Northwest Seaport Maritime Heritage Center is a nonprofit organization in Seattle, Washington dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Puget Sound and Northwest Coast maritime heritage, expressed through educational programs and experiences available to the public aboard its ships. The organization owns three large historic vessels docked at the Historic Ships' Wharf in Seattle's Lake Union Park; the tugboat Arthur Foss (1889), Lightship 83 Swiftsure (1904), and the halibut fishing schooner Tordenskjold (1911). These vessels are used as platforms for a variety of public programs, ranging from tours and festivals to restoration workshops and vocational training. Northwest Seaport is adjacent to the Center for Wooden Boats and the Museum of History and Industry on the south shore of Lake Union in downtown Seattle. These organizations have partnered in many public programs and events at Lake Union Park but are not affiliated with each other. Northwest Seaport also is not affiliated in any way with the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the joint port authority for the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, newly formed in 2015. History of the organization Northwest Seaport was founded in the early 1960s as the Save Our Ships project to save the 1897 Pacific schooner Wawona. Save Our Ships purchased Wawona in 1964, followed by Lightship 83 "Relief" in 1966 (subsequently changed to "Swiftsure" lightship station), and received the tugboat Arthur Foss as a donation from the Foss company in 1970. Save Our Ships was based in Kirkland, on Lake Washington, throughout the 1970s, eventually changed its name to Northwest Seaport, and then relocated to its current site on Lake Union (on the edge of downtown Seattle) in the early 1980s. Northwest Seaport has been a primarily volunteer organization throughout its half century of service. The decline of its flagship by the early 2000s, however, prompted the board of directors to focus on hiring professional staff to manage the ships and the organization. Programs Northwest Seaport offers programs ranging from public tours, festivals, and story times for toddlers to vocational training in the marine trades and traditional maritime music sing-alongs. Historic fleet The historic fleet at Lake Union Park's Historic Ships Wharf includes four vessels on the National Register of Historic Places: Two of these belong to Northwest Seaport. The other two belong to other non-profit organizations. Northwest Seaport's third vessel on the wharf is in the process of being nominated for NHL status. Tugboat Arthur Foss The