Cthippo's shipwrecks and derelicts thread

[thudpucker]

I sure enjoyed looking at your photos. Up the river by the Pulp mills north of Everett there used to be a bunch of soggy ol' derelicts stuck in the mud.

[cthippo]

Originally Posted by thudpucker

I sure enjoyed looking at your photos. Up the river by the Pulp mills north of Everett there used to be a bunch of soggy ol' derelicts stuck in the mud.

They're still there

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/ope...den-35824.html

[masalai]

Too big to launch, and 'Awaiting the biblical flood' ???

[messman]

Here is one that is in Destin Florida

[cthippo]

Amazing how these things hide in plain sight, isn't is?

[messman]

There are a couple more in the area that I know about, I will have to see if I can get some time to go take their pictures.

[cthippo]

It's been too long since I took a vacation and so I took a day off work and headed to the coast.... to chase wrecks, of course!


Since I had some time, I decided to go after some of the bigger ones in southwest Washington and along the Columbia River. Most of these are things I heard about from the Dept of Natural Resources Derelict Vessels list, plus a couple I found just surfing around on Google Maps.

My first target was the Ghallager Cove derelict off of Totten inlet near Shelton. I wasn't able to get where I could see it from the shore, and due to time constraints didn't throw my kayak in the water, but I did talk to a guy at the quick-e-mart who said the state hauled it off years ago.

The next three targets were all in the Grays harbor area and included a small-ish pleasure boat, a wooden fishing boat, and an old dredge. Remarkably enough, all three were not only exactly where they were supposed to be, but also visible from the road. Some days it's just too easy. The dredge actually turned out to be the most interesting target of the entire trip. According to the records I've been able to find, she was purchased used by the port of Grays Harbor in 1923 and served until 1965. Currently, she's sitting in 5-10 feet of water with her superstructure visible but decks awash.

The next day, after a not-quite successful attempt at surfing, I set out in search of one of the more obscure wrecks on my list. Known only as the Deep River wreck she's located near the mouth of the Deep River just north of the Columbia. I initially heard about this wreck on the DNR list and later located it on Google Maps, but have been unable to find out anything else about it. Well, now I've been to it, and still don't know much. It's about 140' long, all steel construction, heeled over on her port side, and has no markings. If I had to guess, I would say it's a cut down tugboat hull, but for what purpose, I have no idea. This turned out to be the day of the weird boats.

Next up was an even stranger one. Steel hull, about 85' (200' and called the "Plainview" according to the DNR list), and a shape like nothing I've ever seen before. Unfortunately the weather was a bit, er, nautical, and my wetsuit was still soaked from the attempt at surfing, so I didn't launch the 'yak. She'll probably still be there next time I find myself near Astoria though. Speaking of Astoria, wandering around in the boatyard I found a beautiful old wooden sailboat hull which someone has transplanted the deckhouse from a tugboat onto. The final derelict of the day was the Sitkin Island, a large fishing boat abandoned in one of the sloughs off of Puget Island. For some reason, her pilothouse was no longer attached and turned up in some farmer's field.

The final day of the trip yielded two of the largest wrecks / derelicts in the state. First off was the barge "Pebbles", which, at 260 feet, is the largest vessel in the DNR list. She's in a slough right off of highway 4 and easily visible from the road. My best guess is that she was a self-unloading gravel barge at some point, but is now half sunk. The final derelict of the trip was a 400' ship I found on Google Earth tied up to the Oregon side of the Columbia behind lord Island. According to the satellite photos, she's been there since at least 2003, but I was unable to find anything else out before the trip. Fortunatly, her identity is painted on her side in 10 foot high letters. She's the former USS Washtanaw County, LST 1166. After being sold by the Navy in 1973 she was in service as a ro/ro for a Panamanian company, but was towed to the Columbia in 1980 after suffering a propulsion failure. After a couple of changes of ownership, she ended up owned by a museum group which plans to restore her, if they ever get the money. Since she's been in the slough she's been raided by metal thieves on several occasions and her future is in great doubt.

[thudpucker]

Whatta trip!
A person could write a good tale about most of those boats. Ending with the owner, obscured by time, in a Rocker, thinking about his life on the water.
Anytime you post more photos of the area, I'll take the time to look at them.

I got one from Lake Washington. Raised it and took quite a bit of the Hardware and Engine from it. Burned the rest of it though. It did not have 'character' like your photographic targets did.

[Petros]

thud raising an interesting point.

sometimes old run down buildings can tell stories, not not really like boats, even industrial work boats. The boats were designed around a mission or purpose, they move around a lot (sometimes to far off places), there were owners, crew and captains that depended their lives, efforts and livelihood to them, and they spent a lot of time living and working on them. Their cargo or missions can be varied or specialized, all of their operations were costly and done because someone thought it was a good idea. Boats usually have a limited useful life because of the harsh environment they work in, and must have hard working and hardy crew or they would be financially nonviable.

Each one of those boats were costly hand-built vessels, each one had a lot of people involved in the design, building, financing and operation. And each one of those people has a story to tell about those boats, and their relationship with the boat.

Even the most mundane of work boats have a certain amount of beauty to their function, and usually an interesting history to tell.

Just looking at these derelicts tells you these things, and leave a lot of mystery about their past, and how they came to rest where they did.

[BPL]

Yes what a trip! You have an eye.
The profile of 20120427-11 really catches my eye.

[whitepointer23]

terrific photo's. great thread cthippo.

[philSweet]

There's a "has anyone seen a weirder boat" thread that needs a bump. That sailboat/tugboat graft should be added. Stability calcs, anyone??

[BPL]

Weird enough I can't stop looking at it.

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by masalai

Too big to launch, and 'Awaiting the biblical flood' ???

That is for sale in Boatsales. I do not think it is a wreck
Link to ad

[cthippo]

Originally Posted by philSweet

There's a "has anyone seen a weirder boat" thread that needs a bump. That sailboat/tugboat graft should be added. Stability calcs, anyone??

I really wondered about that too. I kind of suspect it's never been in the water in it's current configuration. On the other hand, maybe the person who did the mods really knew what they were doing and it sails beautifully. I'd like the believe, but I doubt it. It was definitely "weird boat day" that day.

I's been suggested that I write a guide book on wrecks and derelicts you can visit. I'm thinking about it.