This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: marysday Surnames: Morford, Rampley, McColl Classification: biography Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.oregon.counties.lincoln/5287/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The News Times Newport, OR 97365 Posted: Wednesday, Mar 3rd, 2010 BY: Terry Dillman Ast. Editor of News Times REQUIEM FOR A LADY The F/V Helen McColl lolls at the old log ramp near the Port of Newport's International Terminal. A salvage crew raised her from the bottom of Yaquina Bay at the port's commercial docks and transported her to this site to await scrapping. Local fishermen mourn the wooden boat's demise after 99 years of service. (Photo by Terry Dillman--attached) (This is information printed beneath the photo of the boat.) News Article Following: FISHERMEN MOURN LOSS OF F/V HELEN MC COLL A one-of-a-kind New England fishing vessel that for decades plied the Pacific Ocean for albacore tuna and salmon awaits an ignominious end after a salvage team hoisted her from a watery grave at the Port of Newport's commercial docks last week, then transported her to and beached her on the far side of the International Terminal. Port of Newport officials, who claimed the vessel as abandoned, said they plan to scrap the 65-foot F/V Helen McColl, salvaging what they can from the 99-year-old vessel's wooden body and bones. Built in Maine in 1911, the once-proud schooner began her career during the halcyon days of the Atlantic cod, herring and sardine industries. When European fishermen reached the stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off what is now Cape Cod, schools of fish churned the waters, most notably cod. New England's fleet of wooden schooners - especially those out of Boston and Gloucester - earned world renown, and by 1900, the Maine coast bristled with canneries, wharfs, and schooners. The Helen McColl joined the fleet that plied the offshore waters and helped haul in the fish that provided the backbone of Maine coastal community economies. >From east to west Veteran local fisherman George Morford brought the schooner to the Pacific coast in 1974. While cod is king in the Atlantic, salmon is king in the Pacific, so Morford pursued mostly salmon, along with a few other species, through the years. Both cod and salmon have floundered through up-and-down cycles, ever-tightening regulation, and recent commercial season shutdowns. Reductions and shutdowns idled Morford and the Helen McColl for much of the past four years, and she sank at the dock on Nov. 1, 2009. Investigators from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Portland worked with local contractors to remove diesel fuel from the water and the boat. They also called in Portland-based Fred Devine Diving & Salvage Company to try to re-float the boat, but halted the operation three days later, saying federal funding and responsibility ended with the fuel spill clean-up. After spending $70,000 and - some observers say - being on the verge of bringing the vessel up, they left it on the bottom, which vexed local officials and especially local fishermen. Port officials said Morford had no insurance and could not fund a salvage operation. They said attempts to contact the weathered fisherman had failed, and in January, they took legal steps to declare the vessel abandoned. Last Thursday, they launched a salvage operation using a barge-mounted crane already in the bay for the NOAA homeport project, along with two local tugboats, to lift and transport the Helen McColl. Held tight to the barge by straps, she made her final journey across Yaquina Bay to the old log ramp beyond the port's International Terminal site, where she awaits the end of her days, just a year shy of a century of service. Requiem A few fishermen were among a small group of observers who watched the Helen McColl's final journey on the rain-soaked morning of Feb. 26. Christopher Rampley, skipper of the F/V Henrietta W, a classic wooden Pacific Northwest salmon troller built in 1937, took photos as he glumly watched the salvage crew drag the weathered lady aground. He later posted photos and comments on The Wooden Boat Forum (www.woodenboat.com/forum), an online site open to all discussion about wooden boats and related topics. The Helen McColl, he noted, is waiting "to go the way of all things," but she didn't go quietly. "They tried to haul her up on to the hard (ground), but the 9-foot tall Sampson timber (the strong post used for attaching lines) flew out of the hull, and she stayed stubbornly in the drink," Rampley wrote. "I guess 99 years in the salt water doesn't give up too easily." Others agreed. One, who identified himself as Morford's son-in-law, talked about fishing aboard the Helen McColl 30 years ago, plying the waves from Cape Flattery to the California line for several seasons. He called the boat's demise "a sad ending," noting "it would have been better if she had sprung a plank offshore, and settled into the Pacific as George watched from the deck of another boat." Rampley was clearly unhappy about the way the Coast Guard handled the situation, saying that federal officials would not allow Morford to make arrangements to bring her up, then after bringing in a salvage outfit and on the verge of raising her, "declared they were out of money and sent everybody home." He compared it to "taking someone in tow, then cutting the cable halfway through the trip." Rampley offered this benediction for the bedraggled lady, her skipper, and all others who love a sturdy boat, a steady breeze, sailing out upon the seas. "Our thoughts are with the Helen McColl, George Morford, and all the other fishermen who have sailed her for the past five generations, east and west coast, and for all the fish that have graced her hold." Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.