Cross Sound Ferry

Cross Sound Ferry Block Island Express
MV John H offloading at Orient Point
Overview
Owner	John P. Wronowski, Adam Wronowski [1]
Area served	Long Island North Fork, Southeastern Connecticut, Block Island
Locale	Long Island Sound Block Island Sound
Transit type	Ferry
Headquarters	New London, Connecticut
Website	www.longislandferry.com www.goblockisland.com
Operation
Began operation	1975 (Cross Sound) 2004 (Block Island) [2]
Operator(s)	Cross Sound Ferry Services Block Island Ferry Services [3]
Number of vehicles	10 ferry vessels [4]
System map New London Block Island Orient

Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient, New York on Long Island.

The service is privately owned and operated by Cross Sound Ferry Services, headquartered in New London and run by the Wronowski family, which also owns and operates the Block Island Express ferry service and the Thames Shipyard and Repair Company. ^[1]

Overview

Though there have been multiple proposals to bridge the Long Island Sound at various locations, none have ever come to fruition. Therefore, Long Island motorists located east of the Throgs Neck Bridge heading toward Connecticut must first drive west into Queens, cross one of the three city bridges to the Bronx, and then drive east to reach New England destinations. This circuitous route could, at the extreme, add as many as 200 miles (320 km) to a trip between Long Island and New London, points north, or points east. ^[5] In addition to the saving in mileage, use of Cross Sound avoids heavy urban traffic in New York City and on Interstate 95 in Connecticut. ^[6]

The ferry serves over one million passengers annually, ^[7] about half of whom live on Long Island. ^[8]

Cross Sound Ferry previously attempted to establish service between New London and East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island. A local ordinance passed by the Town of East Hampton in 1997 prohibits vehicle ferry service within the Town's borders and places limits on the speeds of both passenger vessels and road vehicles. Cross Sound Ferry filed a lawsuit against the town in 2004 to overturn the ruling, which was eventually dismissed. ^[9]

Cross Sound Ferry operates year-round with up to 32 daily departures with the lone exception of no service on December 25, Christmas Day. ^[10]

Sister companies

The Block Island Express, a seasonal high-speed passenger ferry service, operates out of the same New London ferry terminal and services Block Island (New Shoreham, Rhode Island). ^[11] The Thames Shipyard and Repair Company services both Cross Sound Ferry and Block Island Express vessels. ^[12] All three organizations share the 2 Ferry Street office at the New London terminal.

The Block Island Express runs through the summer season from June to early September.

The three companies, as well as the Thames Towboat Company, are owned by John P. Wronowski and son, Adam Wronowski. ^[1]

Fleet

Cross Sound Ferry Services owns a fleet of seven traditional vehicle-passenger ferries (one of which is charter service only), and three High-speed passenger-only ferries. Some of the vessels were built new for Cross Sound Ferry, while others were retrofitted at Cross Sound's sister company, Thames Shipyard and Repair. ^[13] Block Island Ferry Services has one vessel, serviced at the same shipyard. ^[2]

Active ships

Image	Vessel	Year built	Service began	Auto capacity	Passenger capacity	Length	Type	Notes
	Cape Henlopen	1943 [14]	1983 [4]	80 [15]	660 [15]	328 ft [a]	ROPAX	Acquired from Delaware River and Bay Authority, built in 1943 as USS LST-510 to serve in D-Day.
	Cecilia Ann	2003 [4]	2017 [4]	—	600 [4]	143 ft [4]	High-speed	Built by Austal Shipyard (Mobile) in 2003 as Zephyr, acquired from Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, primarily used for lighthouse cruises. [4]
	Jennifer C.	1965 [4]	2016 [4]	50 [4]	300 [4]	207 ft [15]	ROPAX	Built by New Bern Shipyard (New Bern) in 1965 as MV Pamlico, acquired in 2015 from North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division. [4]
	Jessica W	1990 [4]	2004 [2]	—	530 [15]	160 ft [4]	High-speed	Operated by Block Island Ferry Services, built in 1990 as Condor 9 acquired from Condor Ferries in 2003. [11]
	John H.	1989 [4]	1989 [4]	100 [4]	1000 [4]	230 ft [15]	ROPAX	Largest vessel of the fleet, built 1989 by Eastern Marine Shipyard (Panama City). [4]
	Mary Ellen	1983	2003 [4]	85 [4]	675 [4]	260 ft [16]	ROPAX	Built in 1983 by Offshore Shipbuilding in Palatka Florida as Grand Republic for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry. She operated as Grand Republic until she was sold to Cross Sound Ferry in 2003 and was renamed Mary Ellen. [17]
	New London	1979 [4]	1979 [4]	65 [15]	286 [15]	247 ft [15]	ROPAX	Built by Thames Shipyard (New London), first new-build vessel of the Cross Sound Ferry. [4]
	Sea Jet I	1989	1995 [4]	—	400 [4]	110 [15]	High-speed	Built by Nichols Brothers Shipyard (Freeland), formerly operated in Hawaii and Catalina Island. [4]
	Susan Anne	1964 [4]	1998 [4]	80 [18]	840 [4]	237 ft [15]	ROPAX	Built 1964 by Northumberland Ferries Limited as Prince Nova, originally sailed between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. [4]

Former & repurposed ships

Image	Vessel	Year built	Service began	Service ended	Auto capacity	Passenger capacity	Length	Notes
	Caribbean (Ferry)	1972 [19]	1975?	2025	22 [19]	140 [15]	120 ft [b]	Caribbean served Cross Sound Ferry for at least 50 years before she was purchased in 2025 by a new owner.
	North Star	1968 [19]	1984	Repurposed	35 [19]	300 [19]	168 ft [19]	Built in 1968 (Morgan City) as an offshore supply vessel. The North Star was later acquired by CSF for regular passenger service and is now repurposed for charter services. [4]

Controversy and incidents

Local officials on Long Island's North Fork have criticized Cross Sound Ferry for causing increased vehicle traffic on New York State Route 25 (NY 25), particularly following the addition of its Sea Jet service. The Orient terminal is located at the eastern terminus of NY 25, and all traffic must use NY 25 to get to and from the ferry terminal; travelers coming from points further west must travel through several towns, including Riverhead and Southold in the process. In an attempt to verify this, the Town of Southold commissioned a corridor study in 2007. However, the results of the study found that "the section of [NY 25] in the vicinity of the Cross Sound Ferry currently operates with a Vehicle to Capacity (v/c) ratio of .18. This means that the roadway is currently running at 18% of its total capacity. This also means that the roadway can handle approximately five times the current traffic." ^[20]

On November 19, 2002, semi-truck driver Michael Zuber was killed by drowning after his semi-truck rolled off the back deck of the Susan Anne while he was asleep behind the wheel after crew members neglected to place wheel chocks behind the back wheels of Zuber's semi-truck. No criminal charges were filed against Cross Sound Ferry or any of its employees, but Zuber's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the ferry company, alleging negligence. The two sides agreed to an out-of-court settlement for $3.2 million in 2008, some six years after the accident. ^[21]

Gallery

• 
  New London ferry terminal
• 
  Interior of the John H.
• 
  Mary Ellen docked
• 
  Aboard the New London

Notes

1. According to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cape Henlopen was registered in 2022 at 307 ft. ^[15] This contradicts the 328 ft length cited by the United States Navy. ^[14]
2. According to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Caribbean Ferry was registered in 2022 at 120 ft. ^[15] Cross Sound Ferry formerly stated in 2007 that she was 128 ft in total length. ^[19]

References

1. Gauvin, Brian (May 27, 2016). "At New London, a tugboat company gives new life to older equipment". Professional Mariner. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
2. Gauvin, Brian (November 24, 2008). "Ferries find new life on Long Island Sound". Professional Mariner. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
3. "High-speed ferry from New London begins May 27". The Block Island Times. April 25, 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
4. "Fleet Info". Cross Sound Ferry. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
5. Dodd, Christopher (October 30, 1997). "Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions: The Cross Sound Ferry Service Act of 1997" (PDF). Congressional Record. Vol. 143, no. 149 (Daily ed.). p. S11462. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
6. Finn, Lisa (September 3, 2016). "New Ferry Added to Cross Sound Ferry Fleet". Patch. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
7. "U.S. Department of Transportation Awards $123.5 Million to Improve Passenger Ferry Services, Ferry Boats and Terminals" (Press release). United States Department of Transportation. June 2, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
8. Bruzzone, Anthony (2012). Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services. Transportation Research Board. p. 25.
9. Rather, John (September 12, 2004). "IN BRIEF; Southold and Shelter Island Sue Over Ferry Traffic". The New York Times . Retrieved March 29, 2020.
10. "CSF - Cross Sound Ferry". www.longislandferry.com.
11. "About Jessica W". Block Island Express. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
12. "About Us". Thames Shipyard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
13. Benson, Judy (December 22, 2010). "Cross Sound Ferry lands $1M federal grant". The Day. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
14. "Buncombe County". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
15. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (October 31, 2022). Cross Sound Ferry Services Inc.
16. "Fleet Info (size)". Cross Sound Ferry. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
17. "Offshore Shipbuilding St. John's Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
18. "Fleet Info". Cross Sound Ferry. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
19. "The Fleet (former)". Cross Sound Ferry. Archived from the original on August 5, 2007. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
20. Schneider Engineering (February 13, 2007). Town of Southold Corridor Study Final Report. Town of Southold.
21. Florin, Karen (February 2, 2008). "Family Of Ferry Accident Victim Settles For $3.2M". The Day– via Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder.

External links

• Cross Sound Ferry official website

41°13′59″N72°08′31″W / 41.233°N 72.142°W / 41.233; -72.142