Cape disappointment

[beerrun]

Well only a few on here may appreciate this but here it goes. I got to visit my first duty station out of bootcamp in 1984. The place for being a military base is in disrepair at best the CG housing is condemned the boats they can barely keep running taking parts from one boat to keep the other running its very said but I was allowed on the base and once on was free to go wherever I wanted. The thing I wanted to see the most was the 52 motor life boats there are only 4 in the CG they were built between 58 and 61. The triumph was my boat been to Portland or and Victoria BC on her she is 52314 triumph II the first triumph sank taking all with her she was a wooden hull the new boat is steel and is the (at my time 84/86) the largest boat to rollover and continue her mission. After 60 plus years in service the CG deemed the 52s unsafe and pulled them. I got to see them today for probably the last time before they go away. Sorry I know my writing is horrible but please enjoy a few pictures from one of the most famous coast guard units in the world.

 

[beerrun]

 

[beerrun]

Mine and Mrs beerruns first place 200.00 a month 3 blocks off the beach they all said we were crazy to pay that kind of rent

 

[beerrun]

My friend tom still lives there he was the captain of the volunteer fire department i was 18 he would take me drinking every week with our fire department money. He would tell me sit at the bar and don't say anything the bartender would look at me look at tom and serive me

 

[beerrun]

So back to the 52 she could tow a hundred tons without breaking a sweat she was slow but a beast. The new (over 20yrs old) 47s are fast but have no real towing capability it takes two 47s to tow a large fishing boat. The 47s they can't get parts for same with the Jayhawk helo they are at the end of life

 

[monkeyswrench]

That place is the stuff of legends. Anyone who even briefly thought of trying to be Coast Guard, had heard stories.

 

[beerrun]

By the way the Columbia River would make Haulover its bitch

 

[beerrun]

This is the new Ilwaco fire department where I was a volunteer. The old one burned down. I have a theory about that but not for the internet

 

[beerrun]

 

[Tank]

Bad ass! Thanks for the pics and write up. Dig that shit.

 

[beerrun]

I think this is all I have thank you for letting me share

 

[beerrun]

One more the mouth of the Columbia River is about 6 miles wide also known as the graveyard of the pacific

 

[monkeyswrench]

One more the mouth of the Columbia River is about 6 miles wide also known as the graveyard of the pacific View attachment 1440912 View attachment 1440913

One of the car guys out here, Dave Robinson, had a NAPA store up near the Dalles, and a large, commercial fishing boat out west. He'd commissioned the build. I think he said it was one of the biggest fiberglass types? He sold it when he retired here, maybe 10-11 years back. He was heartbroken to hear it sank the next year, at the mouth of the Columbia. The only good thing, no loss of life.

 

[Desert Whaler]

Awesome . . . thanks for the share.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

One more the mouth of the Columbia River is about 6 miles wide also known as the graveyard of the pacific View attachment 1440912 View attachment 1440913

What makes the Columbia the graveyard of the pacific? The volume of water coming out to sea cause Haulover like effects?

 

[beerrun]

What makes the Columbia the graveyard of the pacific? The volume of water coming out to sea cause Haulover like effects?

The number of sunken ships and lives lost

 

[T frog]

Very cool! Thanks for the pics, that place sounds spooky..

 

[BabyRay]

The number of sunken ships and lives lost

I don’t know much about it, but isn’t there a bar at the mouth that creates rough conditions?

 

[OCMerrill]

Enjoyed learning about this. Pics are just awesome!

My Ocean Boat partner's sons are both in the Coast Guard. One is a C130 mechanic in North Carolina and the other a Medic in Hawaii.

 

[17 10 Flat]

Great history, it's cool they let you on the base.

 

[RichL]

For all the work the USCG does every day it's a shame they can't get more/better funding to keep the equipment updated and in better shape.

 

[beerrun]

I don’t know much about it, but isn’t there a bar at the mouth that creates rough conditions?

Yes the sand builds up at the mouth of the river .they have a ship that dredges 24/7 365

 

[Luvnlife]

Very cool.

 

[caribbean20]

The old one burned down.

Hold on, did you say the FIRE DEPARTMENT structure burned down

 

[beerrun]

Hold on, did you say the FIRE DEPARTMENT structure burned down

Yes they had an electrical fire and it burned to the ground with all trucks inside. Its a volunteer fire station so the big air raid siren goes off and in my case we had a pagger that went off at the same time and it would tell you ilwaco fire or ilwaco aid and you would respond or it could go off and say long Beach fire or aid and that was not us so no response from us

 

[BoatCop]

The 52's were the only boats, of that era, I didn't get a chance to operate. 30's, 31's, 32's, 36' 40's, 41's, 44's, even a 45' (buoy boat), and a slew of non-standard boats. I would have liked to have gone to NMLBS but, as an MK, while I could qualify as Coxswain, the advanced stuff wasn't open to me. I did get some heavy weather stick time off Ocean Beach on the 44' out of Station San Fran. By the time the 47's came out in 1997, I had already advanced out of Boat Crew duties.

 

[stephenkatsea]

The USCG of the northern latitudes is amazing and seem to be a cut above. And that goes all the way to their radio operators. You’re just not going to hear, ‘Interrogative your position?’, and other BS like that on the radio. They are professional, to the point and helpful. But, that also describes their entire operation.

 

[lbhsbz]

Hold on, did you say the FIRE DEPARTMENT structure burned down

When I lived in Mammoth Lakes many moons ago, the Fire Marshall lived about 4 doors down in our Mobile Home Park.....he was the guy that would preach at all the HOA meetings to dig out your gas meter so it could vent. His shit burned down, cause of the fire was said to be failure to dig out the gas meter lol.

It happens.

 

[n2otoofast4u]

We run out of Ilwaco during the tuna season. Crossing the bar is typically 2 conditions. (1) shitty or (2) really shitty!

You do get days where it’s darn flat, and we cherish those days!

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

When I lived in Mammoth Lakes many moons ago, the Fire Marshall lived about 4 doors down in our Mobile Home Park.....he was the guy that would preach at all the HOA meetings to dig out your gas meter so it could vent. His shit burned down, cause of the fire was said to be failure to dig out the gas meter lol.

It happens.

I had never heard of the gas meter needing to vent until we had snowmaggedon last year and then people started saying it on social media to dig out your gas meter or your house could explode. So I did it. But I had never done it previously no matter how much it snowed.

 

[beerrun]

We run out of Ilwaco during the tuna season. Crossing the bar is typically 2 conditions. (1) shitty or (2) really shitty!

You do get days where it’s darn flat, and we cherish those days!

How far out do you go for tuna? Do you live in Astoria?

 

[n2otoofast4u]

How far out do you go for tuna? Do you live in Astoria?

I live just East of Vancouver WA.

My fishing buddy moores the boat in Ilwaco through the spring, summer, then into the fall. He actually pulled it for the winter last weekend.

Typically tuna are 20-40 out, we chased as far as 65 last year, but that makes for a LONGGGGG day!

Ironically on the 65 day last year, we fished all day, put 40 something tuna in the boat and knew it was going to be a long haul home. I curled up in the back in a bean bag and fell asleep. I wake up hours later, looking around and confused as hell. He was just coming off plane at the coast guard shack headed into Ilwaco harbor. The bar was apparently calm enough I never even woke up.

 

[Hava-Schiada]

Well only a few on here may appreciate this but here it goes. I got to visit my first duty station out of bootcamp in 1984. The place for being a military base is in disrepair at best the CG housing is condemned the boats they can barely keep running taking parts from one boat to keep the other running its very said but I was allowed on the base and once on was free to go wherever I wanted. The thing I wanted to see the most was the 52 motor life boats there are only 4 in the CG they were built between 58 and 61. The triumph was my boat been to Portland or and Victoria BC on her she is 52314 triumph II the first triumph sank taking all with her she was a wooden hull the new boat is steel and is the (at my time 84/86) the largest boat to rollover and continue her mission. After 60 plus years in service the CG deemed the 52s unsafe and pulled them. I got to see them today for probably the last time before they go away. Sorry I know my writing is horrible but please enjoy a few pictures from one of the most famous coast guard units in the world. View attachment 1440884 View attachment 1440885 View attachment 1440886 View attachment 1440887 View attachment 1440888

Awesome! Thank you for your service!

 

[beerrun]

60 minutes is doing a story on Cape Disappointment tonight

 

[RichL]

60 minutes is doing a story on Cape Disappointment tonight

Just watched it.

 

[beerrun]

Just watched it.

Was it good? I'm sure its on the school and not the station

 

[RichL]

Was it good? I'm sure its on the school and not the station

It was about the training of the Surfmen. I liked/appreciated it.

 

[beerrun]

It was about the training of the Surfmen. I liked/appreciated it.

Yes the school

 

[beerrun]

When they showed the 3 coxins the BM1 on the left BM1 Samuelson is the guy that took me around the base and spent all the time I wanted talking to me while still dealing with the ready boat out on a SAR case