| Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research |
BILL ANALYSIS |
| State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee | |
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.
Brief Description: Designating the Lady Washington as the official ship of the state of Washington.
Sponsors: Representatives Blake, VanDeWege, Kessler, Takko, Morrell, Curtis, Eickmeyer, Moeller, McCoy, Pettigrew, Haigh, Simpson, Lantz, Upthegrove, B. Sullivan, Linville, Hunt, Conway, Kenney, Wallace and Santos.
Brief Summary of Bill |
|
Hearing Date: 1/24/07
Staff: Colleen Kerr (786-7168).
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. However, 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 State.
In 1983, the Legislation 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.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.