Sailing Ship Columbia
Wikipedia
Disneyland History for Middle School Readers
The Sailing Ship Columbia, located at the Disneyland park in Anaheim, California, is a full-scale replica of Columbia Rediviva, the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe. The Columbia has operated in the park for more than fifty years. Passengers of the ship take a 12-minute trip around the Rivers of America. At night, the Columbia plays the role of a pirate ship in riverfront performances of the park's nighttime show, Fantasmic!
Passengers wait for the 110-foot-long ship, which departs every 25 minutes, inside a sheltered area called Frontier Landing, located in Frontierland. The waiting area for the 84-foot-tall Columbia is shared with the Mark Twain Riverboat. Historic United States flags are displayed at the attraction's entrance.
Passengers board the full-scale replica of the original Sailing Ship Columbia 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 the galley, pantry, dry stores, and sick 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. It runs along the same track as the Mark 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 on Tom Sawyer Island, a Columbia cast member fires two 12-gauge blanks from one of the ship's ten cannons. The Fort also had a cannon that used to fire back.
The Sailing Ship Columbia operates only on the park's busiest days, or when the Mark Twain is not operating. The attraction usually opens at 11am and closes at dusk. On evenings when Fantasmic! is being performed, the ship, which plays the role of the Black Pearl in the show, will also close at dusk. In previous incarnations of Fantasmic!, the ship served as Captain Hook's pirate ship. When the ship is not operating, it is docked at Fowler's Harbor, near the Haunted Mansion attraction.
Passengers wait for the 110-foot-long ship, which departs every 25 minutes, inside a sheltered area called Frontier Landing, located in Frontierland. The waiting area for the 84-foot-tall Columbia is shared with the Mark Twain Riverboat. Historic United States flags are displayed at the attraction's entrance.
Passengers board the full-scale replica of the original Sailing Ship Columbia 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 the galley, pantry, dry stores, and sick 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. It runs along the same track as the Mark 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 on Tom Sawyer Island, a Columbia cast member fires two 12-gauge blanks from one of the ship's ten cannons. The Fort also had a cannon that used to fire back.
The Sailing Ship Columbia operates only on the park's busiest days, or when the Mark Twain is not operating. The attraction usually opens at 11am and closes at dusk. On evenings when Fantasmic! is being performed, the ship, which plays the role of the Black Pearl in the show, will also close at dusk. In previous incarnations of Fantasmic!, the ship served as Captain Hook's pirate ship. When the ship is not operating, it is docked at Fowler's Harbor, near the Haunted Mansion attraction.