The Ship Report

A look at ships and cargo on the river today A look at ships and their cargo on the river today.

It's fall cruise ship season in Astoria Today we'll see the first of five cruise ships that will visit Astoria over the next couple of months.

An overview of ships and cargo Today, a quick overview of what comes and goes on the river here, in terms of ships and cargo.

An icebreaker joins the USCG Alaska fleet The US Coast Guard has purchased the Aiviq, a commercial icebreaker previously used to support Arctic oil production operations. She'll become a medium icebreaker for the USCG and will be berthed in Juneau. The Aiviq will be ready for Coast Guard service in about two years. Transcript here:  http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript082024.pdf

Autumn is in the air, and with it, thoughts of the Beaufort Wind Scale With some tempestuous weather happening the past few days, and that feeling in the air, we all know that fall is not far away even though it's still summer. Seems like a good time to revisit the Beaufort Wind Scale, a reference table dating back to the 1700s that is still in use today. It allows mariners and land dwellers t...

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership receives EPA grant for local projects Today we'll talk about a large grant that the EPA just awarded to a local environmental group, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, funding the group's work to enhance communities and address watershed needs in our region posed by issues like sea level rise and other challenges. The grant is part of a massive fundi...

A military vessel named Bob Hope with an interesting history Today, an unusual vessel arrives on the Columbia: the Bob Hope, a military car carrier. We'll talk about her interesting history and the military agencies that have used and continue to use her services. One of the many military ships we see often on the river.

A look at car carriers Today we take a look at an often-seen, odd-looking and highly effective vessel here on the Columbia: the amazing car carrier, whose purpose is to carry vehicles. Without them, most of us would not have a car to drive. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/SRTranscript081424.pdf

Being a Good Samaritan is the law on the water, but also a matter of reality and tradition Today we'll talk about why mariners must, by law, help one another if someone is in trouble on the water. It's also a time honored tradition, not to mention a recognition of the reality that all mariners are equally vulnerable when things go wrong at sea. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfsho...

Upriver vessel handling on the Columbia Often we focus here, on the Ship Report, on the portion of the river between Astoria and the ocean, where things are quite dramatic and treacherous on a regular basis. But the upriver portion of the river is formidable as well. Today we'll talk about the heavy currents and winds that are among the factors that make inland transits also challenging. Show...

What Water Holds, by Tele Aadsen Today's the final segment of my interview with author and Fisher Poet Tele Aadsen.

What Water Holds, a book by Fisher Poet Tele Aadsen This week we continue hearing excerpts from my interview with Fisher Poet Tele Aadsen, about her book, What Water Holds.

More from the archives: commercial fishing and "What Water Holds" More from the archives this week from my interview with author and fisher poet Tele Aadsen, about her life in commercial fishing and her book, What Water Holds.

More from fisher poet and author Tele Aadsen: What Water Holds We're hearing exceprts this week from a 2023 interview I did with fisher poet and author Tele Aadsen, about her new book: What Water Holds, a memoir about her life in the world of commercial salmon troller fishing.

A gem from the Ship Report Archives: a talk with author and fisher poet Tele Aadsen This week we'll look back at the Ship Report archives, from an interview I did about year ago with fisher poet and author Tele Aadsen. Today she reads an excerpt from the her book, What Water Holds, a memoir about life in the world of commercial salmon troller fishing.

Fouled anchor off Astoria A ship in the Astoria Anchorage this week experienced a fouled anchor: that's when the anchor chain is wrapped around the anchor. This created a situation the ship could not handle alone and so they obtained the services of a barge with a crane to help untangle things.  This incident offers a great segue into anchors and anchor chains and how they work to keep these g...

Buoy 10 Fishery opens today on the lower Columbia Today is the opening day of the Buoy 10 salmon fishery on the lower Columbia River near Astoria, Warrenton and Hammond. You'll see lots of people in small boats fishing enthusiastically during this famous fishery period that happens every summer around this time. The weather will be splendid and the fishing good. It's important to remember...

Who's on the river today? Today a look at wthat ships are traveling on the river today and a bit about them. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript073124.pdf

A review of ship fog signals We've had some foggy conditions on the lower river this week, and so this is a good time to review ship fog horn protocols. Those wonderful, sonorous ship horn sounds you hear in the fog are a lovely feature of coastal life. They're also required by law and very important: they help ships communicate their locations when visibility is poor. Show transcript here...

USNS Mercy hospital ship heads downriver today We have an interesting vessel alert for shipwatchers today: the US Navy hopital ship the USNS Mercy heads downriver and out to sea this morning from the shipyard at Swan Island, after four months of repairs and maintenance. Show transcript: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript072924.pdf

Part 8 - CG41332 - more on Coast Guard training In this final segment of my lengthy interview with author John Kopp about his book, CG41332, we talk more about USCG training. The book, published in 2023, tells the story of a Coast Guard training tragedy that happened on the Columbia River Bar in 1977, and the changes that happened in the agency as result of the accident, which claimed three lives....

Part 7 - CG41332 - More on what changed after this tragedy Today, in Part 7 of an extended interview series, we hear more from author John Kopp about this book, CG41332, all about a Coast Guard accident that happened on the Columbia River Bar in 1977, and how it changed Coast Guard operations. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript072524.pdf

Part 6: what changed in the USCG after CG41332? Today is Part 6 of my interview with John Kopp, author of the book CG41332, all about a Coast Guard tragedy on the Columbia River Bar in 1977. Three student trainees lost their lives in an overturned utility boat. Today we'll learn about the extensive changes to Coast Guard protocol that occurred as a result of this tragic accident. Show transcri...

Part 5 - a close look at what happened aboard CG41332 Today we take a close look at the heart of this story: what happened aboard CG41332 in the harrowing time between when the boat flipped and when the boat was spotted by accident from the air by a fisheries agent, to the efforts to rescue the people on board. Show transcript here: http://shipreport.nfshost.com/audio/SRTranscript072324.pdf

CG41332, Part 4, how Kopp gathered the info he needed We're hearing an extended interview series, a chat with author John Kopp about his book, released in 2023, called CG41332, all about a little known Coast Guard tragedy that happened on the Columbia River Bar in 1977, in which three student crewmen died. Kopp did extensive analysis of offical accounts about the incident. In the process of ga...