The US Lightship Columbia was commissioned in 1951, to become the fourth and final lightship stationed at the mouth of the Columbia River. Built by Rice Brothers Shipyard in Boothbay, Maine, Columbia was launched with her sister-ship, Relief (WLV-605), the the Columbia replaced the aging vessel LV-93, which had been in service on the Columbia River since 1939.

The four Columbia River lightships were at their post to guide vessels across the Columbia River Bar which had been dubbed the Graveyard of the Pacific from 1892 until 1979.

In 1979, the lightship Columbia was the final lightship to be decommissioned on the U.S. West coast and was replaced by an automated navigational buoy soon after, which since has also been retired.

The Columbia has a length of 128 feet; beam of 30 feet; and Draft of 11 feet. It had an mushroom anchor that weighed 7,000 pounds.

Propulsion was by one 550 hp, Atlas-Imperial direct reversing 8 cylinder diesel engine. Speed was 10.7 knots or about 12.3 mph.

The complement was one warrant officer and 17 enlisted.

The Columbia has a 600 kilocandella lens, a 1200 watt light which had a range of 13 nautical miles or about 15 miles. Onboard was also a Diaphone foghorn with a range of five miles.

The Columbia Lightship is in permanent moorage near the mouth of the Columbia river alongside the navigational buoy that replaced her in 1979. Both the lightship and bouy can be seen in Astoria, Oregon at the Columbia River Maritime Museum.

The lightship, now listed under the name as Lightship WAL-604, Columbia can be toured for a fee.