Spokane

SPOKANE

CLASS: Jumbo

BUILT/REBUILT: 1972/2003, Todd Shipyard, Seattle WA

OFFICIAL NUMBER: 544785 CALL SIGN: WYX2004

L/B/D: 440 x 87 x 16 GROSS/NET TONS: 3245/1198 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 2000/188

PROPULSION: 4 EMD 16 710 G7 diesels SPEED: 18 knots

NAME TRANSLATION: Eastern Washington Native American tribe: “children of the sun” or “sun people.” A city, county and river are also named after the tribe.

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2024.

HISTORY

The “warm, comfortable colors” were harvest gold and orange. Upon arriving on Puget Sound, the interiors were derided by the public as being the worst in the fleet and that there wasn’t a comfortable seat on the ferry. The “teacup” seats were unquestionably uncomfortable and the arrangement made it nearly impossible to carry on a conversation.

For the first two decades of their life on Puget Sound, the Jumbos spent their days on the Winslow (Bainbridge Island)-Seattle route. In spite of the early grousing of commuters about the aesthetically unpleasing interior (which was justified to a large extent, including the very poorly laid out seating) the boats settled in to a very comfortable routine on the run.

The pluses certainly outweighed the minuses: the sun deck was (and continues to be) a popular place for commuters and tourists alike during the summer months, and the open, airy cabin was certainly welcomed.

In the 1990’s the Spokane‘s interior was overhauled. Allegedly part of the project was to test the materials to be use in vessel for materials for the Jumbo Mark II’s which were then on the drawing board. When the Spokane returned to service, it was to mixed reviews. Certainly, the new seats were far more comfortable than the teacup predecessors. The carpet, which had been nearly impossible to keep clean, was replaced with much more practical tile.

*Tangerine, tan, purple, black and teal. There’s no lack of color on the* Spokane. Photo by the author.

The color scheme, however, was a bit of a shock. The palette included an orange color that bordered somewhere between tangerine and apricot, black, tan, turquoise, brick red and most noticeable, purple. It was certainly a bold choice and very distinctive, but the wide use of colors had the ferry earning the somewhat dubious nickname of the “clown boat.”

Further improvements over the last few years have included the installation of an elevator, security system, WiFi and as of the summer of 2009, new exterior paint.

The former queen of the Winslow run was displaced by the newer and larger Tacoma and Wentachee. She moved one run north to the Kingston-Edmonds route where she is now assigned permanently, working alongside her near cousin, the M/V Puyallup.