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 the largest fleet of ferries in the United States at 21 vessels, carrying 24.2 million passengers in 2016. As of 2016, it was the largest ferry operator in the United States, and the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world.
The MV Wenatchee is a Jumbo Mark-II-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. Launched in 1998, she was the second in her class in the fleet following the MV Tacoma. Since delivery, the Wenatchee has almost exclusively been assigned to the busy Seattle–Bainbridge Island route alongside the Tacoma.
MV Elwha was a Super-class ferry in the Washington State Ferry System. The 382-foot (116 m) vessel entered service in June 1968, and spent most of her career working the Anacortes-San Juan Islands-Sidney B.C. route.
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.
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).
The MV Chelan is an Issaquah-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries, completed and in service in 1981. In 2004, the vessel was refit with a second vehicle deck, and in 2005 was refit with safety equipment to meet the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), allowing the Chelan to make international trips on the Anacortes–San Juan Islands–Sidney, British Columbia route. As of April 2020 the Chelan is the only vessel in the Washington State Ferries fleet that meets SOLAS standards.
The MV Hyak is a Super-class ferry that was operated by Washington State Ferries. Built in 1966 at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company shipyard in San Diego, the ferry began service on July 20, 1967, and normally ran on the Seattle–Bremerton route or the Anacortes–San Juan Islands run.
The MV Klickitat was a Steel Electric-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.
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 on San Francisco Bay for service on Southern Pacific and Northwestern Pacific Railroad routes across that bay.
The M/V Kitsap was a ferry built in 1925 at the Lake Washington Shipyard in Houghton, Washington. She was 165 feet (50 m) long, and her original capacity in 1925 was 95 cars and approximately 800 passengers. By 1960, cars had become much bigger and her capacity was reduced to 32 modern automobiles and 325 passengers. A 600-horsepower Estep diesel engine allowed her to sail at 12 knots when originally built. Almost every part of her was from Washington state; her hull and superstructure were built from Washington-grown fir, and her Estep engine was built in at Washington Iron Works in Tacoma.
Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries, 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.
The MV Tokitae is an Olympic-class passenger ferry operated by Washington State Ferries which entered service on June 30, 2014. It serves the Mukilteo-Clinton route.
The MV Willapa was a car ferry that served on the San Francisco Bay and later on Puget Sound. She was one of the Steel Electric-class ferries built in 1927 for service across the San Francisco Bay. Originally named MV Fresno, she was operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad and provided ferry service across the bay.
The MV Samish is the second vessel of the Olympic-class auto ferries built by Vigor Industrial for the Washington State Ferries system. The vessel started service with her maiden voyage to Friday Harbor as the #3 Boat in the San Juans on June 14, 2015.
The MV Chimacum is the third vessel of the Olympic-class auto ferries for the Washington State Ferries system. The ship was built by Vigor Industrial at their shipyard in Seattle, Washington and entered service on the Seattle–Bremerton route in 2017.
MV Suquamish is an Olympic-class ferry that is operated by Washington State Ferries and the inaugural sailing was at 12:30pm on October 4, 2018. The vessel carries 144 cars and 1,500 passengers.
The Anacortes–San Juan Islands ferry routes are operated by Washington State Ferries. The routes serve Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island, San Juan Island, and Vancouver Island.
Public art of the Washington State Ferries system includes artwork on all or nearly all of the state's 23 ferries, available for viewing by millions of passengers annually. In addition to the public art installed aboard vessels, new terminal projects are required to set aside funds for artwork under Washington state law; a Kickstarter campaign funded art at the Banbridge Island terminal; and in one case, the hull of a former state ferry – MV Kalakala – is in the process of being repurposed as public art. Prior to the 2017 commissioning of the MV Chimacum, Washington State Ferries examined over 200 pieces of art before selecting 16 for display. Artwork for MV Suquamish was created by members of the Suquamish Tribe and selected by the tribal museum, to be displayed starting in 2018 for six to 12 years before replacement and return of the piece to the museum.
MV Wishkah is a future Olympic-class ferry that will be operated by Washington State Ferries. The vessel will use a hybrid diesel–electric engine and is expected to enter service in 2024, with a capacity of 144 cars and 1,500 passengers. The ferry was named for the Wishkah River on the Olympic Peninsula.
The Issaquah class are a series of six auto and passenger ferries built for the Washington State Ferries system in the late 1970s until the early 1980s.
