MV Kirkland

Last updated
Tourist II
MV Kirkland 07.jpg
MV Kirkland moored at Marina Park Dock, Kirkland, Washington.
USA Washington location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Kirkland, Washington
Coordinates 47°40′29″N122°12′27″W / 47.67472°N 122.20750°W / 47.67472; -122.20750 Coordinates: 47°40′29″N122°12′27″W / 47.67472°N 122.20750°W / 47.67472; -122.20750
Built1924
NRHP reference # 97000321 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 15, 1997
MV Kirkland motoring rapidly along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, seen here from West Montlake Park, Seattle. MV Kirkland 01.jpg
MV Kirkland motoring rapidly along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, seen here from West Montlake Park, Seattle.

The MV Kirkland is a former car ferry with a unique Pacific Northwest history. Originally known as the Tourist II, is a 1924 wooden-hulled car ferry that has served passengers all over the Pacific Northwest. Originally, it took passengers across the Columbia River, with a dock in Astoria, Oregon. Currently, it serves as a tour boat for Argosy Cruises on Lake Washington, near Seattle. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [2]

Pacific Northwest Region that includes parts of Canada and the United States

The Pacific Northwest (PNW), sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and (loosely) by the Cascade Mountain Range on the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common conception includes the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) and the U.S. states of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Broader conceptions reach north into Southeast Alaska and Yukon, south into northern California, and east to the Continental Divide to include Western Montana and parts of Wyoming. Narrower conceptions may be limited to the coastal areas west of the Cascade and Coast mountains. The variety of definitions can be attributed to partially overlapping commonalities of the region's history, culture, geography, society, and other factors.

Astoria, Oregon City in Oregon, United States

Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, it is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains and the oldest city in the state of Oregon. Astoria is located on the south shore of the Columbia River, where the river meets the Pacific Ocean. The city is named for John Jacob Astor, an investor from New York City whose American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site. Astoria was incorporated by the Oregon Legislative Assembly on October 20, 1876.

Lake Washington lake in Washington state, U.S.

Lake Washington is a large freshwater lake adjacent to the city of Seattle. It is the largest lake in King County and the second largest natural lake in the state of Washington, after Lake Chelan. It borders the cities of Seattle on the west, Bellevue and Kirkland on the east, Renton on the south and Kenmore on the north, and encloses Mercer Island. The lake is fed by the Sammamish River at its north end and the Cedar River at its south.

History

With the exception of the Second World War, from 1924 to 1966, MV Kirkland was in service on the Astoria–Megler Ferry route on the Columbia River under the name Tourist II. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the US Army purchased the vessel as the FB or JMP 535 to lay mines at the mouth of the river. At the end of the war, it returned to ferry service on the Columbia. The ferry was moved from Astoria, Oregon to Pierce County, Washington in 1967 and renamed the Islander of Pierce County. It worked on Puget Sound for many years, but eventually its wooden-hull design was overshadowed by vessels with more modern steel-hull designs.

Columbia River River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the US state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven US states and a Canadian province. The fourth-largest river in the United States by volume, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any North American river entering the Pacific.

Pearl Harbor Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii

Pearl Harbor is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It has been long visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1875. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is now a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet. The U.S. government first obtained exclusive use of the inlet and the right to maintain a repair and coaling station for ships here in 1887. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, was the immediate cause of the United States' entry into World War II.

Pierce County, Washington County in the United States

Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 795,225, making it the second-most populous county in Washington behind King County. The county seat and largest city is Tacoma. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory, it was named for U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Pierce County is in the Seattle metropolitan area.

In 1996, new private owners refurbished the vessel, adding two full-service bars, a galley, and 12-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, making the main deck unique among vessels in the Northwest. The exterior styling, deck plan, and interior and general arrangement were provided by designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett of Seattle. The vessel is listed on the Washington Historic Register and the National Register of Historic Places. In the summer, the Kirkland departs Marina Dock in Kirkland for cruises of Lake Washington. [3]

Jonathan Quinn Barnett is a super yacht designer from Seattle, Washington. He apprenticed with Ron Holland and Jon Bannenberg for nearly seven years beginning in 1987, and founded Jonathan Quinn Barnett Ltd. in 1995.

Early morning, August 28, 2010. the vessel caught fire while docked at its Kirkland, Washington pier. The fire was confined to the engine room. [4] Firefighters were quoted as saying everything below deck was "toast". The Boat was moved from Lake Washington during the morning of August 31, 2010 - by the Tug "Dixie"—part of the Fremont Tug Company.

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References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Added to NRHP on April 15th, 1997, as the Tourist II
  3. ↑ Maritime Heritage website
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-09-02. Retrieved 2010-09-04.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
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