_{The Chimacum arrives in Bremerton during the December 2021 snow storm. Photo courtesy of Graham Murphy.}

CLASS: Olympic

BUILT/REBUILT: 2017, Seattle, WA.

OFFICIAL NUMBER:  1266319 CALL SIGN: WDI5854

L/B/D: 362 x 82 x 18 GROSS/NET TONS: 3694/3070 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 1500/144

PROPULSION: 2 diesel engines SPEED: 15 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: Named after the tribe (now considered extinct and exact meaning unknown)

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service 2024

Of the four Olympic Class ferries, the Chimacum seems to have become the “hard luck” boat of the class. Since going into service on the Bremerton run, there have been a series of breakdowns and lengthy repairs that have sidelined the ferry for months at a time. The last took place in October 2023 she suffered an engine failure (broken piston rod) that took her out for months. Before that, she broke a reduction gear not long after entering service.

The biggest complaint, however, came from passengers, and it had to do with the glass the ferry has in its windows. The glass, coated in metal to allow light in and keep heat out, seemed to have the side effect of blocking cell phone and wifi signals in the passenger cabin. (Neither of which is great in Rich Passage anyway, which has noted “dead spots.”) A booster was added by the state, but it seems the problem still persists somewhat.

Since the pandemic and the reduction of service to just one boat, the Walla Walla has generally been sitting in for the Chimacum to give the run added capacity. As of April 2024, the ferry is sitting in on the Seattle-Bainbridge run while the Wenatchee undergoes conversion to a hybrid electric vessel.