Columbia River Gorge News

The two newest inland river towboats in Tidewater Transportation and Terminals’ fleet, Granite Point and Ryan Point, were christened during a late afternoon ceremony Saturday, June 11 at Vancouver Landing in Vancouver, Wash. After Deacon Tim Dooley from Portland’s Holy Family Parish delivered a blessing, Patty Reed, wife of Bruce Reed, Tidewater’s Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, and Diane Laya, wife of Marc Schwartz, Tidewater’s Maintenance and Engineering Manager…

Tidewater Transportation and Terminals, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, has taken delivery of Crown Point, a new custom-built towboat commissioned at Portland’s Vigor Industrial. Crown Point is the first of a series of three towboats being built at Vigor for Tidewater, and will join the company’s current fleet of 16 vessels and 160 barges. Marc Schwartz, Maintenance & Engineering Manager at Tidewater, expressed, “The launching of the Crown Point, and the forthcoming Granite Point and Ryan Point vessels, marks an important step for Tidewater.

American West Steamboat Company is adding a third vessel, the Columbia Queen, to its fleet of luxury overnight small cruise ships that will operate on the Columbia, Willamette and Snake Rivers. In a recent auction held by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), American West Steamboat Company won the bid for the Columbia Queen, formerly owned by American Classic Voyages’ Delta Queen Steamboat Company. MARAD took possession of the Columbia Queen after American Classic Voyages filed bankruptcy in 2002. Pending the close of the sale, American West Steamboat Company will take possession of the Columbia Queen around mid-July at which time she will undergo some refurbishment before her first cruise on the Columbia River in the spring of 2003.

Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island and Seattle-based American West Steamboat Company, owned by Henry Hillman, Jr., CEO of Oregon Rail Corp., have launched the newly constructed overnight sternwheeler cruise ship Empress of the North. Beginning at 5:00am on Monday, June 16, 2003, the 360-foot sternwheeler was transferred on a specially designed rail system into Holmes Harbor, where it launched at high tide at approximately 8:45pm. With the launch open to the public, an estimated 5,000 people showed up for the event. Designed by Seattle naval architects, Guido Perla & Associates, construction of the Empress of the North began at Nichols Brothers’ shipyard in April, 2002.

Oregon State Parks & Recreation recently took delivery of this Packman 27 ft. high-performance landing craft designed and built by the William E. Munson Company. Used for maintaining Government Island State Park in the Columbia River Gorge, power is supplied by a 310 hp Mercruiser 454/Brovo II inboard/outboard providing a 40 knot top speed and 25 knot cruise. A 5,000 lb. load capacity and six ft. wide bow door with 12V winch allow the vessel to pack several ATVs, crew members and construction materials to isolated State Park work sites. Additional outfitting includes a six by six enclosed wheelhouse with cabin heater, tow post, bow anchor roller, swim step, 15 hp auxiliary outboard motor and bow shark's teeth for pushing, floating debris.