A few years after Disneyland opened, Walt Disney was standing on the banks of the Rivers of America in Frontierland watching the waterborne traffic. The crowded waterway contained the sternwheeler Mark Twain, canoes, rafts and keelboats. "Now there’s a busy river. What we need is another big boat." Walt said according to Bob Thomas in Walt Disney: An American Original. The result was the sailing ship Columbia.
The Original
Always on the lookout for authentic Americana for his park, Walt Disney was familiar with Columbia. The original was built in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1787. She sailed from Boston in September of that year with the intention of circumnavigating the globe. Three years later she was home with almost 42,000 sea miles under her keel.
Construction
When the Disney people went to rebuild Columbia it was discovered that the plans no longer existed. However, the sailing ship was apparently a cousin of another famous ship, HMS Bounty, and the vessel’s plans were drawn up based on those of the mutiny ship. Work was begun in Todd Shipyards in Long Beach, California and the steel hull was completed on February 12, 1958. She was the only three-masted windjammer constructed in the United States for over one hundred years.
The vessel was transported to Disneyland and installed in the Rivers of America where the rest of the construction was completed. The 110 foot decks were planked with Douglas Fir and an 84 foot mainmast installed. On June 14 at 1700, Walt Disney, Admiral Joe Fowler and a number of US Navy representatives were on hand for the official launch and christening.
Though Mark Twain sails the river a number of times every day, Columbia is kept in her berth at Fowler’s Harbor and only comes out on busy days. The three-masted vessel is full rigged, though only the bow and stern sails are ever unfurled, is armed with 10 guns and can carry 275 guests on a cruise around Tom Sawyer’s Island. Using the same track as Mark Twain, the engine powered vessel makes the voyage in about fifteen minutes. At one time as Columbia sailed past Fort Wilderness on the island, she would fire one of her guns in salute and the fort would reply in kind.
Maritime Museum
As the ship spent so much time quietly at berth it was decided to make her more of an attraction. An authentically recreated interior portraying the accommodations of 18th century seamen was constructed below decks and opened to the public on February 22, 1964. This maritime museum is only open when the ship is operating.
An attempt was made to rejuvenate Columbia as an attraction in 1996. More authentic costumes were given to the cast members on the ship and a spiel was devised between the captain of the vessel and the lookout who directed guest’s attention to the sites ashore.
Fantasmic!
With the introduction of the night time water show, Fantasmic! in May 1992, Columbia, and other watercraft, became part of the magical extravaganza. She sails past near the conclusion of the show, her rigging filled with characters from Peter Pan in an epic battle between good and evil. On occasion Columbia has also been dressed for Hallowe’en as a ghost ship.
Only a handful of postcards exist depicting Columbia. Three of these are shown below. In the early days sailors often swarmed through the rigging as seen on Card 2. Columbia has long remained a favourite of guests in Disneyland as a slow paced, take it easy kind of attraction to enjoy between the thrill rides. For more on Disney ships see Disney's Submarines on postcards.
- Card 1 – Columbia Attraction Poster
- Card 2 – "Crewmen Scramble Aloft to set the sails of Disneyland’s 3-masted, full rigged sailing vessel…" – C-12
- Card 3 – "Columbia" – Frontierland – C-12
Sources
- Bob Thomas, Walt Disney An American Original, Pocket Books, New York, 1976
- Bruce Gordon & David Mumford, Disneyland: The Nickel Tour, Camphor Tree Publishers, 1995
- Dave Smith, Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia, Disney Editions, New York, 2006
- Tim O’Day, Disneyland Resort: Magical Memories For a Lifetime, Disney Editions, New York, 2002
- Birnbaum Guides, Disneyland Resort 2008
William Silvester - Most of Bill's writing over the past few years has been for the philatelic press and consists primarily of columns and articles about the ...
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