US COAST GUARD
CAPE D
STATION
A
t the southern-most point of the
Peninsula lies one of the oldest and
busiest Coast Guard stations on the
West Coast: Cape Disappointment
and the U.S. Coast Guard Motor
Lifeboat School.
Because it guards what has
been called the world’s most dangerous
waters, the station is often called to aid
foundering vessels and their crews.
The river itself is dangerous, but when
coupled with a strong outflowing (or ebb)
tide, the clash between the outgoing current
and the incoming ocean waves can be
downright deadly.
Numerous fishing and commercial
vessels have fallen victim to the Columbia’s
power combined with the dangerous
offshore waters of the Pacific Ocean, with
the area nicknamed “Graveyard of the
Pacific” because of the number of vessels
lost there at sea.
Vessels stationed at the Cape include the
47-foot motor lifeboat, which was put
through its initial sea trials at the Cape.
Cape Disappointment is also home to the
only motor lifeboat school in the United
States. Originally established to serve the
Coast Guard’s District 13, the school now
accepts students from marine services
worldwide. There are 36 students in each
class.
To get to the station from Ilwaco, follow
the signs to Cape Disappointment and the
station. Phone 360-642-2382 for more
information.
The U.S. Coast Guard utilizes vessels and helicopters in search and rescue missions around the mouth of the Columbia River, including this one in 2016.— US COAST GUARD PHOTO
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