Lightship Columbia temporarily moved after struggles in severe weather

Jan. 18—The Lightship Columbia, the Columbia River Maritime Museum's largest exhibit, has been temporarily moved off its mooring at the 17th Street Dock after severe weather led to damage to its gangway.

Toward the end of December, as strong winds and high tides hit the North Coast, the museum said that spuds — steel shafts that hold the vessel in place — were driven down by the movement of the ship, eventually causing the vessel's stern to float off its spud. Wind and tides pushed the stern away from the pier, forcing the gangway to separate from the shoreside tower.

WCT Marine & Construction assisted with adding mooring lines to the shore and additional lines to the pier. But as strong winds persisted, the bow also floated off its spud, the museum said.

Because lines were attached to the pier, the vessel was never in danger of drifting away, Bruce Jones, the deputy director for the museum, said in an email.

After difficult weather conditions subsided, WCT Marine returned to the museum with a crane barge, removing the gangway components and spuds from the river. The Lightship Columbia was towed to Tongue Point, where it will stay while the mooring system and gangway is rebuilt and revamped.

The incident came after some recent improvement work to the vessel's setup.

"One of the goals of our recent restoration was to make a more manageable mooring and gangway system for Columbia," Jones said in an email.

Because weather and severe tide ranges often led to closures of the exhibit and difficult conditions for employees, Jones said, the museum decided to implement spuds to moor the ship rather than rely on lines. The gangway had also been extended to ensure safer access.

Since the vessel returned from dry dock in Portland last year, the system had been working well, Jones said. But in light of the recent circumstances, the museum will make upgrades in an effort to prevent the incident from recurring.

The spuds and gangway will be lengthened, the vessel will be ballasted down to sit lower in the water and permanent mooring lines will be added as an additional backup.

"I would note that the high level of exposure to weather — wind, waves and current — at this location is one of the reasons that the Coast Guard has chosen to homeport the new (fast response cutters) at Tongue Point rather than at the 17th (Street Dock)," Jones said. "So extra precautions are certainly called for. We believe that with the planned modifications, the (vessel) will be secure and our visitors and staff safe for decades to come."

Jones said the museum is hoping to return the vessel to the 17th Street Dock by late February.

Jones also noted that the museum endured riverbank damage from the winds and had to close for several days due to power outages.