6/6 Ship Watching

Flagler State Park is located at an interesting place.  On the one hand, it is fairly isolated and a long way from towns with things like grocery stores and gas stations.  On the other hand, it is at a marine crossroads, so there is lots happening on the water.  

The map I posted a couple of days ago showed the general location of this state park and how it is at the top of an island where a lot of ships go past on their way from the Pacific Ocean to Seattle.   I've discovered that there is a lot of naval action around here also.  

This is what came past this afternoon, except it was headed west on this island, not east as most of the ships have been headed.  I wondered why there were a couple of tug boats waiting at the entrance of this waterway on the west of the island. 

Anybody have any guesses as to what kind of ship this is?  

You can see the back better as it turns toward the opposite shore, but I still cannot read the name. 

Here is a map showing where it is headed.  It came just to the left or west of the bubble that identifies the campground. The green arrow points to the naval supply docking area where this ship is headed.  The blue oval shows Naval Magazine Indian Island.  The island is entirely a naval facility and has been used since 1939 to store munitions in concrete bunkers.  It also provides fuel, food, and whatever else a ship needs to operate.  

This apparently is a major resupply depot for ships on the West Coast of the U.S. and the only one that does not require going under a bridge to get here.  It looks as if there are two almost identical ships docked here.  This article describes the island and its purpose: https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2017/11/26/little-known-island-logistics-backbone-pacific-northwest-navy-fleet/886272001/ 


It would have been interesting to see what other ships came in to be resupplied, but I am leaving tomorrow morning. There are several naval bases in the area, including a Trident base and a naval air station. 

There are still container ships to watch as they head for Seattle.

And of course, the Port Townsend to Seattle ferry that makes trips about every two hours. 

Tomorrow I head to a campground just south of Portland for a couple of days, and then to Armitage to get my generator fixed.  It runs fine, but does not supply any power to my motorhome, which is the main purpose of a generator, so it has to get fixed. Next stops will be along the northern coast of California on my way to Bodega Bay.