Mount Vernon

One of the first ferries between Anacortes and Sidney, B.C., the little Mount Vernon spent a good part of her career in the San Juan Islands. Colorized, courtesy of WSHS.

MOUNT VERNON

BUILT: 1916, J.F. Duthie & Co, Seattle WA.

PREVIOUS/LATER NAMES: a. Robert Bridges, b. Mount Vernon

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 214903

L/B/D: 102 x 30 x 11 GROSS/NET TONNAGE: 168/114 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 120/8

NAME TRANSLATION: Named for the city; the town was named by E. C. English and Harrison Clothier in March of 1877 for George Washington’s estate on the Potomac River near Alexandria, Virginia.

FINAL DISPOSITION: Scrapped around 1953.

HISTORY

Built at the yards of J.F. Duthie & Co. for operation by the Port of Seattle on the West Seattle crossing (as Robert Bridges). In 1923 she was converted from steam to diesel and renamed Mount Vernon to take over the Anacortes-Sidney route from the Harvester King. In 1927, the Mount Vernon was assigned to the newly created Port Townsend-Keystone route. Sold to the Chuckanut-Interisland Ferry Company in 1939. She sailed the summer of 1941 between Orcas Island and Gooseberry Point, a service that was shut down after WWII started, never to restart.