A look at today’s complement of ships, including one that may eventually be carrying a mineral substance used for, among other things, kitty litter.

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Today, I thought we could do an overview of anchorages on the river.  We see ships in anchorages up and down the river corridor. Why do ships stop there? What happens on board ships in the anchorage? Can ships just anchor anywhere? Why do some this anchor and others don’t?

We’ll talk about all this and more in today’s show.

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An unusual vessel arrives in the river today: The USNS Washington Chambers. She’s a cargo ship that is a member of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command fleet, and she’s headed for the shipyard at Swan Island. She’s been involved in some unique military exercises at sea recently – we’ll talk about that too.

And a correction to Tuesday’s podcast about the disabled ship that was towed to Rainier after losing power downriver from the Astoria Megler Bridge: that incident happened on Christmas Eve, and the ship was towed upriver on Christmas Day. Apologies for the error; I’ve corrected the podcast.

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Today we’ll talk about a happy fact: the days are getting longer! Since we passed the winter solstice in December, we’ve been adding a little daylight daily in small increments. Soon it will add up to wonderfully longer days, and eventually summer once again.

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On Christmas Day, some lower Columbia land dwellers saw a ship and two tugs slowly making its way upriver to Rainier, where it remains anchored. The ship experienced engine failure on its way downriver, and had to turn around and retrace its path.

The complex backstory around this incident, which might have seemed to a bystander like a relatively simple maneuver, shows the incredible expertise at play in our local maritime industry, which saw numerous professionals working during the Christmas holiday, meeting difficult challenges.

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We’ve got a calm weather outlook for the week, and ships coming and going.

We’ll see who’s here and where they’re from, and what kinds of cargoes they’re handling.

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It’s that time of year again, when Astoria is usually quite fortunate to hear ship horns on the waterfront at midnight. It’s different every year, depending on who’s in the anchorage and who chooses to participate.

Thanks to the kind ship captains who agreed to sound their horns for us this year. Enjoy these sounds of the New Year’s night and our town, ringing in the new.

Happy New Year!

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Today we’ll talk about the just-in-time rescue of a sailor from a sailboat in flames, over 400 miles offshore, by a cargo ship – carrying a cargo of orange juice. So a bit about rescues at sea, and the specialized ships that carry our juice.

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A look at today’s ship traffic, and what to expect from the weather. Might want to get out the raingear later in the week.

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Today, a medley of things to talk about: a new, locally built military vessel on the Columbia; that scary tsunami warning yesterday and what it reminds us to consider.

And, Ilwaco’s Crabpot Christmas Tree lighting is coming around again, happening this Saturday at the Port.

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