The proprietors and staff of The Long Beach Lightship Restaurant and Columbia Bar thank you for your patronage. The following is a brief outline of the history of our namesake;
The original Lightship Columbia, (also known as LV 50), a wooden hulled vessel, was constructed in San Francisco in 1892 and was the first lightship stationed on the U.S Pacific coast. She housed two coal fire broilers that produced steam for her twelve inch fog whistle. There were three oil lamps mounted on two masts that were used to alert vessels at night. The Columbia, which was positioned roughly five miles west of the Columbia River’s mouth, had no engine but was equipped with sails in case the anchor broke.

On the evening of November 28, 1899, the chain did indeed break during a severe storm. The crew quickly set the sails and successfully kept the vessel from grounding. The next day, the Columbia was intentionally grounded at McKenzie Head near Cape Disappointment, where she remained for eighteen months. The ship was hauled 700 yards over land and launched into Baker Bay in the Columbia River. In August of 1901, after a trip to Portland for repairs, the ship returned to her station. In 1909, LV 50 was replaced by LV88, a steel hulled ship driven by a steam powered propeller. In 1939, LV 88 traded stations with LV 93, which was serving at Umatilla Station. LV 88 served at Umatilla Station until 1959, then served for a year as a relief lightship before she was retired. LV 93 served at the Columbia River station until 1951 when she was replaced by WAL 604.

The Columbia Lightship 604 occupied the station from 1951 until 1971, and is presently at moorage at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon. She was built by Rice Brothers in East Boothbay, Maine along with her sister the 605. The ship has a displacement of 617 tons, is 128 feet long with a beam of 30 feet and a draft of 11 feet. Her original 375 mm lens was visible for 13 miles, and was later replaced by a set of rotating locomotive headlights.

While we understand it’s nearly impossible to take your gaze away from the panoramic 180 degree view we enjoy, please take some time to notice the nautical theme of the restaurant’s interior. The painting above the kitchen window that depicts the Columbia 604 was created by Nancy Lloyd, a renowned local artist and historian who makes her home here on the long beach peninsula. An author since the 1980s, Lloyd's interest in local history has led her to write about the oyster industry of Willapa Bay and, lately, a precisely researched and written history of the Peninsula, "Observing Our Peninsula's Past." The two-volume history covers one of the West's most interesting areas as seen through the pages of its century-old newspaper, the Chinook Observer.

The hallway that brings you in and out of the dining room displays nautical maps, artistic renderings, and wonderful information regarding the rich history of our area.

We thank you for joining us, and we hope to see you again soon.

With warmest regards,
The Long Beach Lightship and Columbia Bar staff.