Staff photo by Jade McDowell. Onlookers wait for the Lady Washington to go through the McNary Dam locks.

The ship is a full-scale replica of the original Lady Washington, which was the first American ship to make landfall on the West coast of North America in 1787. It has been used in the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Star Trek: Generations and also appeared in the television shows Revolution and Once Upon a Time.

Dozens of people showed up Monday morning to get a look at the ship, but Jill Fraser of Hermiston had a special reason for wanting to come. Her friend Lee Phelps of Lostine worked on the ship until his death a few months ago, and his ashes were shot out of one of the ship’s cannons in Astoria as a tribute to his dedication to tall ships like the Lady Washington.

“I couldn’t make it to that memorial, so I thought I would come in his honor,” Fraser said.

She said she enjoyed getting a good look at the ship and having a chance to honor her late friend.

Ruth Carollo of Hermiston was also at the dam on Monday. As the water in the lock slowly drained away, allowing the ship to go from the high water to the east of the dam to the lower water on the west side, she explained to her three grandchildren how the lock worked.

She said a few weeks ago she had tried to bring the children, ages two, four and six, to the Washington side of the dam to see the locks and fish ladders but was told that it was only open to the public on special occasions. When she heard the locks were being opened to the public to view the Lady Washington she grabbed the grandkids for a day trip.

“I just thought it would make a really fun outing to see the big ship,” she said.

She said the kids seemed like they were having fun and she enjoyed herself too.

“It’s just fascinating looking at all the intricacies of the lines,” she said.

The gate at the McNary Dam lock is 106 feet tall. The lock is 683 feet long and holds 38 million gallons of water. On Monday the Lady Washington, which was headed back toward the coast after a week docked in Richland, went through by itself.

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Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.