Shortly after Disneyland opened in 1955, Walt Disney decided that the Rivers of America needed more river traffic.  Since the steamboat was not the only vessel used in American history, Disney decided that he wanted another large ship to join the Mark Twain, but didn’t know which historic sailing ship to use for inspiration.  So he did what any knowledgeable person would do and ask an expert.

            Walt Disney went to Joe Fowler, Disneyland’s construction supervisor and a former naval admiral, asking him to pick the model ship for this new Disneyland attraction.  After examining every maritime museum in the country and researching numerous historic ships, Fowler recommended the very first American sailing ship to go around the world: the Columbia Rediviva.

            However, construction of this ship was not an easy task since there is only one known photo in existence of the original ship.  Architect Ray Wallace and Fowler worked together to create the Columbia’s construction plans using this single photo along with some research materials from the Library of Congress. 

The ship was constructed at the same shipyard the Mark Twain’s hull was built a few years earlier, Todd Shipyards in San Pedro, California.  The Columbia was the first three-masted windjammer ship to be built in the US in more than 100 years.  Walt Disney himself even played a hand in the construction of the Columbia as it was customary to place a silver dollar under each mast before it was set.  In this case, Disney personally placed the silver dollar under each of the three masts.

The ship was christened on June 4, 1958.  For this very special occasion, Fowler came dressed as a sailing captain from the 1700’s while the Mouseketeers appeared as his crew.  Since then, the Columbia has entertained numerous park guests in it’s almost 50 year run at Disneyland.  It also plays a key role in Fantasmic! as it is taken over and becomes Captain Hook’s pirate ship.

The Sailing Ship Columbia has stayed pretty much the same since its construction with the exception of one major change in 1964.  Just below the main deck, an extensive crew quarters was added to give guests a real feel of what life looked like on the ships in the 1700’s.  It is complete with the captain’s quarters and a small galley.

Additional Trivia and Fun Facts

• The Sailing Ship Columbia measures in at 84 feet tall, 83 ½ feet long and 24 feet wide.  It can hold 300 guests.
• There are 10 guns on board the ship with one actually being used during the journey to shoot potential enemies along the Rivers of America.  Don’t worry, they don’t actually hit anything!
• The total cost of construction was $300,000.
• The original Columbia is the namesake of the Columbia River in the Northwest United States.  In 1792, Robert Gray sailed his ship (the Columbia) up the river and named the river after his ship.
• The U.S. flag that is flown on the ship’s stern is the same U.S. flag that would have been used in 1787.
• The cabin on Tom Sawyer’s Island used to look like it was burning.  In those days, the Columbia captains would pretend it was the firing of the Columbia’s gun that started the fire!
• Occasionally characters, i.e. Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Wendy, Mr. Smee and various pirates, appear aboard the ship to entertain the passengers.
• In honor of the 50th Anniversary in 2005, a “hidden 50” was added to the woman on the bow of the ship.