The Ship Report

The Mercy arrives Thursday morning

Note: I’m posting this the night before (Wednesday evening even though it’s Thursday’s podcast), so that early birds can have the info about seeing the Mercy pass by on the river Thursday morning.

Well, our much anticipated ship, the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, will cross the Columbia River Bar into the river early Thursday morning around 6 am, passing Astoria inbound around 7:30 am. She’s headed to the shipyard in Portland for maintenance and repairs.

Look for her at upriver locations as she travels. by using marinetraffic or vesselfinder to track her progress.

A look at the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, arriving in the river Thursday morning

A look at the USNS Mercy, the US Navy hospital ship that is arriving on the Columbia early Thursday morning. She's headed for the Swan Island shipyard in Portland for maintenance and repairs.

How ships make their way in the dark

Today I'll answer a listener question about why ships seem to have so few lights on, on the exterior of the ship, when they are traveling at night.

There are two main reasons: preserving night vision for the crew on the bridge so they can see what's out there, as much as possible, in diminished visibility.

Also, ships have designated, legally mandated running lights in a specific configuration that allows other vessels to know what they are looking at when they see it coming.

Even with all the modern tech on board (GPS, ECDIS, radar, etc.) these simple, time-tested tools for ship navigation remain vital.

A look at weather and ships, as we shoulder another atmospheric river

A few basics about what happens at sea and on the river when the weather gets problematic for vessels. There can be delays - and when ships finally move again can depend on a complex mix of factors related to weather, sea state and tides.

How do ships choose what speed to travel in the river?

This may seem like an obvious question (they slow down), but the answer is actually quite complex. Today we'll talk about ship speed in enclosed environments, about things like current and tides, and about some more obscure aspects of the physics of water that heavily affect ships in rivers.

Cold front could bring low land snow, gales

We're looking at an unusual cold weather event through today, with cold air coming down from Alaska. That could bring inland snow, and maybe some light snow/flurries to the coast.

The marine weather forecast includes the potential for gale force winds.

Overall it will be a wet week - a good thing for mitigating drought and fire risk later in the year.

Honoring Coast Guard rescue swimmer Tyler Jaggers

In a tragic follow up to last Thursday's show, we'll talk about the passing of Tyler Jaggers, the US Coast Guard rescue swimmer who was gravely injured in a accident in Late February. The incident happened while Jaggers and his fellow helicopter crew members were attempting to rescue a stroke victim from a bulk carrier that was operating off the coast of Washington state. He passed away late last week.

We honor him and all service members of the US Coast Guard, who take serious risks on behalf of the public to do their jobs.

US Coast Guard rescue swimmer seriously injured in offshore accident

A US Coast Guard rescue swimmer was seriously injured in an accident during the course of a rescue mission last Friday.

As of earlier this week, he was on life support in a British Columbia hospital.

We'll talk about the important role rescue swimmers and all Coast Guard personnel play in keeping us safe in challenging conditions.

How winds spin in weather systems

I learned something interesting the other day - that winds spin differently in different kinds of weather systems. It has to do with the Coriolis Effect and air pressure.

An interesting look at "how things work" in weather.

A look at what makes an outbound ship seem different

Today we'll look at the ship schedule and talk about why outbound ships can look so different you might think it's another kind of vessel altogether.

Also, a look at tides and the moon - and a lunar eclipse.