Columbia (dredge)

Dredge Columbia in 1921
United States
Name	Columbia
Namesake	Columbia River
Owner	Port of Portland
Builder	Pacific Marine Iron Works
Launched	24 February 1921, Portland Oregon
Sponsored by	Port of Portland
Completed	15 April 1921
Fate	sold to the Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases
United States
Acquired	March 1921
Fate	sold to Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases
Empire of Japan
Acquired	seized by Japanese forces, 23 December 1941
Fate	destroyed by naval gunfire, 24 February 1942
General characteristics
Type	dredge
Tonnage	GRT
Length	326 ft 0 in (99.36 m) o/a [1]
Beam	44 ft 0 in (13.41 m) [1]
Draught	11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) [1]
Propulsion	steam

Columbia was a steel-hulled, dredge that served for the Port of Portland until 1941.

History

She was launched on 24 February 1921. ^[2] She was completed on 15 April 1921. ^[2] She replaced a wooden-hulled dredge of the same name (built 1902) whose equipment was used for the new ship. ^[2] In March 1941, she was purchased by Contractors Pacific Naval Air Bases and leased to the U.S. Government for service on Wake Island. ^[3] After the Battle of Wake Island ended on 23 December 1941, she was seized by the Japanese and continued with her work to dig a channel to the lagoon. On 24 February 1942, she was destroyed by naval gunfire from the cruisers Northampton (  United States Navy) and Salt Lake City (  United States Navy) during a U.S. carrier raid. ^[4] In December 1945, the repair and salvage ship USS Shackle arrived to refloat and tow the hulk back to Pearl Harbor. ^[5]

References

1. Urwin, Gregory J. W. (1 December 1997). Facing Fearful Odds: The Seige of Wake Island. University of Nebraska Press. pp. 87–89. ISBN   978-0803245556.
2. "The Pacific Marine Iron Works, Portland, launched a new steel hull for the Port of Portland dredge Columbia February 24". Pacific Marine Review . April 1921. p. 247.
3. "Port Dredge prepares for Mid-Pacific Tow". The Oregonian . 31 March 1941 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Spennemann, Dirk HR. "To Hell and Back: Wake During and After World War II". marshall.csu.edu.au. The dredging of the channel continued under Japanese supervision using the U.S. civilian prisoners of war. It finally came to a halt when the dredge Columbia was hit in Wake lagoon by naval gunfire from the cruisers U.S.S. Northampton and U.S.S. Salt Lake City during the U.S. carrier raid of 24 February 1942
5. Distribution of CinCPac & POA Serial 0395 of 11 February 1946 (Subject: Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan.). Department of the Navy. 11 February 1946. p. 187. Early in December, SHACKLE (ARS) arrived at Wake to salvage the dredge COLUMBIA, which had been at Wake at the start of the war and had been captured there by the Japanese...