ert Gray her captain and crew had perbecame the first Euro-Amerimission ro stop, board and ca n to sail imo th e bay (in th e seize enemy vessels. This could Columbia), the new brig, Lady Washington, sailed our across be acco mplished by placing the bar of Grays Harbor and 30 to 40 armed men in the hold, co min g up alongside a began her maiden voyage with large r vessel and, with stratesrops at ports in the Strait of g ic strikes to the powder ] uan de Fuca, bound for Puget rooms, armory, navigation staSound. tions and officers' quarters, H er mandate from Grays rakin g the ship without great Harbor Hi sto ri cal Seaport loss of life or damage to either The replica of Capt. Robert Gray's Lady Washingron plies the and the peo ple of rhe State of waters ofthe Pacific Northwest. vessel. Washingron is ro provide the Wh en the war between schoolchildren of WashingBritain and the colonies ended, the need to in 1989, people from Aberdeen, Washing- ron with a chance ro partake in an experibuild and expand American trade gave ton , and th e county of G rays Harbor emial, hands-o n, ream- and esteem-buildLady Washington a new mission . Bought by (nam ed after Captain Robert Gray) wanted in g learnin g experience that builds on the a co nso rtium of merchants in the Boston to celebrate the upcomin g event in a big sto ry of th e original Lady Washington. With area led by a well-ro-do merchant named way. With some trep idation, soul search- this grand goal in mind, Lady Washington Bulfinch, the sloop Lady Washington, un - in g, blood, sweat and rea rs, along with travels to ports rhroughour Washingro n, der th e co mmand of Robert Gray, and her allocated funds from both Washington Oregon and Cali fornia sharin g the rich co nso rt vessel, Columbia Rediviva, und er State and the City of Aberdeen, it was heritage of the Northwest and the role that John Kendrick, were sent in September of decided ro create the "Tallship Resto ration the ship pl ayed in th e area. Education is at the forefront of our 1787 from Boston, via the Cape Verde Sociery" and reconsrruct Columbia and Islands, aro und the Horn and up the West Lady Washington. This was to be done in as programs. As one of o nly a handful of Coast of the Americas to the wi ld north- historically accurate a manner as th e tal- square-rigged vessels allowed by the Coast west, where they were co mmiss ioned to ented hands of the designers, shipwrights Guard ro rake passenge rs sa iling on th e engage in the sea otter pelt trade. and volunteers could acco mplish, given open ocea n, Lady Washington is a living While competing with the British, Span- modern US Coas t G uard requ irements- museum . We encourage every guest to lay ish, French and Russians, the tiny sloop such as "auxiliary power," which many of hands on the braces for a sharp starboard
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Lady Washington compil ed an impressive number offl rsts. She became the fi rsrAmerica n-flagged vessel to make landfall in the Northwest, this being acco mplish ed after Columbia took damage to her rigging while rounding the Horn and the two masters agreed that Lady Washington wo uld push ah ead while Columbia remained in C hile for repairs. Sailing o n ro C hina, where the vessel was rerigged as a brig, the Lady Washington becam e the first Am erica n vessel to sail to the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands and the then-closed co untry of] apan , while Columbia Rediviva (under Gray after a switch of commands with Kendrick) we nt on to become the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. With this history in mind and rhe approaching centennial ofWashington State
SEA HISTORY 86, AUTUMN 1998