MV LeConte

The M/V "LeConte" (pronEng|ləˈkɑːnteɪ) is a feeder vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The M/V "LeConte" was built in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1973 and commissioned in 1974 by Alaska's ferry system. The "LeConte" is the older sister ship to the M/V "Aurora" and both serve as feeder vessels that pick up passengers in small communities such as Hoonah and take them to larger regional communities (this process is colloquially known as the "milk run"). In the case of the "LeConte", it primarily serves in the northern portion of the Alaskan Panhandle in between Sitka and Juneau but it also occasionally ventures all through Southeast Alaska as well, however, in a highly controversial and political change, the LeConte was turned into a day boat operated exclusively out of Juneau, cutting service to the community of Pelican, and cutting service to the hub of Sitka — home of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Center, a hospital that solely serves the Native Alaskan community, the primary demographic of the "Leconte"'s ports of call. The "LeConte", in the summer of 2005 made a number of stops in Bartlett Cove, which is one of the gateways of Glacier Bay National Park.

The "LeConte"'s amenities include a hot-food cafeteria, movie and forward observation lounges, and solarium. There are no cabins on the LeConte both because of its small size and the lack of demand due to its feeder route running times.

The "LeConte" and the M/V "Aurora" are the "only" AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of Angoon, Pelican, Tenakee Springs, and two of the three vessels (the M/V "Taku" also is able to access these ports) to serve Hoonah and Kake. This quality is due because of these vessels' small sizes thus making them both vital assets for the ferry system and the residents of these rural villages.

Grounding

On May 10, 2004, the M/V "LeConte" nearly sank after running aground Cozian Reef in Peril Strait en route to Sitka. 86 passengers and 23 crew were on board at the time and all safely evacuated the ship upon grounding. After a Coast Guard response, passengers were evacuated to nearby good samaritan vessels to be taken to Sitka and booms were laid out to encircle the stranded, empty vessel. Soon after, 23,000 gallons of fuel were pumped out of the fuel tanks and cars were transferred to a landing craft in an elaborate procedure. A salvage operation then began and the vessel was successfully escorted to Ketchikan's Alaska Ship and Dry Dock for repairs under tow after temporary patches were put onto the expansive gashes that compromised five separate compartments of the hull — enough to have sunk the ship had it been lifted off its perch on the reef. Only minor injuries were suffered and only during the evacuation of the boat. The "LeConte" has now been repaired and is back in service. It is widely agreed a more dire emergency could have resulted had the weather not been so accommodating during the entire salvage process, especially in light of the fact that the "LeConte" was already listing ten degrees and the tides in Peril Strait were already making the situation highly precarious.

After assessing the circumstances of the grounding, it was concluded operator error caused the incident (not the notorious tidal currents that Peril Strait is known for) and those in command of the vessel were fired from the ferry system.

External links

* [http://www.ferryalaska.com Official Alaska Marine Highway System website]
* [http://www.akrrt.org/Archives/Response_Reports/AAR_Leconte_USCG_2004.pdf USCG LeConte grounding report and recommendations]
* [http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/051104/sta_ferry.shtml Newspaper article covering the LeConte's grounding]
* [http://absapps.eagle.org/safenet/record/record_vesseldetailsprinparticular?Classno=7404651&Accesstype=PUBLIC&ReferrerApplication=PUBLIC American Bureau of Shipping Record]