This country owes so much to so few

The military foremast of the predreadnought battleship USS Oregon, along with the decorative shield once mounted on her bow.After WW1 the USN demilitarized the ship and loaned it to the state as a museum. It was still available carried on the official USN Register as Coast Defense Battleship NumberIt is really sad that the state chose to donate the ship for scrap during WW2 instead of retaining it as a museum relic.After WW1 the ship was demilitarized and loaned to the state of Oregon as a museum moored on the Portland waterfront from 1922 to 1942, all the while maintained on the USN Register as Coast Defense Battleship Number 3, until it was redesignated IX22 (IX for Unclassified Miscellaneous) on 17 February 1941.After the Pearl Harbor attack drew the US into the war, our governor in a bout of patriotic fervor donated the ship for the war effort, but the ship was so obsolete that the only thing that could be done was sell it for scrap.What was actually done was to scrap it down to the waterline and use it as an ammunition barge (still carrying the same designation) ultimately towing it out to Guam, where it continued in service until 1956.

It was a nice quiet spot with plenty of space to sit

Very nice Place

If you love Oregon history and War history and metal rivets this is a place for you!

When you start on the Waterfront Trail, you will be greeted with this historical memorial stand of a mast piece preserved from the USS Oregon Battleship. The ship was famous for being the first US heavy battleship to sail around South America, when it made the journey in 66 days, to join the fight in Cuba during the Spanish-American war in 1898. It had served in 3 major wars. It looks quite fitting for a memorial as you circle around it and you may feel a sense of patriotism as it overlooks and guards the riverfront. It can be a little tough to get a closer look as there are now many homeless people surrounding it. The Oregon Maritime Museum is located just across from it in the river.

Its a nice memorial thats honors the memory of the brave sailors and marines of the USS Oregon.

Nice place

Lest we forget

Monument