MV Columbia

The M/V "Columbia" is a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.

Constructed in 1974 by Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle, Washington, the M/V "Columbia" has been the flagship vessel for the Alaska ferry system for over thirty four years. As a mainline ferry, which means it serves the largest of the inside passage communities (such as Ketchikan, Petersburg, Juneau, and Sitka), its route spans the entirety of the inside passage, often beginning runs in Bellingham, Washington and running to the northernmost Alaskan Panhandle community of Skagway stopping in communities along the way. "Columbia" has an upper deck between the main vehicle deck and the cabin deck with additional vehicle stowage accessed by two vehicle elevators capable of hoisting 19 foot vehicles with their passengers, and additional passenger cabins.

On July 2, 2006, an auxiliary engine room fire broke out on the "Columbia" temporarily impairing steering and propulsion on its northbound voyage from Bellingham in Seymour Narrows in Canadian waters. The ship motored to Duncan Bay, British Columbia for damage assessment before continuing on to Ketchikan's Alaska Ship & Dry Dock for more extensive repairs.

Early on 15 August 2007, only two months before a scheduled overhaul, position number two connecting rod in the Columbia's starboard engine experianced a bearing failure. To prevent catastrophic damage to the surrounding components the engine was secured. The 268 passengers were rerouted, and it was sent to Ketchikan, where it was originally planned to be repaired within the week. Soon it became apparent that it would require further work, and in a controversial decision the Marine Highway System chose to cancel all further summer voyages on the ship pending repairs. Nearly all the other ships in the fleet were rerouted to make up for the loss of what many consider to be the flagship of the fleet, and many passengers were urged to seek alternative travel means to help ease the pressure on the system. Transfered to Cascade General Shipyard at Swan Island in the Portland, Oregon area; both main engines were disassembled and overhauled. [cite web
url=http://www.sitnews.us/0807news/081507/081507_columbia.html
title=M/V Columbia Down With Engine Problems
date=2007-08-15
publisher=sitnews.us
accessdate=2008-10-11] As of May 19 2008 the MV Columbia left Cascade General and sailed to Bellingham, WA to begin active service.

External links

* [http://www.ferryalaska.com Official Alaska Marine Highway System website]
* [http://absapps.eagle.org/safenet/record/record_vesseldetailsprinparticular?Classno=7408017&Accesstype=PUBLIC&ReferrerApplication=PUBLIC American Bureau of Shipping records]

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References