I came across this photo while searching through my archives. I took it a few years ago with my first digital camera. The location is Astoria, Oregon…at the Northwest tip of the state. It is here that the fabled Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.
It is here where Lewis and Clark finished their amazing westward trek from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. In fact, nearby there is a replica of their winter fort.
This is one of the Columbia Lightships that marked the entrance to the Columbia River at the Pacific Ocean. The first Columbia lightship took its place in 1892. This one served from 1951 to 1979. It was the last Columbia to be decommissioned on the west coast. WLV 604 is now a museum piece and open to the public at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.
The ship is made of steel and is 128 feet long, 30 feet wide, and draft of 11 feet. The ship was powered by a diesel engine made by Atlas Imperial. The lighting system on the WLV 604 was a 375mm lens visible for up to 13 miles. Fog warning was provided by two diaphone signals on either side of the ship. It was replaced by a lighted navigational buoy. It was eventually retired as well.
I liked this image because of the two bow lines and anchor chain leading from the dock to the front of the ship. The clouds were also a great help. I am very glad I have so many pictures of the great Northwest to remember my time there.
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