Columbia on the Columbia

Steve Walser
recent  |  interesting  |  random  |  favorites  |  contacts  |  sets  |  tags:  
Columbia on the Columbia
Columbia on the Columbia

Commissioned in 1951, Columbia was the fourth and final lightship stationed at the mouth of the Columbia River. Built by Rice Brothers Shipyard in Boothbay, Maine, Columbia was launched with her sister-ship, Relief (WLV-605). The new WLV-604 replaced the aging vessel LV-93, which had been in service on the Columbia River since 1939. From 1892 until 1979, the Columbia River lightships guided vessels across the Columbia River Bar and an area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. Columbia was the final lightship to be decommissioned on the U.S. West coast. She was replaced by an automated navigational buoy soon after. The buoy has since been retired.

Because of its importance, the Coast Guard had a permanent 18 man crew stationed on board, consisting of 17 enlisted men and one warrant officer who served as ship's captain. Everything the crew needed had to be on board. In the winter, weeks of rough weather prevented any supplies from being delivered. Life on board the lightship was marked by long stretches of monotony and boredom intermixed with riding gale-force storms. The crew worked two to four week rotations, with ten men on duty at all times.

In 1978, Columbia was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was removed from the Register in 1983 due to relocation from its historic location. She was returned to the Register in 1989 when she was declared a National Historic Landmark, listed under the name Lightship WAL-604, "Columbia".

WLV-604 is now located at the Columbia River Maritime Museum, alongside the navigational buoy that replaced her in 1979.

Attribution Noncommercial No Derivative Works Some rights reserved
Taken on: September 17, 2024
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with Boat Boat Everybody's photos tagged with Ship Ship Everybody's photos tagged with Coast Guard Coast Guard more » Everybody's photos tagged with Oregon Oregon Everybody's photos tagged with Columbia River Columbia River « less
Groups appears in:   • Oregon    • Pacific Northwest    more » • LIGHTHOUSE LOVERS    • Boats    • Marine (3 per day)    • TRAVEL Photography!    • iPhone Camera Shots    • Workboats, Tugboats and Ships That Work    • Pacific Coast Lighthouses    • MARITIME FAVORITES (Post 1 - Try to Award 3)    • just one word    • All Free Pictures (Creative Commons and Public Domain)    • ALL THE THINGS! (no 30/60 limit)    • !WTF- WHAT OR WHERE is it ?    « less
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, f/1.8, 1/1600 sec, 6.9mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Lens: iPhone 14 Pro Max back triple camera 6.86mm f/1.78
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure Time: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Focal Length: 6.9mm
ISO: 80
Exposure Bias: +0.665 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Program AE
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: Uncalibrated
Software: Adobe Photoshop 26.0 (20240918.m.2780 d8d1230) (Macintosh)
Show full info
Stats: 436 views / 1 comment