"The Graveyard of the Pacific"

The Columbia River Bar is the portion of the Columbia River where the current dissipates into the Pacific Ocean, often as large, standing waves partially caused by the deposition of sediment as the river slows. These standing waves are usually mixed with ocean waves and wreak havoc with small (and not so small) vessels. To add to the treachery, conditions can change from calm and serene to life threatening breaking waves in as little as five minutes due to tide, wind direction and ocean swell direction. Since 1792 approximately 2,000 large ships have sunk in and around the Columbia River Bar. The nearby U.S. Coast Guard station at Cape Disappointment is renowned for operating in some of the roughest sea conditions in the world and is also home to the National Motor Lifeboat School. It is the only school for rough weather and surf rescue operation in the United States and is respected internationally as a center of excellence for heavy boat operations [1] Jump to: navigation, search Columbia River Gorge, Washington or North side The Columbia River is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... Canadian Coast Guard ship and helicopter A coast guard is an organization devoted to saving the lives of shipwrecked mariners or people in danger at sea. ... Cape Disappointment can refer to: Cape Disappointment (South Georgia) Cape Disappointment (South Orkney Islands) Cape Disappointment (Antarctica) This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

The Columbia River Bar pilots consider “the bar,” the area between the North and South Jetties and Sand Island. Jump to: navigation, search Signal flag H(hotel) - Pilot on Board A bar pilot guides ships over the dangerous sandbars at the mouth of rivers and bays. ... Alternate meanings: See Jetty (web server) Alternate meanings: See Jettying in buildings The term jetty, derived from the French jetie, and therefor signifying something thrown out, is applied to a variety of structures employed in river, dock and maritime works which are generally carried out in pairs from river banks...

As a practical tip, small craft are advised to cross the bar during times of incoming flood tide, staying toward the outside of the navigational channel to avoid the frequent large ships which move at 20 to 30 knots.

View from the South Jetty at low tide

Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Southjetty. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Southjetty. ...

Viewing

The most accessible place to watch ships cross the bar and feel the salty spray in your face is at the South Jetty viewing platform at Fort Stevens State Park located in Warrenton, Oregon. For a more dramatic view hike the steep .75 mile trail to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse at the Cape Disappointment State Park located in Ilwaco, Washington. Jump to: navigation, search Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Columbia River, commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition. ... Jump to: navigation, search Warrenton is a city located in Clatsop County, Oregon. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Peggys Point lighthouse in Nova Scotia, Canada An aid for navigation and pilotage at sea, a lighthouse is a tower building or framework sending out light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire. ... Ilwaco is a city located in Pacific County, Washington. ...