Kwa-di Tabil-class ferry

Last updated
Kwa-di Tabil class
MV Chetzemoka at Keystone 2011.JPG
MV Chetzemoka, the first of the class, sailing into Keystone Harbor (2011)
Class overview
Builders Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Operators Washington State Ferries
Preceded by Steel Electric class
Built2009–2012
In service2010–present
Planned3
Completed3
Active3
General characteristics
TypeAuto/passenger ferry
Tonnage4,623
Displacement1,515  long tons  of  displacement
Length273 ft 8 in (83.41 m)
Beam64 ft (20 m)
Draft11 ft (3.4 m)
Decks7
Deck clearance16 ft 1 in (4.9 m) max
Installed power6,000  hp (4,500 kW) total from two EMD 710 diesel engines
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) max
Capacity
  • 748 passengers
  • 64 vehicles (maximum)
Crew10 [1]

Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries [2] (kwah-DEE-tah-BALE) were built for Washington State Ferries to replace the retired Steel Electric-class ferries. The vessels serve lower-traffic routes and carry up to 64 vehicles. The State of Washington spent approximately $213 million to construct the three ferries in this class. [3]

Contents

In the design stage, the class was called the 100 Vehicle-class [4] and later 64 Vehicle-class ferries. [5] [6]

Ferries

Ferries in this class include:

History

In November 2007, Washington State Ferries made the decision to remove the 80-year-old Steel Electric-class ferries from service over safety concerns. Routine inspections revealed serious hull corrosion damage on two of the four old vessels. When the Steel Electrics were removed from service, there were no ferries able to carry vehicles on Port Townsend-Coupeville route as no other vessel could be used in Coupeville's small, shallow Keystone Harbor. [7]

Due to the vessel shortage created by the sudden retirement of the Steel Electric-class ferries, Washington State Ferries (WSF) decided to base the design of the Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries on an existing ferry, Island Home, which runs between Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts and Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The Washington State Legislature authorized and funded vessel construction in February 2008 [8] and the first vessel was built on tight 18-month schedule by Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle (by state law all new WSF vessels are built in Washington). [8]

The first ferry, Chetzemoka, was christened by Governor Christine Gregoire and began service November 14, 2010 [9] on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route. Two boat service returned to the route on July 1, 2011 with the delivery of the second ferry, Salish. [10] Kennewick entered service on February 14, 2012 and was assigned to the Port Townsend-Coupeville route, allowing Chetzemoka to be reassigned to the Point Defiance–Tahlequah route and the 65-year-old ferry Rhododendron to be retired.

Issues

The Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries have had a number of problems since they were delivered. Most seriously, the non-symmetrical design of the ships caused them to list noticeably to one side. After a few months in service, ballast was added to one side of the vessels to correct the list. [11] [12]

Despite promises that the Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries were designed to serve all routes and terminals in the WSF system, they have proven to be ill-suited for many routes. [11] The narrow car decks on the ferries make it difficult to turn vehicles around [11] (necessary on the inter-island route in the San Juan Islands and on the Fauntleroy / Vashon / Southworth route). During a December 2012 and January 2013 fleet emergency, Salish was pressed into service on the well-traveled Bremerton-Seattle run. It was at that time that it was discovered that the diesel fuel-hungry engines on the Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries struggled to make the 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) speed for which they had been designed, and Salish averaged at best 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Ferries</span> Public ferry service in Washington, US

Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals located around Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands, designated as part of the state highway system. The agency maintains a fleet of 21 vessels that are able to carry passengers and vehicles.

MV <i>Cathlamet</i> Ship built in 1981

The MV Cathlamet is an Issaquah-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.

MV <i>Sealth</i> Auto/passenger ferry operated by Washington State

The MV Sealth is a Issaquah-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. She is named for Chief Sealth. The Sealth underwent cabin rebuilding in last 2006, after which she was in service on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route. The Sealth was then the #2 vessel on the route. Earlier she was taken out of service due to a seam needing weld repairs.

MV <i>Evergreen State</i>

The MV Evergreen State is a decommissioned Evergreen State-class ferry that was operated by Washington State Ferries from 1954 to 2015.

MV <i>Rhododendron</i>

The Motor Vessel Rhododendron was the sole Rhododendron-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. She was named for the state flower of Washington, the rhododendron. She was referred to affectionately as "The Rhody" by residents of Vashon Island.

MV <i>Hiyu</i>

The MV Hiyu was a ferry boat operated by Washington State Ferries. Originally built in 1967 to replace an earlier ferry, it was used on the Point Defiance–Tahlequah route during its early years. Upon its retirement in 2016, it was the smallest ferry in the fleet, with a capacity of 34 cars and 200 passengers, and a length of 162 feet (49 m).

MV <i>Klahowya</i>

The MV Klahowya was an Evergreen State-class ferry that was operated by Washington State Ferries. The vessel was named for a greeting in Chinook Jargon.

MV <i>Tillikum</i>

The MV Tillikum is the sole remaining Evergreen State-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries (WSF) and the oldest ferry operating in the WSF system.

MV <i>Kaleetan</i>

The MV Kaleetan is a Super-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.

MV <i>Illahee</i>

The MV Illahee was a Steel Electric-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.

MV <i>Klickitat</i>

The MV Klickitat was a Steel Electric-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.

MV <i>Quinault</i>

The MV Quinault was a Steel Electric-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.

Steel Electric-class ferry

The Steel Electric-class ferries are a class of auto/passenger ferries that became part of the Washington State Ferry System when Puget Sound Navigation Company was acquired in 1951. They were built in San Francisco Bay for service on Southern Pacific and Northwestern Pacific Railroad routes across the bay.

Jumbo-class ferry Auto/passenger ferries operated by Washington State

The Jumbo class are two ferries that were built by Washington State Ferries in 1972 to supersede the Super class. They have a capacity of 2,000 passengers and 188 vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Route 163</span> State highway in Washington, US

State Route 163 (SR 163) is a 3.37-mile-long (5.42 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway serves the city of Tacoma and the community of Ruston in Pierce County before traveling via a ferry route to the community of Tahlequah on Vashon Island in King County. SR 163 begins at an interchange with SR 16 in Tacoma and travels north as Pearl Street through Ruston to Point Defiance, where the designation continues onto the MV Chetzemoka ferry to Tahlequah.

Olympic-class ferry Auto/passenger ferries operated by Washington State

The Olympic-class are roll-on/roll-off ferries designed for Washington State Ferries (WSF), a government agency in the U.S. state of Washington. They are the newest class in the WSF fleet and intended to replace the Evergreen State-class ferries that are near retirement age. The ferry design is based on the Issaquah-class ferries which have proven to be the most reliable and versatile in the fleet. The Olympic-class ferries are designed to serve all routes and terminals in the Washington State Ferries system. All vessels were built in Washington as required by state law since July 2001.

MV <i>Chetzemoka</i>

MV Chetzemoka is a Kwa-di Tabil-class ferry built at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, Washington for the Washington State Ferries. It was scheduled to start on the Port Townsend-Coupeville (Keystone) route in September 2010, but sea trials revealed excessive vibrations in the vessel's propulsion system. The ferry was christened by Governor Christine Gregoire and began service November 14, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chetzemoka</span> Chief of the SKlallam

číčməhán was born in about 1808 at KaTai, to Quah-Tum-A-Low and Lach-Ka-Nam, chief of the S'Klallam. Cheech-Ma-Ham was forty years old when the first white settlers arrived at Port Townsend, Washington. The settlers found his name difficult to pronounce, so they changed it to Chetzemoka, and he was given the "royal" nickname Duke of York. His son La-kaa-nim was nicknamed Prince of Wales, and his two wives were See-Hei-Met-za and Jenny Lind. His older brother, next in line to become chief, was called King George. King George was quarrelsome, unlike the diplomatic Duke. One day, after a disagreement, he packed up all of his possessions and paddled off to board a ship for San Francisco, never to return.

MV <i>Salish</i>

MV Salish is a Kwa-di Tabil-class ferry built at Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, Washington for the Washington State Ferries. The vessel was put into service on July 1, 2011 on the Port Townsend-Coupeville route.

MV <i>Kennewick</i>

MV Kennewick is a Kwa-di Tabil-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. She entered service on the Port Townsend–Coupeville ferry route on February 14, 2012.

References

  1. ↑ "Getting on and off Chetzemoka: Learning how to use state's newest ferry". Port Townsend Leader. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  2. ↑ Chew, Jeff. "Kwa-di Tabil: Students to be feted today for naming class of new state ferry". Peninsula Daily News. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
  3. ↑ "New ferry Kennewick joining Washington fleet". The Seattle Times . January 6, 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Vessel Planning Study" (PDF). Wsdot.wa.gov. 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  5. ↑ "Island Home Design" (PDF). Leg.wa.gov. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Wolff, Douglas (November 16, 2007). "Tradition and Innovation: The Design of the Ferry Island Home" (PDF). Elliott Bay Design Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  7. ↑ "News & Media | Governor Jay Inslee". Governor.wa.gov. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008.
  8. 1 2 "SB 6794" (PDF). Apps.leg.wa.gov. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  9. ↑ Gilmore, Susan (14 November 2010). "Washington state's newest ferry, Chetzemoka, christened Sunday". The Seattle Times.
  10. ↑ "New state ferry Salish enters service". Komonews.com. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 "The Kwa-di Tabil Class". Evergreenfleet.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  12. ↑ Elliott, Walt (2013-06-06). "A look at the issues regarding newest ferries". Kitsap Daily News. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  13. ↑ "The Salish". Evergreenfleet.com. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
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