Northwest Seaport
Predecessor | Save Our Ships |
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Formation | 1964 |
Location |
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Coordinates | 47°37′36″N 122°20′13″W / 47.62667°N 122.33694°W |
Website | nwseaport |
Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization in
Northwest Seaport is adjacent to the
History of the organization
Northwest Seaport was founded in the early 1960s as the Save Our Ships project to save the 1897 Pacific schooner Wawona. Save Our Ships purchased Wawona in 1964, followed by Lightship 83 "Relief" in 1966 (subsequently changed to "Swiftsure" lightship station), and received the tugboat Arthur Foss as a donation from the Foss company in 1970.
Save Our Ships was based in Kirkland, on Lake Washington, throughout the 1970s, eventually changed its name to Northwest Seaport, and then relocated to its current site on Lake Union (on the edge of downtown Seattle) in the early 1980s.
Northwest Seaport has been a primarily volunteer organization throughout its half century of service. The decline of its flagship by the early 2000s, however, prompted the board of directors to focus on hiring professional staff to manage the ships and the organization.
Programs
Northwest Seaport offers programs ranging from public tours, festivals, and story times for toddlers to vocational training in the marine trades and traditional maritime music sing-alongs.
Historic fleet
The historic fleet at Lake Union Park's Historic Ships Wharf includes four vessels on the National Register of Historic Places: Two of these belong to Northwest Seaport. The other two belong to other non-profit organizations. Northwest Seaport's third vessel on the wharf is in the process of being nominated for NHL status.
Tugboat Arthur Foss
The tugboat Arthur Foss, built in 1889, is the oldest wooden-hulled tugboat afloat in the United States. In 1898, in response to the Klondike Gold Rush, she transported barges full of gold-seeking miners and supplies up the Inside Passage to Alaska. There are no other Alaska gold rush vessels still operating today. She was cast by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio to play in its 1933 production Tugboat Annie.[3][4] In World War II, Arthur Foss journeyed south to join the war effort. Before the Battle of Wake Island began in December 1941, she was the last vessel to escape. After the war she was used in the timber industry until retirement in 1968.[3]
The Arthur Foss has a six-cylinder, 700 horsepower (520 kW)
Lightship 83 "Swiftsure" (previously known as Relief)
Lightship #83, known to most by its station name, Swiftsure, is a
In 1904–1905, LV-83 steamed around the tip of South America to her first station at Blunts Reef in California, where she saved 150 people when their ship ran aground in dense fog. In 1929, LV-83 was transferred to the San Francisco lightship station, changing the lettering on its side. It served as an armed patrol boat in WWII, then returned to lightship duty, and then in 1951 was transferred to Seattle and assigned the station name Relief, operating as the alternate, or relief vessel, for the newer primary lightships on the Columbia River bar, Umatilla Reef, and Swiftsure stations. Swiftsure refers to the Swiftsure Bank near the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca separating Washington and Vancouver Island.
Swiftsure is one of the oldest
The ship was decommissioned in 1960, and purchased by Northwest Seaport in 1966. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1989,[6][7] and is on the Washington State Heritage Register. She is moored on Lake Union, in Seattle, Washington, for restoration.
Halibut Schooner Tordenskjold
The 1911 halibut schooner, Tordenskjold, joined the Northwest Seaport fleet in February 2017. It was built in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood by renown boatbuilder, John Strand, in 1911. Tordenskjold fished the North Pacific and Bering Sea for over 100 years, never missing a season. From 1911 to 1934 its crew of 14 used dories to longline for halibut and cod. Then, after dories were outlawed, longlines were deployed off the boat itself. In 1939 its second captain, Carl Serwold, rerigged the boat as a trawler. Sometimes fishing for himself and sometimes fishing under charter to the International Pacific Halibut Commission, Washington Fish and Game, or other entities, Tordenskjold caught shrimp, king crab, and shark. In 1979 the boat was purchased by Marvin Gjerde and Per Odegaard (owner & captain of the F/V Vansee). They re-rigged Tordenskjold as a longliner again and for the next three-and-a-half decades, Marvin Gjerde fished halibut and black cod again. Tordenskjold retired from active fishing at the end of the 2012 summer season. Gjerde and Odegaard donated Tordenskjold to Northwest Seaport in 2017. The boat is kept in operational condition and visits regional boat shows as Northwest Seaport's mobile ambassador.[1]
Fishing troller Twilight
Twilight is a 36-foot (11 m) fishing vessel. Launched from Seattle's Fishermen's Terminal in 1933, she trolled in the Pacific until the 1980s, and came to Northwest Seaport in 2000.[9] Twilight is currently stored on shore while funds are raised for its restoration.
Schooner Wawona
The three-masted,
Wawona was 165 feet (50 m) long on deck with a 35-foot (11 m) beam. Her masts, stood 110 feet (34 m) from the keel.
She was
References
- ^ a b Howe, Nathaniel (February 2018). "Bringing Home the Catch: Tordenskjold and the Pacific Northwest Halibut Schooners". Wooden Boat. 260: 36–46.
- ^ Howe, Nathaniel (March 2015). "Fifty Years of Northwest Seaport: A Look at the Restorations of Arthur Foss and Lightship No. 83 Swiftsure". The Sea Chest. 48 (3): 123–135.
- ^ a b The History of the Arthur Foss, Northwest Seaport. Retrieved 01 March 2008.
- ^ Filmography in Seattle, HistoryLink. Retrieved 01 March 2008.
- ^ Arthur Foss Archived 2005-10-29 at the Wayback Machine, Maritime Heritage Network. Retrieved 01 March 2008.
- ^ a b "ARTHUR FOSS (Tugboat)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b James P. Delgado (July 9, 1988), National Register of Historic Places Registration: Arthur Foss, ex-Wallowa / Tugboat Arthur Foss, National Park Service and Accompanying five photos, exterior and interior, from 1988 (816 KB)
- ^ Landmarks Alphabetical Listing for T Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, Individual Landmarks, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "1933 Fishing Troller TWILIGHT". Northwest Seaport. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
- ^ Landmarks Alphabetical Listing for S Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, Individual Landmarks, City of Seattle. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ^ "Partner Vessels". Northwest Seaport. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
External links
- Official website
- Maritime Heritage Network, a directory of maritime history resources, attractions, and organizations in the Puget Sound area.
- Photos
- Slideshow of the Final Voyage of the Wawona
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. WA-230, "Fishing Troller Twilight, Northwest Seaport, 860 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, King County, WA", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page