AURORA

YEAR BUILT: 1977, Peterson Shipbuilders, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 582567 CALL SIGN: WYM9567

L/B/D/ 218 x 57 x 19 GROSS/NET TONS: 1280/Gross Tonnage PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 250/34 PROPULSION: 4,300 hp diesel SPEED: 15 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: from the Aurora Glacier; from the aurora borealis.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: M/V Aurora is a feeder vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System, built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1977 by Peterson Shipbuilders and commissioned by the Alaska Marine Highway System the same year. The Aurora is the younger sister ship to the M/V LeConte, and both serve or have served as feeder vessels that pick up passengers in small communities such as Pelican and Hoonah and take them to larger regional communities (this process is colloquially known as the “milk run.”) However, unlike the LeConte, the Aurora was moved out of Southeast Alaska into Prince William Sound area in 2005 to take the place of the retired M/V Bartlett. This move, however, was highly controversial as the M/V Chenega, a fast ferry, was supposed to take this role and been promised for years in advance to the Prince William Sound area and specifically to be homeported in the city of Cordova. Instead, the ferry system reneged on this promise and moved the Chenega to a Ketchikan-Wrangell route. Currently, the Aurora is being hubbed out of Cordova (although, unlike the fast ferry, the Aurora operates 24-hours a day, so it doesn’t have a crew that lives in its homeport thus denying that city the economic stimulus of additional residents/jobs. This is the primary motive for the especially rancorous uproar from Cordova regarding the Chenega’s route placement) and operating principally between Cordova, Whittier, and Valdez with whistle stops (the ferry only stops if there are prior reservations) in Tatitlek and Chenega Bay. The Aurora’s amenities include a hot-food cafeteria, movie and forward observation lounges, and solarium. There are no cabins on the Aurora both because of its small size and the lack of demand due to its feeder route running times. The Aurora and the M/V LeConte are the only AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of Angoon, Kake, Pelican, Tenakee Springs, and two of the three vessels (the M/V Taku also was able to access this port) to serve Hoonah. This quality is due because of these vessels’ small sizes thus making them both vital assets for the ferry system and the residents of these rural villages although currently the Aurora is not being utilized for this unique capacity.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

CHENEGA

YEAR BUILT: 2005, by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1166054 CALL SIGN: WDC3629 L/B/D 220 x 59 x 18 GROSS/NET TONS: 1333/ 827 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 250/36 PROPULSION: diesel water jet SPEED: 34 knots NAME TRANSLATION: From the Chenega Glacier. It means “beneath the mountain” from the Alutiiq language.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: M/V Chenega is a fast ferry catamaran and the newest vessel in the Alaska Marine Highway System. The M/V Chenega was built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2004 and 2005 and came into service in the latter year. It is powered by four diesel engines and water jets for a service speed of 32 knots which is only matched in the Alaska Marine Highway by its older sister ship, the M/V Fairweather. The Chenega’s amenities include a small movie lounge, rear observation deck/solarium, and cafeteria (no kitchen, prepared food only). The Chenega ran into controversy from virtually the day it came into service. The Chenega had long been promised to service Prince William Sound year-round, and starting in the summer of 2005, however it came into service later than scheduled and the state of Alaska soon reneged on its promise for full-time Prince William Sound service and transferred the Chenega to its current route between Ketchikan and Petersburg with occasional stops in Wrangell for the winter. The new plan is to have the Chenega run this Southeast Alaska route in the winter and then transfer the ferry up to Prince William Sound in the summer. This is especially controversial because unlike feeder and mainline ferry vessels, the fast ferries only operate in the day thus their crews live in their homeports offering additional economic stimulus to its host community. Because of this, Cordova, the Chenega’s Prince William Sound home, was especially outraged after the decision to transfer the boat to Ketchikan. In the winter, the M/V Aurora takes the Chenega’s place running the Prince William Sound route.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Retired in 2017, and sold, 2021.

CHILKAT

YEAR BUILT: 1957, J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.

OFFICIAL NUMBER:273990 CALL SIGN: WH9501 Year Built: 1957 Service: Passenger L/B/D: 94 x 34 x 11 GROSS/NET TONS: 197 /134 PASSENGERS/AUTO: 59/15 PROPULSION: diesel SPEED:

NAME TRANSLATION: “salmon storehouse.”As with all Alaska ferries, the name comes from a glacier of the same name.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: The M/V Chilkat was the first ferry purpose built for what was to become the Alaska Marine Highway. Originally built to serve the Lynn Canal out of Juneau, she was built with a bow ramp that allowed her 59 passengers and 15 vehicles to offload on an unimproved beach as well as a dock. In 1948, Chilkoot Motorship Lines provided ferry service between Haines and Juneau using the M/V Chilkoot, a surplus WWII landing craft. The line provided weekly service carrying up to 14 vehicles with limited passenger accommodations. The cost of operating a single vessel proved too great for the company, and in 1951 they sold their assets to the Alaska Territorial Board of Road Commissioners, who continued to run the Chilkoot. The needs of the ferry service outgrew the Chilkoot, and the territorial government commissioned the construction of the Chilkat to replace her in 1957.

She became the first vessel of the Alaska Marine Highway when it was established in 1963.

Retired in 1988, and after being nearly abandoned for years, the ferry was purchased by Island Scallops, refurbished and used as processing boat. When the operation grew too large for the Chilkat, the company purchased the retired Washington State Ferry Rhododendron. The Chilkat was moved to Loveric’s Marina in Anacortes, Washington.

On 13 January 2021 during a windstorm, part of the dock at Loveric’s sank and several boats including the Chilkat drifted away. The Chilkat drifted as far down as the Guemes ferry dock, where it bumped into the dolphins. The former ferry began taking on water and rolled over and sank near the ferry dock. After spending two weeks at the bottom of Guemes Channel, the former ferry was raised on 27 January 2021, placed on a barge towed away for scrapping.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Scrapped.

CHILKOOT

NAME/FORMER NAME: a. LCT-6-1189 b. Chilkoot  YEAR BUILT: Laid down, 29 June 1944 at Bison Shipbuilding Corp, North Tonawanda, N.Y.

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 256099 CALL SIGN: WB6597 L/B/D: 100 x 32x 5 GROSS/NET TONS: 176/28 PROPULSION: diesel, 675 hp SPEED: 10 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: from the Chilkoot tribe. The name translates to “big fish.”

HISTORY: From the Alaska DOT website: In 1948, Haines residents Steve Homer, Ray and Gustav Gelotte set up a company named Chilkoot Motorship Lines and purchased the MV Chilkoot, an ex-US Navy landing craft. Their first year proved challenging, but they were able to haul the first bus north as one of the first charters over the highway to Anchorage. The Board of Road Commissioners supported Chilkoot Motorship Lines and provided funding for three wood ramps to be built at Tee Harbor, Haines, and Skagway. The ramps were in service at the beginning of 1949.

After a couple years of service, Chilkoot Motorship Lines faced bankruptcy. Due to snow levels closing the road to Haines between October and May 15 they were not able to operate year-round. They tried to secure contracts with mines in the winter months in order to be profitable; however, these contracts fell through. As news traveled that the service may be discontinued, the Territorial Government came forward and offered to purchase the business. After thoughtful consideration the owners decided to sell Chilkoot Motorship Lines to the territory of Alaska in June 1951.

The MV Chilkoot soon proved to be too small. On April 18, 1957 the MV Chilkat began daily service between Juneau, Haines and Skagway. On January 3, 1959 Alaska became the 49th state, making MV Chilkat the first state-owned ferry. The first Alaska Legislature meeting in 1959 approved the Alaska Ferry Transportation Act. That same year, voters approved bond issues totaling $18 million to expand the ferry fleet. These bonds enabled the state to commission four new vessels and build docks throughout Southeast Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula.

FINAL DISPOSITION: No record after 1959.

COLUMBIA

BUILT/REBUILT: 1974, Lockheed Shipbuilding, Seattle. Designed by Philip Spaulding

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 557340 CALL SIGN:  WYR2092 L/B/D:  418 x 85 x 24  GROSS/NET TONS: 3946/2683 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 499/134  PROPULSION: Two V 12 Enterprises 9,000 + hp, each. SPEED: 17.3 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: from the Columbia glacier, a glacier in Prince William Sound on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world and has been retreating since the early 1980s. It was named after Columbia University, one of several glaciers in the area named for elite U.S. colleges by the Harriman Alaska Expedition in 1899.

HISTORY:

From Wikipedia: The M/V Columbia is a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Constructed in 1974 by Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle, Washington, the M/V Columbia has been the flagship vessel for the Alaska ferry system for over 36 years. As a mainline ferry, which means it serves the largest of the inside passage communities (such as Ketchikan, Wrangell, Alaska Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, Alaska, Skagway, Alaska and Sitka), its route spans the entirety of the inside passage, often beginning runs in Bellingham, Washington and running to the northernmost Alaskan Panhandle community of Skagway stopping in communities along the way, during the summer season (winter services are operated by the MV Malaspina).

The Columbia has an upper deck between the main vehicle deck and the cabin deck with additional vehicle stowage accessed by two vehicle elevators capable of hoisting 19-foot vehicles with their passengers, and additional passenger cabins.

On July 2, 2006, an auxiliary engine room fire broke out on the Columbia temporarily impairing steering and propulsion on its northbound voyage from Bellingham in Seymour Narrows in Canadian waters. The ship motored to Duncan Bay, British Columbia for damage assessment before continuing on to Ketchikan’s Alaska Ship & Dry Dock for more extensive repairs.

Early on 15 August 2007, only two months before a scheduled overhaul, position number two connecting rod in the Columbia’s starboard engine experienced a bearing failure. To prevent catastrophic damage to the surrounding components the engine was secured. The 268 passengers were rerouted, and it was sent to Ketchikan, where it was originally planned to be repaired within the week. Soon it became apparent that it would require further work, and in a controversial decision the Marine Highway System chose to cancel all further summer voyages on the ship pending repairs. Nearly all the other ships in the fleet were rerouted to make up for the loss , and many passengers were urged to seek alternative travel means to help ease the pressure on the system.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

E.L. BARTLETT

YEAR BUILT/REBUILT: 1969, by Jeffboat Inc, Jeffersonville, Indiana, designed by Philip Spaulding

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 519816 CALL SIGN:  WY6244 L/B/D: 177 x 53.0 x 15 GROSS/NET TONS: 933/ 384 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 165/38 PROPULSION: diesel SPEED: 12 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: for Edward Lewis “Bob” Barlett, first Alaska State Senator.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: M/V EL Bartlett was a ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway servicing Prince William Sound. The 193-foot-long Bartlett was built for the Alaska Marine Highway System in 1968 by Jeffboat Inc. of Jeffersonville, Ind., for $3.25 million. It was retired in 2003 due to impending regulations which would have required substantial and expensive upgrades. It was sold on eBay in August 2003 to Lloyd Cannon, president of All Alaskan Seafoods and donated to the Seattle Maritime Academy.

FINAL DISPOSTION: She was sold by the Academy in 2018 and moved to Surrey, British Columbia, where she remains as of 2021, though she is likely to be scrapped soon.

FAIRWEATHER

YEAR BUILT: 2003, Derecktor Shipyards, Bridgeport, CT

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1148175 IMO NUMBER: 9265809 CALL SIGN: WDB5604

L/B/D: 220 x 59 x 18 GROSS/NET TONS: 1280/870 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 210/31

PROPULSION: diesel waterjet from 4x MTU 20V 4000 M73L engines SPEED: 34 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: from the Fairweather glacier, and shares its name with a mountain and cape. The mountain was named on May 3, 1778 by Captain James Cook, apparently for the unusually good weather encountered at the time.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : The M/V Fairweather is a fast ferry catamaran in the Alaska Marine Highway System.

It was built by Derecktor Shipyards in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2003 and 2004, and began service on June 8 of the latter year. It is powered by four diesel engines and water jets for a service speed of 36.5 knots which is only matched in the ferry system by its younger sister ship, the M/V Chenega.

The Fairweather’s highly anticipated entry into the ferry system, however, was plagued with problems. First a log was sucked into a water jet disabling one of four waterjets until the log was removed by divers during the evening maintenance period. Several months later, in December 2004, the Fairweather was then hit by a rogue wave en route to Juneau from Haines in Lynn Canal during a winter storm. The winds reported at Eldred Rock on that day exceeded 60 knots, a relatively common event on this route, and were outside of the vessel’s normal operational limits. The wave damaged the forward portion of the hull (center portion between the twin hulls well above the waterline) and the ferry was out of service for two weeks. Later, in 2005, labor negotiations put the boat out of service for a considerable amount of time. The variety of problems experienced by the Fairweather has garnered comparisons to the PacifiCat Series ferries that were unsuccessfully operated by the British Columbia ferry system. The most recent problems that have stricken the vessel have occurred to the vessel’s propulsion systems: The number one main engine was replaced as a warranty repair when improperly assembled exhaust system components came loose in the of the engine causing loose components to wear into the block resulting in a jacket water leakage into the exhaust system. All four main engines were repaired by machining the engine blocks and installing oversized liners to correct a corrosion problem in the cylinder liners’ upper landing area caused by incorrect jacket water coolant that was recommended by the engine manufacturer. All four reduction gears were removed for repairs: cracks on the bull gear and excessive bearing housing clearances.

Despite all repairs and modifications made to the ship’s engines, significant erosion continues and the State of Alaska has entered into a lawsuit against the builders and alleges that the engines do not meet the accepted design and warranty specifications. The Fairweather was originally planned to exclusively create a Sitka-Juneau high speed ferry link, with the ferry homeported in Sitka. However, the state changed its plans and decided to homeport the ferry in Juneau, creating an uproar in Sitka. Unlike mainline and feeder vessels that operate 24 hours a day, the Fairweather (and Chenega) are day boats only, thus offering a complement of jobs and economic stimulus to whichever community homeports the boat. Eventually the Fairweather’s planned route was changed again to serve the Lynn Canal (Haines and Skagway route four days a week and Sitka-Juneau three days a week). This route was used throughout 2004 and the summer season of 2005. However, the state decided to change the ferry’s route again for the winter 2005 schedule and run the Fairweather on an exclusive Juneau-Petersburg route. This is coordinated with the M/V Chenega running a dedicated Ketchikan-Wrangell-Petersburg route to effectively create a marine link between Ketchikan and Juneau in the winter season. Since 2006, the Fairweather has returned to serving Haines, Skagway, and Sitka from its port in Juneau.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Fairweather and the Alaska Marine Highway System in general have always been subsidized by the State of Alaska. In 2009, one official commented that ticket sales on Fairweather did not even cover her fuel costs. State funding for the ferry system peaked in the 2012 fiscal year at $111.2 million and was gradually reduced to $56 million in 2020, in part forced by a reduction in state tax revenues from oil extraction. Passenger traffic on the ferry system fell from 350,000 in 1998 to 251,000 in 2018, as more travelers opted for air travel. Car and truck traffic on the ferries remained stable.  All of these factors put Fairweather at a disadvantage. Her high speed could not compete with airlines and produced higher operating costs than traditional ferries. Her high speed came at the sacrifice of carrying heavy loads, leaving her with more limited capacity for cars and trucks than traditional ferries.

In late 2006, the Alaska Marine Highway System began a study for a new Lynn Canal ferry. This ultimately resulted in the construction of two Alaska-class ferries, M/V Tazlina and M/V Hubbard. In 2019 the Alaska Marine Highway System replaced Fairweather with M/V Tazlina on the Juneau-Skagway-Haines route. While Tazlina requires twice as long to complete the round-trip as Fairweather, she can carry 53 cars instead of 31, and the state expects to save $400,000 per year in fuel costs. In October 2019 the State of Alaska issued a public notice seeking a broker to sell Fairweather.

The Alaska Marine Highway System vessels Fairweather and Chenega were sold on March 10^th, 2021, for a combined $5.17 million to Servicios y Concesiones Maritimas Ibicencas S.A. of Ibiza, Spain, according to Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. The Chenega sold for $3.11 million and the Fairweather for $2.06 million.

HUBBARD

YEAR BUILT: 2019, Vigor Shipyards, Ketchikan AK

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1295273 IMO NUMBER:  CALL SIGN: WDK5676

L/B/D: 280 x 67 x 14 GROSS/NET TONS: 2522/1654 PASSENGERS/AUTOS:300/53

PROPULSION: 2 ea. @ 3000 BHP Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) SPEED: 17 knots.

NAME TRANSLATION: The MV Hubbard is named after the Hubbard Glacier is a tidewater glacier located of the coast of Yakutat in the Gulf of Alaska. The glacier takes its name from Gardiner Greene Hubbard (August 25, 1822 – December 11, 1897) was an American lawyer, financier, and community leader. He was a founder and first president of the National Geographic Society; a founder and the first president of the Bell Telephone Company which later evolved into AT&T, at times the world’s largest telephone company; a founder of the journal Science, and an advocate of oral speech education for the deaf.

HISTORY:

From the Alaska Marine Highway :  The vessel was designed by Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle, Washington and constructed at Vigor Shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska. The MV Hubbard is the second Alaska Marine Highway ferry built in Alaska, along with its sister ship the MV Tazlina. The MV Hubbard is currently still under construction and is scheduled to enter service as a day boat in Prince William Sound in the summer of 2020, providing service to the communities of Whittier, Cordova and Valdez.

The MV Hubbard is 280 feet long, seats up to 300 passengers and carries 53 standard vehicles. The MV Hubbard’s onboard amenities include observation lounges with comfortable chairs, a covered heated solarium, a cafeteria-style restaurant, a children’s play area and a quiet room. Click on the image to start a slideshow of all deck plans on the MV Hubbard or view our Vessel Information Table for more statistical information.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Laid up, 2021.

KENNICOTT

YEAR BUILT: 1998, by the Halter Marine Group in Gulfport, Mississippi,

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1063644 CALL SIGN: WCY2920 L/B/D:382/85/18 GROSS/NET TONS:  9978/7354 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 748/80 PROPULSION: diesel, 12,350 hp SPEED: 17 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: Kennicott Glacier is a glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It trends southeast 43 km (27 mi) from Mount Blackburn to its terminus at the head of the Kennicott River in the Wrangell Mountains.[1] It is located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park near the small town of McCarthy, Alaska and the historic ghost town of Kennecott, Alaska.

It was named in 1899 by geologist Oscar Rohn of the United States Geological Survey for Robert Kennicott, pioneer Alaska explorer and director of the scientific corps of the Western Union Telegraph Expedition in 1865.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: M/V Kennicott is a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Constructed in 1998 by the Halter Marine Group in Gulfport, Mississippi, the Kennicott has been one of the most vital vessels to the Alaska ferry system since its inception. It is nine-deck, ocean certified vessel and is also able to serve as a command and logistics vessel in the event of disaster or oil spill. The ferry system, taking advantage of her ocean-going status, sends the vessel on a monthly trans-Gulf of Alaska (“cross-gulf”) voyage beginning in Juneau and concluding in Kodiak. On this voyage, the Kennicott is able to provide service to the isolated Gulf of Alaska community of Yakutat and is the only vessel to do so. The cross-gulf voyages are very popular and quite often sold out. The Kennicott and the Tustumena are the Alaska Marine Highway’s only accredited ocean-going vessels. The Kennicott also serves as a mainline relief ferry in the event other ferries are out of service.

The Kennicott’s amenities include a hot-food cafeteria; cocktail lounge and bar; solarium; forward, aft, movie, and business lounges; gift shop; 51 four-berth cabins; and 58 two-berth cabins. The aft portion of the Kennicott appears bloated because there is an external car elevator built into the superstructure. The elevator is used in ports without roll-on ramps allowing service to ordinary docks. Tustumena is the only other ferry with this feature.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

LeCONTE

YEAR BUILT: 1973 Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 555601 CALL SIGN: WEZ4270 L/B/D: 217 x 57 x 19

GROSS/NET TONS:1321/ 566 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 250/34 PROPULSION: Two EMD 645F7B 2,550 hp each 4,300 hp SPEED: 14.5 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: for the LeConte glacier a 21-mile (34 km) and 1-mile (1.6 km) glacier in the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows southwest to the head of LeConte Bay. It was named in 1887 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant-Commander Charles M. Thomas in honor of a California biologist Joseph LeConte.

HISTORY:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The MV LeConte is a feeder vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System, built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1973 and commissioned in 1974 by Alaska’s ferry system. The LeConte is the older sister ship to M/V Aurora, and both serve as feeder vessels that pick-up passengers in small communities such as Hoonah and take them to larger regional communities (this process is colloquially known as the “milk run”).

In the case of the LeConte, it primarily serves in the northern portion of the Alaskan Panhandle in between Sitka and Juneau, but it also occasionally ventures all through Southeast Alaska as well, however, in a highly controversial and political change, the LeConte was turned into a day boat operated exclusively out of Juneau, cutting service to the community of Pelican, and cutting service to the hub of Sitka, home of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Center, a hospital that solely serves the Native Alaskan community, the primary demographic of the LeConte’s ports of call.

The LeConte, in the summer of 2005 made a number of stops in Bartlett Cove, which is one of the gateways of Glacier Bay National Park.

The LeConte’s amenities include a hot-food cafeteria, movie and forward observation lounges, and solarium. There are no cabins on the LeConte both because of its small size and the lack of demand due to its feeder route running times. The LeConte and the M/V Aurora are the only AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of Angoon, Pelican, Tenakee Springs, and two of the three vessels to serve Hoonah and Kake. This quality is due because of these vessels’ small sizes thus making them both vital assets for the ferry system and the residents of these rural villages.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

LITUYA

YEAR BUILT: 2004, Conrad Shipyards in Morgan City, Louisiana

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1148179 CALL SIGN:  WDB6180 L/B/D: 165/50/15 GROSS/NET TONS: 97/66 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 123/15 PROPULSION: Caterpillar 3508 B diesel engines rated at 1000 hp SPEED: 12 knots

NAME TRANSLATION:  All Alaska Marine Highway ferries are named after Alaskan glaciers. Lituya is named for the Lituya Glacier near Lituya Bay. She received her name through an essay contest for Metlakatla grade-school children. Second-grader Josiah Milne won the contest for suggesting the name in 2003. It is a Tlingit word,  Ltu.aa, meaning ‘lake within the point’

HISTORY: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The state of Alaska issued contracts for a ferry dock at Metlakatla in 1973. The town was originally served by Alaska Marine Highway System ferry M/V Chilkat. The terminal was later modified for use by M/V LeConte and M/V Aurora instead.  During the summer there were several stops a week, but in the winter, the town had one ferry visit per week. Metlakatla residents argued for daily service, so that people could commute to work in Ketchikan. The state of Alaska issued a request for proposals for the design of a Metlakatla ferry on May 30, 2000. The Alaska Legislature appropriated $3 million for a new ferry and $880,000 for a new ferry terminal for it to dock at as part of the state’s 2001 budget.

Lituya was designed by Coastwise Engineering of Juneau, Alaska in 2001. She was built by Conrad Shipyards in Morgan City, Louisiana, which won the contract in November 2002.  She was christened In Morgan City on December 13, 2004 by Carolyn Leman, wife of Alaska Lieutenant Governor Loren Leman.  Her contract price was $9.5 million.

Lituya is 181 feet (55 m) long, with a beam of 50 feet (15 m), and a full-load draft of 12 feet (3.7 m). Her displacement is 647 long tons. Her gross tonnage calculated under international rules is 758, while her U.S. register tonnage is 97. Her hull is constructed of welded steel plates.

For propulsion, Lituya has two Caterpillar 3508 B diesel engines rated at 1000 hp. These drive two three-bladed fixed-pitch propellers which are 6 feet (1.8 m) in diameter. Electrical power aboard is provided by a Caterpillar 3304generator which is rated at 105 kW. Her 200 hp bow thruster is powered by a Caterpillar 3406 C engine which can also be used as a back-up electrical generator.[13] She cruises at 11.5 knots, at which speed she burns 55 gallons of diesel fuel per hour.[12]

Lituya has an open vehicle deck with 300 feet (91 m) of lanes which can accommodate 15 standard-sized vehicles. The open vehicle deck saves money by reducing various regulatory requirements and allows for over-height vehicles, but users dislike having their cars covered in salt spray. She has a passenger capacity of 125. She is intended for day use only on her short route so there are no crew quarters or passenger staterooms. There is no food service aboard.

She normally sails with a crew of 5.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

MALASPINA

YEAR BUILT/REBUILT: 1963/1972 Lockheed Shipbuilding Yards in Seattle, WA/ Willamette Iron and Steel Company, Portland OR

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 290288 CALL SIGN: WI6803 L/B/D: 408/74/17 GROSS/NET TONS: 2928/1253 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 500/88 PROPULSION: diesel, 8,000 hp SPEED: 17 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: The Malaspina Glacier in southeastern Alaska is the largest piedmont glacier in the world. Situated at the head of the Alaska Panhandle, it is about 65 km (40 mi) wide and 45 km (28 mi) long, with an area of some 3,900 km2 (1,500 sq mi). It is named in honor of Alessandro Malaspina, a Tuscan explorer in the service of the Spanish Navy, who visited the region in 1791.

HISTORY: From the H. W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest 1966 to 1975., p.116.by Gordon Newell:

Malaspina, 352-foot Alaska state ferry, fitted with a new midsection at Swan Island, Portland, giving her a length of 408 feet and accommodations for 750 passengers and 134 passenger vehicles, the $6 million modernization including a heated upper deck solarium for better viewing of the majestic scenery on her Marine Highway voyages from Seattle to Skagway. Events of 1972

 From Wikipedia: M/V Malaspina, colloquially known as the Mal, is a mainline ferry and the original Malaspina-class vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System. The Malaspina is nearly identical to its sister ship, the M/V Matanuska. Designed by Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, constructed in 1963 by the Lockheed Shipbuilding Yards in Seattle, Washington and elongated in 1972 at the Willamette Iron and Steel Company in Portland, Oregon, the M/V Malaspina has been in the ferry system for over forty years.

 As a mainline ferry, it serves the larger of the inside passage communities (such as Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka), its route spans the entirety of the inside passage, beginning runs in either Bellingham, Washington or Prince Rupert, British Columbia and running to the northernmost Alaskan Panhandle community of Skagway. Beginning in the late 1990s, the Malaspina has mostly operated during the summer months as a in the upper Lynn Canal, making daily roundtrips between Juneau and Skagway with stops in Haines, Alaska. The Malaspina’s amenities include a hot-food cafeteria; cocktail lounge and bar; solarium; forward, aft, movie, and business lounges; gift shop (closed in 2014 in a cost saving measure); 54 four-berth cabins; and 29 two-berth cabins.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Mothballed since 2019.

MATANUSKA

BUILT/REBUILT: 1963, Puget Sound Bridge and Dry Dock ,Seattle, WA/ 1977 at the Willamette Iron and Steel Company in Portland, OR

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 291533 CALL SIGN: WN4201 L/B/D: 408/74/17 GROSS/NET TONS: 3029/1235 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 500/88 PROPULSION: 2 x EMD 16-710 G7C-T3 Diesel engines SPEED: 17 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: All Alaska Marine Highway System ships are named after glaciers. Matanuska is named for the Matanuska Glacier in the Chugach Mountains. Governor Egan announced the new name on September 4, 1962. The English place name Matanuska derives from a Russian term spelled in various ways, including “Matanooski” and “Mednoviska”, and meaning “copper river people”, perhaps referring to an implied route from Cook Inlet to the Copper River.

HISTORY:

From Wikipedia: In 1959, as Alaska became a state, one of the top priorities of its coastal residents was improved ferry service. As early as February 1960 bills were introduced in the new state legislature to create a ferry authority. Alaska voters approved a $23 million bond issue in November 1960 to fund a state ferry system. Seattle naval architect Philip F. Spaulding was consulted by Governor William A. Egan as to what types of ships should be built  and in May 1961 his firm was hired to design the first ships built for the new state system, Matanuska, and her sister-ships M/V Malaspina, and M/V Taku.

Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company of Seattle won the contract to build the three ships with a low-bid of $10,445,000. Matanuska’s keel was laid on July 6, 1962 in the same graving dock from which Taku was launched just a few days before. She was the last built of the three sister-ships.[6] The ship was launched on December 5, 1962. She was christened by Anne Lewellen, wife of Alaska Marine Transportation Division Director Bafford E. Lewellen. George N. Hayes, Alaska attorney general, was the principal speaker at the ceremony.[7] Matanuska completed her sea trials in May 1963 and was turned over to her new owners. She left Seattle for Alaska on June 7, 1963.

The ship is 408 feet (124 m) long with a beam of 74 feet (23 m), and a fully-loaded draft of 16 ft 11.625 in (5.2 m). She displaces 5,569 long tons. Her gross tonnage calculated under international rules is 9,214, while her U.S. register gross tonnage is 3,029. At the time of their launch, the three sister-ships were the largest U.S.-flagged motorized ferries.

Matanuska can carry 450 passengers. She has 106 passenger staterooms with berths for 243. These are divided into 79 two-berth, 21 three-berth, 5 four-berth, and 1 wheelchair-accessible cabins. Passengers without a stateroom may use coin-operated lockers to stow their luggage, and public showers. She has a cafeteria, solarium, children’s play area, and observation lounge. Her vehicle deck has 1,675 feet (511 m) of lanes which can accommodate 83 standard-sized vehicles.

The ship cruises at 16.5 knots, at which speed she burns 234 gallons of fuel per hour. She has two Electro-Motive Diesel 16-710 G7C-T3 engines, each rated at 3,999 hp, which she uses for propulsion. This is the third set of main engines with which Matanuska has been equipped. In 2018 they replaced two MaK 9M453B 3,620 hp engines, which were installed in 1985. Her original engines were manufactured by the Enterprise Engine & Foundry division of General Metals Corporation. She has two four-bladed variable-pitch propellers, and a bow thruster to improve maneuverability.

Matanuska normally sails with a crew of 48. There are crew quarters aboard so the ship can embark multiple watches for longer trips.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

TAKU

BUILT: 1963 by the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company in Seattle, Washington

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 290756 CALL SIGN: WI9491 L/B/W: 317 x74 x 23 Depth: 24 GROSS/NET TONS: 2625/1494 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 370/69 PROPULSION: Two 4,000 hp MaK Diesel engines SPEED: 17 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: Taku Glacier (Lingít: T’aaḵú Ḵwáan Sít’i) is a tidewater glacier located in Taku Inlet in the U.S. state of Alaska, just southeast of the city of Juneau. Recognized as the deepest and thickest alpine temperate glacier known in the world, the Taku Glacier is measured at 4,845 feet (1,477 m) thick. It is about 58 kilometres (36 mi) long, and is largely within the Tongass National Forest. The glacier was originally named Schultze Glacier in 1883 and the Foster Glacier in 1890, but Taku, the name the local Tlingit natives had for the glacier, eventually stuck. It is nestled in the Coast Mountains and originates in the Juneau Icefield. It is the largest glacier in the icefield and one of the southernmost tidewater glaciers of the northern hemisphere. One account of its name is that “Taku” is the Tlingit language word for “salmon” but the Taku Tlingit name for themselves T’aaku Kwáan translates as “Geese Flood Upriver Tribe”” There are also two kwaans of the Tlingit people inland in British Columbia, the Áa Tlein Kwáan (“Big Lake Tribe”, today organized as the Taku River Tlingit First Nation) and the Deisleen Kwáan (“Big Sinew Tribe”, today organized as the Teslin Tlingit Council); the territory of the former includes those areas of the Taku basin in British Columbia.

HISTORY:

M/V Taku is a Malaspina-class mainline vessel built for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Designed by Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, constructed in 1963 by the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company in Seattle, Washington, the M/V Taku is named after Taku Glacier which is located just southeast of Juneau, Alaska and has been in the ferry system for over forty years. In 1981, the Taku received a major refurbishment and was in service steadily until the summer of 2015 when she was laid up due to budget considerations. The AMHS subsequently announced that it would retire the vessel in preparation for sale or scrapping.

As a mainline ferry, Taku served the larger of the inside passage communities (such as Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka), its route primarily stayed between Ketchikan and Skagway in Southeast Alaska.

The M/V Taku was the largest of the three AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of Hoonah and Kake and because of this served as a critical component of providing transportation out of Hoonah and Kake after the “milk run” ferry, the M/V LeConte hit a rock and went into dry dock.

The Taku’s amenities included a hot-food cafeteria; bar; solarium; forward, aft, recliner, movie, and business lounges; gift shop; 8 four-berth cabins; and 36 two-berth cabins.

Accidents and Incidents

On April 23rd, 1963 the Taku struck a rock outside Petersburg in a minus tide. She returned to service on May 3rd.[1]

On August 8th, 1963 two boys entered the wheelhouse when the Taku was preparing to leave Petersburg and engaged the engines. The resulting damage to the dock left the vehicle loading ramp out of commission for three months.

On July 29th, 1970, the Taku ran aground on Kinihan Island, outside of Prince Rupert, Canada. All passengers on board were evacuated safely, and the cars were transferred to the BC Ferry MV Queen of Prince Rupert 

FINAL DISPOSITION: The ship has been retired and was sold to a Dubai-based company for $171,000. The owner sought to sell the ferry internationally, and was unsuccessful, and it was last seen beached in Alang, India, to be scrapped, 21 April 2018.

TAZLINA

YEAR BUILT: 2018, Vigor Shipyards, Ketchikan AK

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1290456 IMO NUMBER:  CALL SIGN: WDJ8361

L/B/D: 280 x 67 x 14 GROSS/NET TONS: 2522/1654 PASSENGERS/AUTOS:300/53

PROPULSION: 2 ea. @ 3000 BHP Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) SPEED: 17 knots.

NAME TRANSLATION: The MV Tazlina is named after the Tazlina Glacier located 43 miles north of Valdez. Traced to the Ahtna language, “tezlina”, meaning “swift river.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: MV Tazlina is a ferry operated by the Alaska Marine Highway System. She began serving Southeast Alaska Communities in 2019.

In late 2006, the Alaska Marine Highway System began a study for a new Lynn Canal ferry. A number of different concepts were explored over the years and succeeding governors had different ideas for new ferries. In 2010 the Alaska legislature appropriated $60 million for the first “Alaska”-class ferry. This was to be matched by $68 million of federal funding. Later in 2010 Governor Sean Parnell made the decision to forgo any federal funding of the ferry, opting instead to give the contract to an Alaskan firm in order to bring jobs to the state and stimulate the local shipbuilding industry. The legislature backed the governor, appropriating an additional $60 million for the ferry in 2011 to make up for lost federal funding.  In April 2012 the Alaska Department of Transportation contracted with Alaska Ship and Drydock, later acquired by Vigor Industrial, to assist in the design of the ship with the expectation that it would bid on its construction at the shipyard it managed in Ketchikan.

By the end of 2012 cost estimates for the proposed 350 feet (110 m) vessel significantly exceeded the $120 million that had been appropriated. Governor Parnell ordered a halt to the project and redirected the effort towards two smaller, cheaper day-use vessels. The Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle, Washington delivered a preliminary design study for the smaller day boat Alaska-class ferries in the summer of 2013 and a final design in 2014. Based on this design, a request for proposal was sent to Vigor Alaska on August 1, 2014. Negotiations between the state and Vigor resulted in a contract signing on October 16, 2014 for the construction of two ferries for a guaranteed maximum price of $101,513,651.

Tazlina’s keel was laid in a ceremony attended by Governor Bill Walker on December 13, 2014. The vessel was built as 23 prefabricated modules that were assembled into the ship. She was the first Alaska ferry and the largest vessel ever built in the state. She was launched on May 16, 2018 with little fanfare. The public ceremony came on August 11, 2018 when she was christened in Ketchikan by former Alaska First Lady Donna Walker.

She cruises at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph), at which speed she burns 250 gallons of diesel fuel per hour. Her maximum speed is 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph). She has two Electro-Motive Diesel 12-710G7CT3 engines which produce 3,000 brake horsepower (2,200 kW) each. They drive two four-bladed variable-pitch propellers which are 8.5 feet (2.6 m) in diameter. The ship also has a bow thruster. Electrical power on the ship is provided by three Caterpillar C-18 generators capable for producing 500 kW (670 hp) each. Her tanks hold 49,900 US gallons (189,000 l) of diesel fuel and 18,000 US gallons (68,000 l) of potable water.

She has a vehicle deck with 850 feet (260 m) of lanes which can accommodate 53 standard-sized vehicles. She has a single passenger deck which can carry 300 passengers. The passenger deck is equipped with a cafeteria, solarium, quiet room, and children’s play area. Tazlina was built as a day boat, so she has no crew quarters for overnight accommodation or passenger staterooms. She normally carries a crew of 14.[11]

All Alaska Marine Highway Ferries are named after glaciers. Tazlina’s namesake is the Tazlina glacier. She received her name in 2016 through an essay contest for Alaska school children. Seventh-grader Malea Voran of Port Alsworth nominated Tazlina because it is an Athabaskan word for “swift river”, which she thought appropriate for the ferry.

Tazlina made her maiden voyage on May 7, 2019 from Juneau to Haines. Her regular schedule during the 2019 summer season was to sail from Juneau to Haines to Skagway and back to Haines where she spent the night. The crew went ashore and stayed in a hotel. The next day Tazlina reversed her route and returned to Juneau. She was scheduled to complete this round-trip three times a week. Tazlina replaced M/V Fairweather on this route.

Tazlina and the rest of the Alaska Marine Highway System was idled when ferry workers struck on July 24, 2019. A settlement was reach and she returned to service on August 4, 2019. She was idled again at the end of the summer season but returned to service in Lynn Canal on November 22, 2019 as a replacement for two ferries with maintenance issues. She was idled again in mid-January for repairs and warranty work, returning to service on March 5, 2020.

The cost of Tazlina’s overnight crew accommodations in Haines during her summer 2019 runs exceeded budget by $400,000. This overnight stop was the result of the fact that Tazlina is too slow to complete a Juneau-Haines-Skagway-Juneau round-trip in a single 12-hour shift. U.S. Coast Guard regulations specify that ship crews can work no more than a 12-hour shift. The lack of quarters for a second crew on Tazlina effectively limits her to routes that can be completed in 12 hours or less. The Alaska Marine Highway System proposed to retrofit crew quarters into Tazlina and Hubbard. This would allow them to complete longer routes, but at a cost of over $30 million. The legislature appropriated almost $17 million to retrofit one of the ships, but Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed the appropriation in April 2020. Instead, the ship was scheduled for separate Juneau-Skagway and Juneau-Haines roundtrips during the summer of 2020.

In the face of state budget cuts and reduced ridership due to Covid-19, Tazlina did not sail during the summer 2020 season. As of August 2020, Tazlina remained idle, moored at the Auke Bay ferry terminal.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Laid up, 2021.

TUSTUMENA

BUILT/REBUILT: 1964/69 Christy Corporation in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin/ San Francisco CA

OFFICIAL NUMBER:  295172 CALL SIGN: WNGW L/B/D: 296/56/14 GROSS/NET TONS: 2174/898 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 211/36 PROPULSION: diesel, 5,100 hp SPEED: 14 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: The Tustumena Glacier is a glacier located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. The Tustumena Glacier begins in the Harding Icefield and makes its way down west for about 20 miles (32 km) until its terminus roughly 5 miles (8.0 km) before Tustumena Lake. The glacier is retreating due to global warming. Tustumena is actually a mispronunciation of the native people’s name for the lake. Originally called “Dusdubena,” the name means “Lake with the Peninsula.” “Dusdu” from the local Athabascan Dena’ina dialect means peninsula and refers to Tustumena Lake’s Caribou Island.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: M/V Tustumena is a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Tustumena was constructed in 1963 by Christy Corporation in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and refurbished in 1969 in San Francisco. As the only mainline ferry in South-central Alaska and the Aleutian Chain, it principally runs between Kodiak, Seldovia, Port Lions, and Homer with Homer providing a road link to the other communities on the Kenai Peninsula. The only interruptions from this schedule occur when making a voyage out the Aleutian Chain (the Aleutian Chain run consists of the communities of Akutan, Chignik, Cold Bay, False Pass, King Cove, Sand Point, and Unalaska/Dutch Harbor) which the vessel undergoes eight times a year all of which occur during the summer as winter weather becomes too dangerous.

Because of the exposed and unstable parts of Alaska it plies, the Tustumena is an accredited ocean-going vessel, a quality it shares exclusively with the Kennicott. As such, the Tustumena is replaced by the M/V Kennicott when it undergoes annual maintenance.

The Tustumena is the smallest AMHS vessel to have cabins. The Tustumena’s amenities include a full-service dining room; cocktail lounge and bar (which is now closed; there is wine and beer service at meals); solarium; forward, aft, movie, and business lounges; eight four-berth cabins and 18 two-berth cabins. The large black structure on the aft portion of the vessel is a car elevator. It is used in all communities where there is not a dedicated ramp loading directly into the car deck. While the car elevator for the Tustumena is exposed on the exterior, the Kennicott car elevator is located inside the vessel.

In the fall of 2012, Tustumena went into scheduled maintenance at the dry-docks of Seward Alaska. Several found issues pushed her return from service from the original May 29th to a planned July 23rd, leaving the state without a ship available to do her run. The return to service was delayed twice more, due to the discovery of serious issues with the vessel’s steel and further delays at the shipyard. The ship missed the entire summer season and was not returned to service until October. Given the age of the vessel, and her extended time in dry-dock, the State is looking to find or build a replacement vessel, design work began in the fall of 2013  but was not completed until early 2016. The vessel is planned to be largely funded by the federally-funded Alaska Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan, and is not slated to begin construction before 2019.

In 2017, scheduled repairs once again revealed serious issues. It was found that the steel on the car deck needed to be replaced entirely and the vessel was delayed from returning to service. During the course of that work being done, rusted and pitted steel was also discovered in the engine room, and the vessel is not expected to return to service until mid-August, missing the bulk of the summer season. The M/V Kennicott is providing services between Homer and Seldovia and Kodiak on a limited schedule. A private carrier is providing freight service to the Aleutian islands but is not permitted for passenger transport.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2021.

WICKERSHAM

YEAR BUILT: 1967, A/S Langesunds Mek, in Sandefjord, Norway

NAME/PREVIOUS/LATER NAMES: a. Stena Britannica b. Wickersham c. Viking 6 d. Goelo e. Sol Olympia e. Sun Express f. Moby Dream g. Sardegna Bella

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 6717148 CALL SIGN: IBMZ  L/B/D: 363 x 61 x 17 GROSS/NET TONS:  6942/ 1144 PASSENGER/AUTOS: 1300/220  PROPULSION: diesel, SPEED: 22 knots

NAME TRANSLATION:  Named for James Wickersham (August 24, 1857 – October 24, 1939) was a district judge for Alaska, appointed by U.S. President William McKinley to the Third Judicial District in 1900. He resigned his post in 1908 and was subsequently elected as Alaska’s delegate to Congress, serving until 1917 and then being re-elected in 1930. He was instrumental in the passage of the Organic Act of 1912, which granted Alaska territorial status, introduced the Alaska Railroad Bill, legislation to establish McKinley Park, and the first Alaska Statehood Bill in 1916. He was among those responsible for the creation of the Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines, which later became the University of Alaska. A residence hall on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus is named in his honor.

HISTORY: From Wikipedia: MV Wickersham was a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway.

Wickersham was the second vessel, after the MV Chilkat, in the Alaska Marine Highway fleet to not have been constructed specifically for AMHS, but was rather acquired for from the Stena Line, where it was known as the Stena Britannica and served the Kiel, Germany–Gothenburg, Sweden route. Constructed just one year prior to its purchase by AMHS in April 1968, her arrival and status as an “oceangoing” vessel allowed AMHS to expand the southern terminus of its route system south to Washington and the Port of Seattle.

Due to the Passenger Services Act and laws of cabotage, however, the Wickersham could only undergo its Washington-Alaska voyages with an intermediate stop in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Further complicating her service was her complicated bow unloading system which was only compatible with AMHS ports in Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka, in addition to the ports of Seattle and Prince Rupert. Her large size and draft which served her well in the turbulent waters of Dixon Entrance and other exposed portions of the Alaska-Washington voyage, were too great to slip through passages of water such as Peril Strait en route to Sitka, which forced her to approach Sitka from the outer coast of Baranof Island and through the Pacific Ocean.

With the debut of the Columbia, the marine highway’s new flagship vessel, in 1974, the Wickersham was sold to the Finland-based Rederi Ab Sally as the Viking 6, where she sailed from Stockholm to Helsinki under the Viking Line brand.

She later became the Goelo for Brittany Ferries (1980-82), then Sol Olympia for Sol Lines (1982-85), then Sun Express for the Viking Line (1985-86), Moby Dream for Sardegna Lines, (1986-1994) and Sardegna Bella for the same company, 1994-2001.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Scrapped 2001.

ALASKA INTER-ISLAND FERRIES

NAME:  Prince of Wales

YEAR BUILT: 2001, Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, WA

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1118890 CALL SIGN: WDG2845

L/B/D: 173 x 53x 17 GROSS/NET TONS: 2309/1083 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 160/30

PROPULSION: two Caterpillar 3512B Diesel engines 1500 hp each SPEED: 15 knots

NAME TRANSLATION:  from Prince of Wales Island, which was so named for the Prince of Wales by George Vancouver.  The Tlingit name for the island is Taan, meaning “sea lion”.

YEAR BUILT: 2006, Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 1179851 CALL SIGN: WDC8583 PROPULSION: two Caterpillar 3512 Diesel engines which generate 1,500 hp each SPEED: 15 knots

L/B/D: 173 x 53 x 17 GROSS/NET TONS:2334/918 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 190/30

NAME TRANSLATION: The name in Coast Tsimshian dialect is Stikʼiin and is a name for the Tahltan people who live up in the river’s interior. They, Tsimshian-Nisga, named the river after the people who lived on it. The BC Names branch, however, say its Tlingit meaning is “great river” or “the definitive, or great river” as reported by Captain Rowan of the Boston trader Eliza in 1799.

HISTORY: From the Alaska Interisland Ferry website: The Inter-Island Ferry Authority was formed in 1997 in recognition of the need for improved transportation to island communities in southern Southeast Alaska.

The Prince of Wales Island communities of Craig, Klawock, Thorne Bay and Coffman Cove joined in a coalition with Wrangell and Petersburg to create the IFA, which is a public corporation organized under Alaska’s Municipal Port Authority Act. The IFA development plan includes both the Hollis-Ketchikan and Coffman Cove-Wrangell-Petersburg passenger/vehicle ferry routes. Alaska Department of Transportation support for both routes was received in 1998. Alaska’s Congressional Delegation secured funding for the two planned IFA vessels.

The MV Prince of Wales inaugurated daily scheduled service between Hollis-Ketchikan-Hollis in January 2002. A sister vessel, the M/V Stikine provides round-trip service from Coffman Cove to Wrangell and Petersburg. Service of the new northern route will be each Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. IFA ferries connect with vessels of the Alaska Marine Highway System at Ketchikan, Wrangell and Petersburg. For AMHS schedules and rates visit www.FerryAlaska.com.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Both vessels in service, 2021.