Five ships line up at the Port’s Pier 20 (today’s Terminal 18), 1971.

“Anthemios” is the first ship to call on the new Terminal 86 Grain Terminal, November 1970.

The Port takes over operations at Terminal 91. The Navy took over the piers in 1942 in support of WWII.

1970

Big Year: Construction projects make this year the biggest in Port history. Millions of dollars are spent finishing and upgrading container terminals, Airport projects and new property acquisitions. Record breaking cargo numbers continue through the decade.

The Right Connection: The Airport expressway is linked to Interstate-5.

Mother Love: The first Earth Day celebration. "Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures," said Gaylord Nelson on the 25th anniversary of Earth Day.

Moving Grain: Grain exports get a new home with the opening of the $15 million Pier 86 Grain Facility. This property replaces the Port’s Hanford Street Grain terminal, opened in 1915 along the East Waterway, just north of the West Seattle Bridge.

Terminal 91: Port leases Piers 90-91 from the government, after nearly 30 years of military operations. This signals the Port’s intention to regain ownership of the piers once they are declared surplus by the government. In 1976, the purchase becomes final.

D.B. Cooper hijacks Northwest Orient flight 3035 headed for Seattle. The FBI releases this sketch of the hijacker.

Demolition of Hanford Street Grain Terminal, 1971

1971

Tighter Security: On November 24, 1971, a passenger calling himself D.B. Cooper hijacks a Seattle-bound Boeing 727, landing at Sea-Tac. The result of this and other hijackings across the U.S. is the birth of Airport security.

Plant No. 1: The Port purchases the former Boeing Plant 1 property along the Duwamish Waterway, and in 1976 will incorporate it into Terminal 115. This site was the base of Boeing operations in Seattle until 1936.

Boom!: The Hanford Street Grain Terminal is imploded to make room for more containers.Demolition didn’t go as planned. It took several attempts, but finally, a blast did the trick and demolished the 55 year-old concrete silos.

American Mail Line at Terminal 25

As part of the noise abatement program, the Port buys land, homes, and businesses surrounding Sea-Tac, 1977.

1972

T25: Terminal 25 construction is underway – more ships and containers are on their way. American Mail Line, a predecessor to American Presidential Lines (APL) is the first to operate the Port’s new Terminal 25. Terminal 25 is now merged with Terminal 30 and APL’s Global Gateway North, is now at Terminal 5

Going Pro: The need for greater security spurs the need for a professional police force – the Airport Security Police Force becomes the Port of Seattle Police Department.

Super Terminal: The Port plans to purchase Pier 19 and merge it with Terminals 18 and 20 (the former East Waterway Dock).

Sssh!: Sea-Tac pioneers the nation's most ambitious noise abatement program. The Airport is the first in the U.S. to establish a noise buffer around its facility by purchasing hundreds of homes as well as school buildings.

1973

It's Not a 40s Airport Anymore: The $150 million construction project is completed and Sea-Tac has sprouted wings and added trains. The Airport now has a North and South Satellite and a subway system to connect them to the newly expanded Main Terminal.

OCP: The Overland Common Point (OCP) import numbers keep going up. OCP rates were established to allow West Coast ports transferring Asian imports to the Midwest and East Coast, to stay competitive with East Coast ports and all-water routes from Asia.

Montana: Computerization and warehousing and distribution facilities at Terminal 106 coupled with an agreement with the Port of Butte, a major stop on the transcontinental lines of BNSF and Union Pacific, aid in the efficient and profitable movement of cargo to points east.

Peace: The Vietnam War ends and the last American troops leave Southeast Asia.

East-West Trade: A trade office opens in Southeast Asia, making Seattle the first West Coast port to open an office in Hong Kong.

Imported cars await processing next to Terminal 86, 1975.

1974

Oodles of Autos: Thousands of imported cars await processing and distribution at Pier 91 and Terminal 115. Seattle started seeing this profitable cargo operation in the late 1960s, and it has been a principal cargo for several years. This year more than122,000 cars are imported.

Pipeline: Construction begins on the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. A majority of the supplies started moving through the Seaport and Airport facilities in 1969. The Port creates a committee dedicated to coordinating transportation and logistics for the supplies.

Going Green: Efforts to reduce impacts on the environment and provide safe, clean facilities and public access to the waterfront result in the Port winning its first award for environmental improvement.

Proud parents and volunteers smile with their new bundles of joy after hundreds of orphan babies are airlifted from Vietnam via a Pan Am flight. Sea-Tac became a welcome center for the babies, their new families and volunteer workers.

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1975

Business Travel for the Future: Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft.

One Million Miles: On July 9, the Airport's Satellite Transit System reached its first million miles of travel since going into service in 1973.

Orphan Airlift: Sea-Tac becomes a temporary nursery for 419 Vietnamese orphans cared for by volunteer workers and met by their adoptive parents.

Six Million Passengers: Arriving and departing passengers top the six million mark this year.

Police Protection: The Port Police Department forms both a dive team and an emergency services unit. The emergency services unit specializes in hostage negotiations, riot and crowd control, and disaster assistance.

Piers 37, 38, 42 and 46, before they all get razed and filled to become the modern Terminal 46, 1977.

Bagpipes and drums ring in the celebration of the joint dedication of the Port’s Elliott Bay Park and the City’s Myrtle Edwards Park.

Sea-Land at Terminal 5, 1970s

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1976

Land Swap: Port re-acquires Piers 90 and 91 from U.S. Navy and uses Pier 36 as a down payment. Pier 36 becomes the new home of the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

 

 

 

A Bomb Squad: The Police Department forms a Bomb Squad, staffed by three officers trained extensively in handling and disarming explosive devices and bombs.

 

 

 

 

 

Big Numbers for Seattle: Seattle ranks number one in container traffic on the West Coast, beating out Los Angeles and Oakland. Seattle now ranks second in the nation after New York.

Crowds wait to clear U.S. Customs at Sea-Tac, 1972.

Port of Seattle Chief Engineer and General Manager, George Treadwell, in 1949.

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1977

Shorter Lines: Sea-Tac is the recipient of the first permanent computer system for use in clearing passengers through Customs, speeding up the process tremendously.

Down the Pipe: Oil starts moving through the Alaska Pipeline. The connection between the Port of Seattle and Alaska spans several decades, with salmon trade, passenger service, cargo shipments, and supplies for the pipeline all moving across the docks. The two economies are symbiotic at times.

Rest in Peace: Long-time Chief Engineer and General Manager for the Port, George T. Treadwell dies. A rose garden is dedicated at Elliot Bay Park in his memory. Treadwell lead the Port through the design, planning and construction of the first Main Terminal at Sea-Tac in 1949, the $1 million expansion at Fishermen’s Terminal in 1952, and numerous other projects that helped catapult Seattle to become a world-class city.

President Jimmy Carter signs the Airline Deregulation Act, 1978.

Workers sort and box Washington State apples, 1974.

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1978

Game Change: The deregulation of the airlines brings chaos to the industry, causing many airlines to go out of business due to competition. But the airlines get smart and fine tune their routes and planes, and the number of airlines serving Sea-Tac goes from 12 to 28 in just three years. For travelers, the news is good - the price of airline tickets goes down.

Job Creation: Direct and indirect employment through the Port is now numbered at 70,000 jobs for the region.

An Apple a Day: Apple exports are huge, with Saudi Arabia purchasing the majority of the Washington fruit. Terminal 91 is set up to handle much of this business

Filling In: Piers 42 and 46 begin the $13 million transformation into Terminal 46, with two million tons of fill. Piers 29 and 30 are also undergoing transformation as a modern container terminal, Terminal 30.

Field Study: Environmental studies are ongoing in the Lower Duwamish River Project, aiding the Port in determining proper actions to re-establish or maintain natural habitats. The Port funds a University of Washington Archaeology field course on Kellogg Island.

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1979

The People’s Republic of China vessel, “Liu Lin Hai” arrives in Seattle after 30 years of restricted trade between the U.S. and China, 1979.

China Comes Knocking: The M.V. Liu Lin Hai docks in Seattle at Pier 91. It is the first Chinese ship to enter a U.S. port in 30 years. Let the trading begin.

Terminal 37: The south berth of Terminal 37 (today's Terminal 46) opens, with Japan Six Lines operating the terminal after their move from Terminal 18.

 

 

 

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