Grays Harbor is a log exporting port on the coast of Washington. The harbor comprises an outer region, which crosses the bay section of Grays Harbor, and the inner section, which follows the Chehalis River. The navigation channel presently can accommodate lumber ships only up to 85 ft in beam and 34 ft in draft because of the very constricted railroad and highway bridge spans that cross the inner part of the harbor. Local economic interests desire to bring wider and deeper lumber ships into the harbor. To accommodate this change, the US Army Engineer District, Seattle, recommended widening and deepening the channel to allow ships up to 100 ft in width and 36.5 ft in draft. The existing 125-ft navigation span through the bridges is to be increased to 185 ft by replacing the railroad bridge with a new design. The proposed changes also call for the construction of a new turning basin at the upstream end of the deepwater project. This report presents results of numerous ship simulation tests in the inner as well as the outer region of the harbor. The primary navigation difficulties experienced by the pilots were the outer region bends and the inner region sharp turns and bridge passage. The study concluded that the channel width in the outer region can be maintained at its existing 350 ft and does not require widening to the proposed 400 ft. Bend wideners were required on the outside of the bends where it is already deep to compensate for the tendency of the pilots to drift out of the channel with the larger proposed ship. In the inner region, the study showed that the larger ships could safely make the transit through the proposed bridge span and turn around in the proposed turning basin, resulting in increased project benefits. Some modifications to the District proposed channel are presented.


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    Title :

    Ship Simulation Study of Grays Harbor Navigation Project, Grays Harbor, Washington



    Published in:

    Publication date :

    1991


    Size :

    1064717


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :


    Ports of grays harbor

    Mann, C.F.A. | Engineering Index Backfile | 1930




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    Brogdon, Noble J. Jr. | HENRY – Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW) | 1972

    Free access