WALLA WALLA

CLASS: Jumbo

BUILT: 1972, Todd Pacific Shipyard, Seattle, WA

OFFICIAL NUMBER:  546382 CALL SIGN: WYX2158

L/B/D: 440 x 87 x 16  GROSS/NET TONS: 3246/1198 PASSENGERS/AUTOS: 2000/188

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

NAME TRANSLATION: “Place of many waters.”

FINAL DISPOSITION: In service, 2024.

HISTORY

Other than the first four months of her first year in service, the Walla Walla has been a Central Sound ferry.  Working alongside her sister Spokane, the pair were the two ferries seen on the Seattle-Winslow route for decades, becoming the subject of countless postcards and quite often seen in “establishing Seattle” shots in motion pictures.      

Displaced over a decade ago by the Mark II class, the Walla Walla has spent most of her time either filling in for the Spokane when she is out for maintenance or working the Seattle-Bremerton run.

One of the last ferries to receive a complete interior upgrade, the Walla Walla had minor upgrades from her days of 1970’s orange.  The “teacup” seats had been reupholstered in blue and the gold carpet had been replaced with a gray-blue, which quickly stained.  A tile walkway was put in.  The “upgrade lite” extended the life of the interior, but at over 30 years of age, the original fittings were simply worn out and in need of replacement.

In 2005 the Wally went into the yard for major work including new engines, security upgrades and a much-needed interior upgrade.  Returning to service late in 2005 the ferry looked like a new vessel.  Redesigned in shades of green and tan, the interior looks bright and modern.  Use of art glass panels added an elegant touch and the large relief map which has been a favorite for kids for generations was refurbished.

In the fall of 2012, the ferry experienced a catastrophic failure when the drive motor was basically cooked during routine maintenance. A total loss, a replacement was installed and after being out of service over six months the ferry returned to service in the Spring of 2013.

The Walla Walla spends her time either at Bremerton or filling in on the Kingston-Edmonds run.  The Jumbos, with a passenger capacity at 2,000, are no longer switched out on the Seattle-Bainbridge run, where the extra 500-person capacity is often needed on commuter runs. As a result, when the Tacoma or Wenatchee go out for annual inspections or routine maintenance, the Puyallup is sent down from the Kingston run to take the place of the missing Mark II.

Now, that is just…eerie.

Almost 43 years to the day, the Walla Walla went aground again. The circumstances were markedly different from the 23 April, 1981 incident, which took place just outside of Eagle Harbor in heavy fog. Yesterday’s incident (15 April 2023) appears to have happened from the total loss of power and steering on the Wally^{. (Author’s collection/WSDOT)}