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There are a lot of colleges and universities that confer degrees. Some degrees are useful, and some are not. Some schools and their students are considered elite. "Elite" is a title that many individuals and institutions claim, but naming yourself elite does not make it so.
The National Motor Lifeboat School located in Ilwaco, WA at the mouth of the Columbia River Bar is not Harvard, but its students are elite. The Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, located in Astoria, OR, at the Columbia River Bar is another elite school.
The Columbia River Bar is a challenging campus, and it has earned the name Graveyard of the Pacific. 2000 ships have been lost crossing the bar.
Discussion (12)
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Coasties are exceptionally professional. Not very military, but very good at what they do.
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That's a great video, I'd seen a bit of it before, didn't know it was at the mouth of the Columbia. You might enjoy the book Astoria, which tells the story of the founding of Fort Astoria.
Wow
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I recently took a trip on the Colombia. The reason the inlet is so dangerous is that there is almost no shelf, so all the power of the waves hits the river flow (3 highest river flow in US). Jetties have been built that make the river accessible these days. FYI, Lewiston, Idaho is America's most inland seaport.
Here's a picture of the USCG facility in Astoria:
Here's a picture of a ship coming into the Columbia river. The long straight black line is the south jetty. That little black dot in the middle of the jetty is a big dump truck. That ship is probably a grain ship that will take low-gluten wheat to Asia.
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Those guys have real guts. How about those 19th and early 20th Century Coast Guard guys too. crazy brave.
Can't believe that yacht owner they saved was out there alone, and without a life jacket!?
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