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| Sailing ShipColumbia | |
|---|---|
 Attraction poster | |
| Disneyland | |
| Area | Frontierland |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | June 14, 1958 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Sailing ship |
| Manufacturer | Todd Shipyards |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering Joe Fowler Ray Wallace |
| Theme | 18th-century sailing ship |
| Length | 110 ft (34 m) |
| Participants per group | 300 |
| Duration | 12 minutes |
 Wheelchair accessible | |
 The ship sits in the Rivers of America. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Todd Shipyards |
| Operators | Disneyland Resort |
| General characteristics | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 27 feet 3 inches (8.3 m) |
| Height | 76 feet (23 m) |
| Draft | 45 inches (1.1 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | Two 30" diameter, 18" pitch standard ship's propellers (screws) |
| Speed | 1.3knots |
| Capacity | ~300 |
| Crew | Two to four |
TheSailing ShipColumbia, located at theDisneyland park inAnaheim, California, is a full-scale replica ofColumbia Rediviva, the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. TheColumbia has operated in the park for more than fifty years. Passengers of the ship take a 12-minute trip around theRivers of America. At night, theColumbia plays the role of a pirate ship in riverfront performances of the park's nighttime show,Fantasmic!
WhenWalt Disney decided that theRivers of America needed more river traffic and wanted another large ship to join theMark Twain, he askedJoe Fowler, who was Disneyland's construction supervisor and a former naval admiral, to suggest a historic sailing ship for inspiration. After examining every maritime museum in the country, Fowler recommended the first American sailing ship to go around the world: theColumbia Rediviva. However, there is only one known picture in existence of the original vessel.WED researchers used it, along with research materials from theLibrary of Congress, to design theColumbia.
Architect, artist, and marine expert Ray Wallace was commissioned in 1957 to work with Fowler in creating the construction plans, the original designs were sketched out on a napkin by Ray Wallace at a meeting to discuss the final design of the ship. Wallace would later be known for designing theLady Washington, a replica of the originalColumbia's tender ship, and prop ship for HMSInterceptor inPirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl and asCaptain Hook's ship inOnce Upon a Time.[1] TheColumbia's masts, rigging, spars, and sails were constructed atTodd Shipyards, Los Angeles Division,San Pedro,California, where theMark Twain's hull had been built a few years earlier.[2] After Fowler told Disney that it was customary to put a silver dollar under each mast before it was set, Disney personally put one under each of theColumbia's three masts.
For the ship's christening on June 4, 1958, Fowler was dressed as a sailing captain of the 18th century, whilethe Mouseketeers appeared as his crew. Since then, the sailing shipColumbia has had many extensive refurbishments, but the only major change has been the addition of the crew quarters exhibit in 1964.
TheColumbia was christened by Gretchen Campbell Richmond, wife ofAlfred C. Richmond, Commandant of theUnited States Coast Guard (1954–1962).
A copy of theColumbia was planned for Disney World, but it was canceled and replaced with plans to build a second steamboat.[3]
On January 11, 2016, the Sailing ShipColumbia, along with the other attractions and shows along the Rivers of America, closed temporarily for the construction ofStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge.[4] The ship reopened on July 29, 2017.[5][6]
Passengers wait for the 110-foot-long (34 m) ship, which departs every 25 minutes, inside a sheltered area called Frontier Landing, located inFrontierland. The waiting area for the 84-foot-tall (26 m)Columbia is shared with theMark Twain Riverboat. HistoricUnited States flags are displayed at the attraction's entrance.
Passengers board the full-scale replica of the original sailing shipColumbia by climbing steps, also known as the "brow", up onto the main deck. Once on board, they can visit a nautical museum below deck, which shows what life was like for the 1787 crew. In addition to thegalley,pantry, dry stores, andsick bay, there are quarters for the crew,bosun and bosun's mate,first mate, captain, and surgeon.
Once the ship casts off, it begins its voyage around the Rivers of America. The ship, which has three masts and rigging but rarely unfurls its sails, is powered by a compressed natural gas engine (formerly a Marine Detroit Diesel 2-stroke). It runs along the same track as theMark Twain, hidden by green dye in the water.
The captain provides a tongue-in-cheek running commentary as he calls orders to his crew, while recorded background music plays a selection of nautical songs, such as "Blow the Man Down". As the ship passes Fort Wilderness onTom Sawyer Island, aColumbia cast member fires a 12-gauge blank from one of the ship's ten cannons. The Fort also had a cannon that used to fire back.
The Sailing ShipColumbia operates only on the park's busiest days, or when theMark Twain is not operating. The attraction usually opens at 11am and closes at dusk. On evenings whenFantasmic! is being performed, the ship, which plays the role ofCaptain Hook's pirate ship in the show, will also close at dusk. In 2017-2023 incarnations ofFantasmic!, the ship served asBlack Pearl. When the ship is not operating, it is docked at Fowler's Harbor, near theHaunted Mansion attraction.
On December 24, 1998, a cleat used to secure the ship to the dock tore loose, striking park visitors Luan Phi Dawson, 33, ofDuvall, Washington, and his 43-year-old wife Lieu Thuy Vuong in the head, as their son and grandchild and other park visitors looked on. 30-year-old park employee Christine Carpenter ofAnaheim, California was also injured. Dawson was declared brain-dead two days later at UCI Medical Center inOrange, California, when his life support system was disconnected.[7] The ride did not reopen until June 28, 1999.[8]
Current songs (all vocals): "Blow the Man Down", "Clear the Track (Let the Bulgine Run)", "One More Day", "Rolling Home" and "Song of the Fishes".
This was followed by the fabrication of the masts, rigging, spars, and sails for the 106-foot pirate ship "Columbia."
33°48′44″N117°55′14″W / 33.81234°N 117.92062°W /33.81234; -117.92062
