Sea
Scouts
SEA SCOUTS
www.sss601.org
The Sea Scouts were established in the US in 1912, following the form of the original
British program. The original concept of Sea Scouting was to prepare young men for
service in the Navy. Today, Sea Scouts is a young-adult oriented program open to men
and women between 14 and 18. The program is structured so that young-adults may gain
insight into a variety of programs offering leadership, fitness, outdoor activities, service
to the community, social interaction, and career building skills. Sea Scouts is experiential
learning with lots of fun-filled, hands-on activities promoting the conditions necessary for
the growth and development of adolescent youth.
Sea Scout units are called “ships,” even though they might not actually meet and train
aboard their vessel. There are active Sea Scout Ships throughout the country, though most
are concentrated in metropolitan areas near the coastline. Sea Scout Ship 601, “City of
Roses” is one of the oldest Sea Scout Ships in the Nation. Based in Portland, the unit was
originally named “Viking” and has been continuously active since 1929. The name was
changed to “City of Roses” in 1939 in honor of the ship’s home port.
The Ship has two training vessels. The 29-foot ketch rigged Cascade sailboat named “City
of Roses” was built from a kit by unit members in 1973. It has no auxiliary power and
must be sailed or rowed by pulling four 13-foot oars. The other training vessel is former
US Coast Guard 44-ft motor lifeboat (MLB) 44372 acquired in 1998. Though in need of
major mechanical repairs, including a complete rebuild of one engine, the boat was made
operational by unit members in 1999 and has been used ever since for underway training.
Ship 601 tries to make their program as hands-on as possible. The goal is to get a boat underway at least 4 times a month. In addition to underway training the unit also participates
in training with the USCG that has included incident preparedness, damage control, cold
water survival, and the use of pyrotechnics. Meetings are run by the crew with guidance
from the adults. Most of the vessel maintenance is done by the crew with the exception of
those too dangerous for them to perform; truly a hands-on program.
The vessels are moored at the R.A. Rasmusen Sea Scout Base, near the Airport. The base
is also home to eight other local Sea Scout ships, including “Voyager” which is also a
former USCG 44-foot MLB and has an all women crew. In addition to serving as a home port
for Portland area ships, the base is also a cruise destination and supply point for three
other ships in outlying areas.
If you want to join, or just want to find out more, contact Pat Kelley, Committee Chairman
503-667-7835. We will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and to
arrange for a tour of our facilities.
THE UNIT MAINTAINS A WEB SITE AT: www.sss601.org
THE OFFICIAL SITE FOR SEA SCOUTS IS: www.seascout.org
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