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On October 4, 1975 this would be what you would see if you were down at the Ballard Locks between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. The full story behind this photo has not been told and is only known by a few but we are attempting to gather the complete details concerning this day at the Ballard Locks.
What you are seeing in this photo is the dry dock "White Sands" being towed stern first into the large lock by the Josie Foss, captained by Bob Hayden and the Dorothy Foss, captained by Lee Crider (just behind the dry dock). This was the second attempt to bring the dry dock into Lake Union. The first attempt on Sept. 9th failed when one of the barges attached to the hull broke loose. The barges were used as part of the plan to angle the dry dock sufficiently so as to clear the walls of the lock. We are still looking for others with information concerning the failed first attempt. Any tug operators, pilots, crew or witnesses to the event are invited to contact us with your memories of the day. It is worth noting that this was just the latest in unique events involving the dry dock, and some of that history we can tell here.
