ISSAQUAH (II)

CLASS: Issaquah

BUILT/REBUILT: 1979/1989, Marine Power & Equipment, Seattle, WA/

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 624022   CALL SIGN: WSD3625

L/B/D: 328 x 79 x 17 GROSS/NET TONS: 2469/1739 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 1200/124

PROPULSION: 2 GE 7 FDM-12 diesels, variable pitch propellers SPEED: 16 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: from the Samish/Snoqualmie Tribes, Lushoot dialect: “place of the Squak People”

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2024

HISTORY

Originally the plan was for three boats to look like the drawing below.  However, the state recalled the bid after the only bidder—a shipyard in Texas—came in 64% over the state’s cost of $36 million.

The plans were shelved. While there was some controversy to Marine Power and Equipment getting the contract to build the six ferries, what cannot be denied is that the Equitable design was nothing like what the state wanted.  The open deck vessel was not suitable to Washington waters, and the design harkened back to the old San Diego built some forty years earlier.

A year later the plan was resurrected.  The idea of being able to slice the boats up for expansion was dropped.  Instead, six boats would be built as inexpensively as possible.  To make each boat seem individual, slight changes in the color of the burlap wallpaper, paint on bulkhead walls and 
floor tile was done.  Given that there were six vessels, that gave the builders six different colors to work from.  As the boats began to appear, they were publicized as the “Rainbow Class” because of the different colors of each interior.

Unfortunately, the cheerful term for the class was not well received as the problems with them began to appear.  Reliability was thrown out the window within the first few months, and the boats were about as “plain Jane” and un-
rainbow like as you could get.   Even the foam rubber seats were too hard and quickly drew complaints for being nearly unbearable to sit upon for any length of time.

The name, not surprisingly, never stuck.  Overshadowed by the mechanical problems that at first plagued the class, the cutesy “rainbow” moniker quietly died.  Commuters were not taken in by a bit of tile and paint, and it was patently obvious that the vessels were virtually identical inside.  As
time went on the six ferries were referred to by first vessel in the fleet the “Issaquah Class” and the only place you’ll find them listed as the “Rainbow Class” are on very old postcards.

The Issy went into service in 1979.  Her “rainbow” color had been orange—a color that is no longer present anywhere on the boat.  As seen on the left, the Issaquah‘s shortcomings were painfully obvious.  This warped bulkhead was used as evidence as to the shoddy quality of construction—along with stair steps that were different sizes, paint slopped all over the place and peeling wallpaper—all evident within three months of service.

It took time to set the Issaquah Class right, but they are now some of the most reliable vessels in the fleet.

 The Issaquah was the first to be refurbished in the class and emerged from the yard with a far more comfortable interior than had previously been installed.  Different shades of blue and tan were used in the main cabin with touches of red in the redesigned galley.  Commuters familiar with the boring interior previously installed on the boat found themselves on a virtually new ferry.   A far more comfortable vessel, the Issaquah was now adorned with Native American artwork on cedar panels and framed historic photographs throughout the cabin.

The Issaquah spent her early years on the Bremerton run, but shifted around for a time in the 1980’s.  After being refurbished, she was shifted over the Southworth-Vashon-Fauntleroy run when added capacity was needed.  She’s been there for well over a decade now and is largely considered a “Vashon” ferry.

Her interior was redone in the early 1990’s as a test for materials for the Jumbo Mark II class and had started to wear out.  The Issaquah went in for refurbishment and emerged looking not unlike the Sealth, using darker blues which are less likely to show discoloration.

This ferry spent most of 2018 out of service for repairs to her steering system.  She returned to service in Summer 2019, working back at her usual route at Vashon Island.

The first Issaquah

ISSAQUAH (I)

BUILT: 1914, Anderson Shipyard, Houghton, Washington

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 211983 CALL SIGN: None listed

L/B/D:114 x 38 x 9 GROSS/NET TONS: 288/196 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 600/40

PROPULSION: twin steam engines, 125 hp each.

NAME TRANSLATION: from the Samish/Snoqualmie Tribes, Lushoot dialect: “place of the Squak People.” From the city of the same name.

HISTORY

(courtesy of Wikipedia)

Issaquah was built in 1914 by Capt. John L. Anderson at his shipyard on Lake Washington at Houghton, Washington. On launching, Issaquah slid down the shipway and then became stuck in the mud and had to be towed off. The vessel is reported to have been acquired by Anderson Steamboat Company at a cost of $33,571 in May 1914.

Captain Anderson was a prominent boatbuilder and steamboat operator on Lake Washington, and the Issaquah was the most elaborate vessel he had ever built. Issaquah was the first ferry built by a private owner in the Puget Sound region. Issaquah was also one of the first ferries in the region designed and constructed to transport automobiles. The upper deck included a hardwood dance floor which was used when the ferry was taken out on moonlight excursions.

Issaquah was placed on the route running from Leschi to Mercer Island and then to Newport. In 1891 the eastern terminus of this route connected to a road that ran to Lake Sammamish, Fall City, Preston, Issaquah, North Bend, and Snoqualmie, Washington. It is doubtful whether Issaquah ever carried the full licensed complement of automobiles when on Lake Washington.

In 1917, the private ferry owners on Lake Washington, which meant Captain Anderson as a practical matter, were undercut by competition from King County. Another problem was that all of the company’s docking facilities had to be reconstructed after the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1916 caused the level of the water in Lake Washington to be lowered by 9 feet (2.74 meters).

As a result of these difficulties, Anderson was forced to leave the private ferry business. On September 30, 1917, Issaquah ceased operations on Lake Washington. After being operated during the month of November 1917 by the Seattle Port Commission, the vessel was sold in early 1918 to the Rodeo-Vallejo Ferry Company, operating in northern San Francisco Bay.

The ferry departed from Houghton on May 30, 1918, having first been boarded up and loaded with cord wood for use as fuel. Issaquah steamed out to Neah Bay, where more wood was taken on and the ferry was taken in tow to San Francisco Bay. Two men stayed on Issaquah during the tow, keeping steam up and running the vessel’s propellers, as the tug was insufficiently powerful to accomplish the task alone. The ferry arrived in good condition and began service on the Carquinez Strait on July 4, 1918.

The ferry remained in service under the name Issaquah in the Vallejo-Martinez area until after World War II. After the Carquinez Bridge was completed in 1927, the ferry was shifted to the Mare Island routes from Vallejo, Martinez, and Benicia. In 1948 the ferry was purchased by D. J. Arques, owner of a Sausalito shipyard, for $1,000.

Issaquah can be seen in the 1965 Jimmy Stewart movie “Dear Brigitte” beached on the mud behind the Charles van Damme at the northern end of the Sausalito waterfront.

FINAL DISPOSITION: The ferry ended up abandoned on a mud flat in Sausalito, California.  In the 1970s the two pilot houses were salvaged from the mud flats and restored. They are the sole remnants of the vessel and as of 2011 are displayed as a museum attraction at 300 Napa Street, Sausalito, California.