Where exactly is the Columbia River Bar?

This “simple” listener question sent me down an interesting path of research and talking with experts. The answers show the wide influence the power of the river has in our lives.

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A look at ship running lights

We’ll take a look back in the Ship Report Archives today, and learn about ship running lights, those essential lights that ships have on at night.

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Mystery ship revealed as USNS oiler heads for Portland

So there was this ship in the ocean off Cannon Beach this week that had a lot of people wondering… and well, today – the mystery is solved. That ship came into the river and headed to the ship yard at Swan Island. We’ll talk more today about her, why she seemed a bit mysterious, and why sometimes things that may confuse us as the public may just be part of the regular work day for the maritime professionals here in our region.

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USNS Mercy heads out to sea after major shipyard refit in Portland

Cool ship alert: the USNS Mercy heads downriver this morning from the shipyard in Portland after a major upgrade that took months. She’s a US Navy hospital ship with 1,000 beds, 12 operating rooms, and lots of other services on board.

Image courtesy: Jim Bedient, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Out of place ship tells a story of skill in an emergency

There’s a ship anchored in an unusual place on the Columbia near Puget Island. Occasionally ships have problems that cause them to stop in places they normally would not. Luckily, we have an abundance of skilled mariners to solve problems and get things back to normal quickly.

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Recruitment changes could open up Coast Guard opportunities

Recruitment of their usual demographic in the Coast Guard is down: 18-year old high school grads are not choosing to sign up as much as they once did.

So the agency is making plans to open up recruitment to older people with work experience and education, and possibly part time opportunities as well.

It’s part of an effort to get the personnel they need for their mission, and also to diversify their workforce in a changing world.

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Tragedy at the beach

It was a weekend of rescues, missing kids, and a lost life at the beach. One more time, let’s talk about how the ocean is more powerful than any of us, and how it needs to be respected. And the ripple effect that beach tragegies have on the people involved, their rescuers and the personnel who conduct often fruitless recovery efforts. Not to mention anyone on the beach when a tradedy happens. The effect is profound and long lasting. And it’s so preventable.

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CL Lindy Q & A

I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the situation with the bulk carrier CL Lindy and her wind turbine blades being at the Port of Astoria for the past week. So I’ve looked over the questions and put together a Q&A show that I hope answers your questions.

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CL Lindy to depart Astoria today

If current projections hold, the CL Lindy will be on her way upriver by noon today. The ship has been at the Port of Astoria since last week, preparing to transfer six wind turbine blades to a barge for transport upriver to Longview. The ship herself will head to Longview today as well, if all goes well.

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CL Lindy may finally be on her way after cargo transfer

The story of the bulk carrier CL Lindy and her cargo of wind turbine blades may be reaching its logical conclusion today, unless plans change. We may see her finally transferring six of her blades to a barge for transport to Longview. It’s been a complex saga that’s kept the ship at the Port of Astoria since last week.

Today we’ll look at our ship schedule and where the CL Lindy fits into the mix.

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