HB 1084

HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1084

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

As Passed House:
February 12, 2007

Title: An act relating to designating the Lady Washington as the official ship of the state of Washington.

Brief Description: Designating the Lady Washington as the official ship of the state of Washington.

Sponsors: By Representatives Blake, VanDeWege, Kessler, Takko, Morrell, Curtis, Eickmeyer, Moeller, McCoy, Pettigrew, Haigh, Simpson, Lantz, Upthegrove, B. Sullivan, Linville, Hunt, Conway, Kenney, Wallace and Santos.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 9 members: Representatives Hunt, Chair; Appleton, Vice Chair; Chandler, Ranking Minority Member; Armstrong, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Green, Kretz, McDermott, Miloscia and Ormsby.

Background:

The Lady Washington is well-recognized as the "HMS Interceptor" from the movie Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. She is a reproduction sailing ship of the original Washington/Lady Washington that sailed from approximately 1750-1798. Her vessel type is a "brig," indicating the configuration of the sails. In addition to the Lady Washington's star turn in the blockbuster, Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, she was also used in Star Trek: Generations (1994) and in Treasure Planet (2002) as a reference for the "RLS Legacy."

The Lady Washington was built over a two-year period and launched on March 7, 1989. The ship was designed by Ray Wallace (since deceased) and built in Aberdeen by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority. Master shipwrights from all over the Pacific Northwest constructed her in a building (now demolished) at the confluence of the Wishkah and Chehalis rivers.

The Lady Washington is owned and operated by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit Public Development Authority based in Aberdeen. The Office of the Secretary of State for the State of Washington holds a mortgage on the vessel to secure the investment of the people of Washington.

In 1983, the Legislature did christen by resolution the President Washington, a large container ship, as the state ship. This was not codified and there are no other records of this. This ship, however, has since been sold to a Japanese-Hawaiian company, renamed the MV Maroon, and is no longer docked in Washington.

Summary of Bill:

Designates the Lady Washington as the official ship of the State of Washington.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) The original Lady Washington was built in the Massachusetts Colony in 1750. She was a privateer and spent 30 years trading on the east coast. She then fought as a privateer in the Revolutionary War. In 1788, the Lady Washington became the first American vessel to make landfall on the west coast. She was also the first American vessel to visit Honolulu, Hong Kong, and Japan. In 1989, the current Lady Washington, a full-scale reproduction, was launched for the state centennial and few have the legacy that she has continued to create. Since her launch, the Lady Washington has covered over 60,000 nautical miles, more than one million people have crossed her decks, and over 180,000 schoolchildren have taken part in her shipboard education program. She has visited more than 100 port communities, from Skagway, Alaska, to San Diego, California, and as far east as Pasco, Washington. At each port she visits, the Lady Washington serves as an ambassador for the people of Washington. The Lady Washington has exceeded the expectations of the Washington State Centennial Commission. The people of Washington have received full value on their investment.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Blake, prime sponsor; Paul O'Brien and Les Bolton, Grays Harbor Historical Seaport; and Chuck Fowler, American Sail Training Association.