Steel Electric class ferry

The Steel Electric Class ferries became part of the Washington State Ferry System when Puget Sound Navigation Company was acquired in 1951. They were all built in San Francisco or Oakland in the 1920s.

History

The Steel Electric class ferries were built for San Francisco in 1927. However with the opening of the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate bridge they were sold to Puget Sound Navigation, also known as the "Black Ball Line". In the 1940s the Enetai and Willapa were extensively rebuilt and their engines replaced (thus precluding them from being part of the "Steel Electric" class). [cite web|url=http://www.evergreenfleet.com/mvwillapa.html|title=MV WILLAPA: Forgotten Ferry of the Bremerton Run|publisher=evergreenfleet.com|accessdate=2007-11-21] All six boats were purchased by the Washington Toll Bridge Authority in the fifties. In the sixties the Enetai and Willapa were sold. In the '80s the four remaining boats were given an overhaul and continued to serve until November 2007. The six boats are now fairly different. The "Enetai" and "Willapa" were both converted into single-ended boats and had their engines replaced.The "Klickitat" was rebuilt before the other units and has a shorter cabin and lacks an elevator. The remaining three all have elevators.

Vessels

Ferries in this class include:

* MV "Illahee" ex "Lake Tahoe"
* MV "Klickitat" ex "Stockton"
* MV "Nisqually" ex "Mendocino"
* MV "Quinault" ex "Redwood Empire"

Two additional ferries had been originally built within this class, but conversion of their design and power plants made them technically no longer "Steel-Electric" ferries. Both were retired earlier in their careers than the four remaining steel-electric ferries. They were:
* MV "Enetai":"Enetai" has been restored to her original state and is now the headquarters of Hornblower Yachts in San Francisco, California under her old name, "Santa Rosa".
* MV "Willapa" :"Willapa", after years of languishing, is being turned into storage warehouse under her old name, "Fresno".

Withdrawal from service

Corrosion on the Steel Electric hulls was discovered in 2007 inspections. [cite news|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_old_ferries.html|title=Cracks and other damage left out of report on aging ferries|author=Scott North and Lucas Velush|publisher=Seattle PI|accessdate=2007-11-21] On November 20, 2007, the Washington State Secretary of Transportation, Paula Hammond, announced that Washington State Ferries (WSF) will pull all of the Steel Electric class vessels out of service on that day. The decision closed the Port Townsend-Keystone route until WSF began to operate the high-speed passenger-only ferry "Snohomish" on the run starting November 23. [cite web|url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2007/11/20_steelelectricferriesoutofservice.htm|publisher=Washington State Ferries press release|title=Steel Electric Ferries Pulled from Service For Port Townsend to Keystone|date=2007-11-20|accessdate=2007-11-21]

During Nov. and Dec. the "Snohomish" was pulled from this run and began a new interim service between Seattle and Port Townsend. This was done, in part, because there were much fewer visitors to Port Townsend during the holiday shopping season; it was hoped that a special run directly from Seattle would bring more visitors and shoppers to town. During this time, WSF got a third party to operate passenger only service on the PT-Keystone run, using a much smaller whale watch boat. The "Snohomish" was eventually put back on this run.

Unfortunately the corrosion on the ferry's hulls was too extensive and Secretary Hammond has announced they will be scrapped instead. All four of the ferries are berthed at the systems main storage facility in Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island. Governor Gregoire announced plans for their replacement, [cite news|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_ferry_budget.html|title=Gregoire announcing ferry plan Thursday|author=ASSOCIATED PRESS|publisher=Seattle PI|accessdate=2007-12-13] and the Washington State Legislature directed WSF to build new ferries to replace the Steel Electrics. On February 14, 2008, Governor Gregoire signed Senate Bill 6794 [web cite|url=http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2007-08/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/6794-S.pdf|format=pdf|title=Senate Bill 6794|publisher=State of Washington|date=2008-01-31] into law, which authorizes construction of replacement ferries. [cite web|url=http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/news-view.asp?pressRelease=790&newsType=1|title=Governor Gregoire signs legislation authorizing new ferry construction|publisher=State of Washington, Office of Governor Chris Gregoire|date=2008-02-14] . The current plan is to build two larger ferries that will carry up to 64 cars. There have been discussions of basing the design of these new 64-car ferries on the MV|Island Home which runs between Martha's Vineyard and Woods Hole, Mass.

In the interim, the state is leasing the Pierce County ferry service's "Steilacoom II" to cover the Port Townsend-Keystone run. [cite news|url=http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/229298.html|title=Here, try a loaner from us|author=John Gillie and Rob Tucker|publisher=Tacoma News Tribune|accessdate=2007-12-14] This ferry is being utilized in preference to other State-owned ferries due to the restrictions the Keystone passage imposes on the size of vessels serving that route.

The state had hoped that the first ferry would enter service in April 2009, however in early April 2008 the state rejected a bid of $26 million to build a ferry based on the "Steilacoom II" design as being too high. Reasons cited for the bid being $9 million over the state's estimate include the requirement that the shipbuilder complete the ferry within one year (or face stiff daily fines), and changes to the specifications including improved safety, security and quality. Washington State Ferries will not re-bid this project. [cite news|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004324843_webtodd03m.html
title=State rejects Todd shipyards' ferry bid|author=Susan Gilmore|publisher=The Seattle Times Co.|accessdate=2007-04-03]

References

External links

* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/your_wsf/our_fleet/index.cfm?fuseaction=classes Washington State Ferries class information]
* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/your_wsf/index.cfm?fuseaction=our_history Washington State Ferries history]
* [http://www.evergreenfleet.com/past.html Past vessels of the Washington State Ferry system at evergreenfleet.com]