The Ship Report

What does it mean to decommission a ship?

Today we'll talk about the fate of decommissioned ships. We have one on the river now, the USNS Watkins, which arrived yesterday headed to Vancouver. She'll be decommissioned, or taken out of service, in July. We'll talk about what's next for her.

USNS Watkins, a Military Sealift Command ship, enters the river Monday

Note: I'm publishing this podcast a day early because this ship will be arriving in the river around 8:30am Monday, and that's before the show airs on KMUN. This ship is a US Military Sealift Command ship, designed to be a vehicle carrier, a type of ship referred to a as RO/RO - Roll on, Roll off. She can carry tanks and trucks for the military and also containers and other cargo. We'll talk about where she's headed on the river and what the options are for ships arriving here. Not all are here to handle cargo, even though most of them can.

Mariners keep working even in bad weather

Yesterday we had some squalls blow through our area, bringing with them heavy rain, wind and fog. While we on land were turning our wipers on high or clutching our coats a little tighter, or just staying in, mariners were working as usual - just another day at the "office."

Who's on the river today, a bit about arriving weather, and scrap metal on the Columbia and where it goes

Today we'll look at a variety of things: weather, ship traffic and cargo - specifically scrap metal which travels by ship and barge on the river.

Where exactly is the Columbia River Bar?

Most locals, if asked this question, could tell you that the Columbia River Bar is where the river meets the ocean. But if you look into the particulars, where the bar is exactly depends on who's describing it. The Columbia bar is unique among river bars. So among maritime professionals the exact parameters can vary. We'll talk about it today.

What does it mean when the weather is "blowing a gale"? A look at the Beaufort Wind Scale

Today in honor of our marine weather forecast, which suggests strongly that we could have gale force winds on the way, let's take another look at one of my favorites: the Beaufort Wind Scale.

Marine weather forecasts, explained (a little)

I got a listener question about marine weather forecasts and why they specify the number of miles offshore the forecast covers. We'll talk about that today.

History and Hops - a Ship Report talk in Seaside on Thursday

Tomorrow I'll be giving a talk at the Seaside Brewing Co. at 851 Broadway in Seaside at 6 pm. I'll be talking about a 10-day Pacific Northwest voyage at sea that I took in 2010 on a gypsum carrier sailing out of Rainier on the Columbia, up to Puget Sound and south to San Francisco. It was a pretty lifechanging event. I hope you can join me there.

As the days grow longer - a look at the equinox and what it means

Last Friday was the spring equinox, and it's evident that days are indeed getting longer. Today we'll take a look at how that all works and why the days get longer now and shorter later in the year. And when is the equinox anyway? Turns out it can change from year to year.

"Don't Let the Cat Out of the Bag" - a nautical talk about maritime lore and superstition

Today's show is all about an upcoming talk at Astoria's Columbia River Maritime Museum, featuring career mariner Jason "Boats" Linnett.

He'll be giving a talk at the museum on Friday, March 27th at 5:30 pm. The Museum is on Marine Drive on the waterfront at 17th Street.

Today we'll talk with Julia Triezenberg, who handles adult education for the museum, and lecturer Jason "Boats" Linnett, about his maritime career and the topic of maritime expressions and superstitions, which permeate modern language and culture.

This podcast is a longer version of the show that aired on KMUN radio this morning. Enjoy learning more about these interesting people and what they do.