The last of the operating steam-powered stern-wheel tugboats in the United States, the Portland, is docked on Oregon’s Willamette River in downtown Portland, ready to receive visitors. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1997, she was the final one of her type to be constructed in the country. As soon as Northwest Marine Iron Works delivered her in 1947, the Port of Portland put the tug straight to work. Oceangoing vessels needed to be moved through the city’s narrow bridge spans, a task for which the rugged Portland was prepared thanks to her stern wheel and impressive propulsion power. She served until 1981, assisted ships docking, turning, and passing. A decade later, the boat was donated to the Oregon Maritime Museum.
This tugboat had replaced another stern-wheeler named the Portland, which had been in service since 1919. When a diesel-powered screw tug was proposed, the river pilots countered successfully that they needed the same type of boat, which they knew could handle the Columbia and Willamette rivers’ thick traffic and often difficult conditions. After the newest Portland was retired in 1981, she languished and rotted with her wheelhouse removed. She was finally rescued and deeded to the Oregon Maritime Museum in 1991. A group of dedicated volunteers launched into action that year and began a restoration project, which is ongoing. The results of their efforts are visible in the fresh paint and meticulous care that is as obvious throughout the boat as it is in your docent’s extensive knowledge and enthusiasm.
Visitors access the boat from the city’s promenade, which borders the Willamette in Waterfront Park, downtown Portland. You walk down a gangplank and across the main deck to reach the museum entrance. Inside, a volunteer accepts your entry fee, while a docent stands by waiting for a few people to assemble before setting off on a guided tour. In the meantime, you can stroll around the exhibit area, which features models of the Liberty ship Iowa, a World War II submarine, a PT boat, a tanker, and more. Historic photos and explanatory plaques line the walls. The room teems with paraphernalia from this maritime region, including a World War II Navy diving helmet and other equipment by Morse Diving, navigation instruments, building tools, old identity cards, medals, life jackets, a binnacle with a magnetic compass, and an oil lamp from the battleship Oregon (BB-3). Periodic rotation of these and other artifacts ensures a fresh atmosphere and a visit worth repeating.
Once your guide feels the group is large enough, you begin the tour by going back outside and climbing up to the wheelhouse. From this small, high space surrounded by windows, the captain commanded a view of the river’s busy traffic and all the activity around which he needed to maneuver the tugboat as he and the pilot passed orders to the crew using a megaphone.
When you step into the gleaming engine room on the bottom deck, you have reached the pièce de résistance. Here, every piece of hardware seems to have been checked regularly, oiled, and polished before the on-duty caretaker of the day was satisfied. As the docent takes you through the maze of pipes and wheels, bolts and steam fittings, he patiently provides an overview of the complex workings, and details the purpose and history of every gadget about which a visitor might be curious.
The Portland is the centerpiece of the Oregon Maritime Museum’s holdings. A library collection of more than 22,000 photographs and 2,500 volumes includes scrapbooks and photos of the steamer in her decrepit condition. But you can glean this part of her history in person today, while admiring the restoration during a guided tour of this proud, and proudly manned, tugboat.
Dr. Rehill, currently manager of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Oral History Program, is an independent scholar who specializes in francophone literature. She loves traveling and visiting museums.
The Portland’s vital statistics
Length: 219 feet
Beam: 42 feet
Draft: 6 feet
Height from waterline to stack top: 56 feet
Height of stern wheel: 25 feet
Gross tonnage: 928
Oregon Maritime Museum
Portland, Oregon
503-224-7724
oregonmaritimemuseum.org
Email: [email protected]
The Portland is moored on the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, between the Morrison and Burnside bridges. Coming by car, take SW Naito Parkway to Pine Street. Park at a metered space or public lot one block to the west. Portland’s TriMet buses run close to the area, and the Max light rail’s Oak Street stop is two blocks to the west.
Hours:
Open: 1100–1600 Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday only. (Last tour begins at 1515 and gates may close at that time.)
Closed 24, 25, and 31 December, 1 January, Easter, and 4 July. Allow a minimum of 45 minutes for your tour.
Admission:
$7 adults, $5 seniors (62+); $4 students (13-18 with ID), $3 children (6-12); free for active military (with ID) and children under 6.
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