Portland (1947 tugboat) facts for kids
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|} The Portland is a special kind of steamboat called a sternwheel tugboat. It was built in 1947 for the Port of Portland in Oregon, United States.
Today, the Portland is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now home to the Oregon Maritime Museum. The boat is docked on the Willamette River in downtown Portland. You can find it near Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
Contents
- The Portland's Journey: A Look at Its History
- Discovering the Oregon Maritime Museum
- Exciting Moments: Portland's Notable Events
- 1952 Steamboat Race: A Friendly Competition
- 1952: Freeing the S.G. Follis
- 1957: Portland Saves the Hawthorne Bridge
- 2008: An Unexpected Grounding
- 2012: A Small Collision
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States |
|
| Name | Portland |
| Owner | Oregon Maritime Museum |
| Port of registry |  United States |
| Builder | Northwest Marine Iron Works of Portland, Oregon |
| Cost | $472,000 ($6.19 million in today's dollars) |
| Launched | May 24, 1947 |
| In service | August 29, 1947 |
| Out of service | 1981 |
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Shallow draft inland tug |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length | 219 ft (67 m) |
| Beam | 42.1 ft (12.8 m) |
| Draft | 5.5 ft (1.7 m) |
| Installed power | 2 × one-cylinder, 900 hp (670 kW) steam engines |
| Propulsion | 25 ft (7.6 m) diameter, 26 ft (7.9 m) wide stern paddlewheel |
| Crew | two 7-man shifts and 1 cook |
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Portland (steam tug)
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Portland preparing to dock
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|
 Location in Portland, Oregon
|
|
| Location | Portland, Oregon, berthed on the Willamette River at the foot of SW Pine Street |
| Built | 1947 |
| Built by | Northwest Marine Iron Works |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000847 |
| Added to NRHP | August 14, 1997 |
The Portland's Journey: A Look at Its History
The Portland was built in 1947. It started working for the Port of Portland on August 29 of that year. It worked as a tugboat, helping other ships. It was operated by companies like Willamette Tug & Barge and Shaver Transportation.
The Portland stopped working in 1981. By then, the Port of Portland was serving very large oil tankers from Alaska. These ships were too big for the Portland to help. Also, many new container ships had special bow thrusters. These devices helped ships move sideways, so they didn't need as much help from tugboats.
When the Portland was built, steam paddlewheels were becoming old-fashioned. Newer boats used diesel engines and propellers. However, the Columbia River Pilots Association asked for the Portland to be built with traditional steam power.
Because of this, the Portland was the very last steam-powered, sternwheel tugboat built in the United States. It was also the last one still working in the U.S. when it retired in 1981. This is why it's on the National Register of Historic Places. It's seen as a great example of its type of boat.
The Portland was built to replace an older boat that had the same name, built in 1919. Unlike the older boat, this Portland has a strong steel hull. Its upper part, called the superstructure, is made of wood.
Discovering the Oregon Maritime Museum
In 1991, about ten years after the Portland stopped working, it was given to the Oregon Maritime Museum for just $1. The museum wanted to turn it into a floating museum. People were very interested in the project and donated a lot of money.
About $700,000 in donations helped restore the Portland. It was fixed up so well that it could actually sail again! The restoration was finished in 1993. The ship even took passengers on trips sometimes.
However, in 2001, the Coast Guard inspected the ship. They stopped passenger trips until the Portland could pass a new inspection. The museum then raised another $480,000. Volunteers also put in over a million dollars worth of work over seven years. Finally, in 2008, the ship was cleared to carry passengers again.
In 1994, the Portland moved to its current spot. It's now at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland. You can usually visit it for tours most days. In 2002, the museum's exhibits were moved onto the ship. Now, they are part of the tour for visitors.
Exciting Moments: Portland's Notable Events
1952 Steamboat Race: A Friendly Competition
On January 24, 1952, the Portland had a race against an older sternwheel tug called the Henderson. This race was set up to promote a new movie called Bend of the River, starring Jimmy Stewart. The movie stars were even riding on the Henderson! The Henderson won the race by a short distance.
1952: Freeing the S.G. Follis
A large ship called the S.G. Follis was coming into Portland. It got stuck firmly in the sand near the Sauvie Island dike. Other tugboats tried to pull it free, but they couldn't. The Portland attached lines to the S.G. Follis. Then, the powerful wash from the Portland's paddle wheel, spinning in reverse, started to loosen the sand. This allowed the Portland to pull the big ship free.
1957: Portland Saves the Hawthorne Bridge
On April 14, 1957, two ships that were going to be scrapped broke free from their docks. They crashed into the Hawthorne Bridge. Two of the strongest diesel tugs available tried to help. But they could only slightly reduce the stress on the bridge. The Portland was able to free the ships and tow them to a safe place. It did this before the bridge could break from the strain. The Columbia River Pilots Association saw this event as proof that they were right to insist on the Portland being a steam-powered sternwheeler.
2008: An Unexpected Grounding
In 2008, the Portland was going to be in the first steamboat race on the Columbia River in over 50 years. It was going to race against another sternwheeler, the Columbia Gorge. This was part of the Sternwheeler Days Festival in Cascade Locks, Oregon. However, the Portland's steering got stuck. It ran into the riverbank, damaging its paddlewheel. Without power or steering, it started to drift towards the Bonneville Dam. Luckily, another tugboat quickly attached a line and towed it to safety. An investigation found a problem with a steering gear that had been improperly fixed years earlier. Since then, the Portland and Columbia Gorge have raced at least three more times, with the Portland winning two of those races.
2012: A Small Collision
As the Portland was docking for a festival in St. Helens, it accidentally backed into another ship. This ship was the tall ship Royaliste, which belonged to the Portland Pirate Festival. No one was hurt, but the Royaliste was significantly damaged. An investigation into the incident was ongoing in July 2012.
See also
