News Release
| Release Number: | 01-082 |
| Dated: | 5/30/2001 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore.- If you want to board one of the vessels that make safe navigation on the Columbia River possible, you're ship has come in. Next week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will once again make available its hopper dredge for public visitation during the Rose Festival. The ship will be moored along the seawall in downtown Portland near the Morrison Bridge.
Merchant marine crews of the dredge Essayons will offer free tours of the ship from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from June 7 to June 10. The ship also will be open for tours from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 9 and June 10. Teachers who may want to schedule special tours for school groups can call Heidi Helwig at (503) 808-4510.
The dredge, often referred to as the "workhorse" of the Rose Festival Fleet, plays a critical role in the Corps' mission to maintain the deep draft channel of the Columbia River below Portland and Vancouver, as well as the Willamette River from the confluence of the Columbia River to the Broadway Bridge. The Corps also performs hydrographic surveys in the same areas to determine where dredging is needed and, after it's performed, if the desired depth was indeed achieved.
Those who board the dredge can visit the bridge, galley and engine room. Also, crewmembers will demonstrate and explain how they use state of the art equipment and the global positioning system to operate the ship.
Guests aboard the dredge should wear low-heeled, sturdy shoes; you will have to navigate a number of stairs, ladders and grated floors.
The Essayons, along with its sister dredge the Yaquina, helps maintain the entrance bars, river and harbors on the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii and Alaska. Before dredging, the Corps coordinates its operations with other environmentally focused agencies. Routinely, the dredges work at the following locations in Oregon: on the Chetco, Columbia, Coquille, Umpqua and Siuslaw rivers, in the Rogue River at Gold Beach, Skipanon Channel at Warrenton, and in Coos Bay and Yaquina Bay.