Bellingham’s iconic waterfront ‘rocket ships’ getting a touch up ahead of summer

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Those big metal “rocket ships” near the Container Village at the edge of downtown Bellingham are getting a shiny new look starting next week.

Work to remove the rust and flaking paint on the six cylindrical tanks starts Monday and will take about a month, Port of Bellingham spokesman Mike Hogan told The Bellingham Herald.

“Most of the paint’s already flaked off. For now, we’re just going to take the paint off and allow it to keep that cool industrial look,” Hogan said in a phone call.

Hogan said the tanks rust naturally, just like the nearby Acid Ball at Waypoint Park.

“They’re industrial icons and part of the vibe down there,” he said.

In addition, the Port is installing new history signs to describe the purpose of the tanks that were once part of the Georgia-Pacific pulp mill that took up the entire waterfront site two decades ago. The 137-acre factory closed in 2001, the victim of rising energy costs and the Enron corporate scandal.

The 65-foot “digester” tanks were built in 1937 and turned wood into pulp for products such as toilet tissue and paper towels.

Logs were ground into chips, loaded into the digester tanks and cooked in acid to create the pulp, according the Port of Bellingham’s website. The tanks were inside a building until the G-P plant closed.

Affectionately called the “rocket ships,” the digester tanks were saved from demolition by strong public support to retain them, the Acid Ball and a handful of other buildings as examples of waterfront history.

Many Bellingham residents said they are reminiscent of Gasworks Park in Seattle.

As the waterfront district develops, the addition of the seasonal Container Village for food and drink and the Pump Track for bicycles have been drawing thousands of visitors to the area in recent summers.