Issaquah-class ferry

Issaquah-class ferry
The original Issaquah-class vessel Sealth at left with upgraded vessel Chelan at right
Class overview
BuildersMarine Power and Equipment, Seattle, Washington
OperatorsWashington State Ferries
Built1979–1982
In serviceMay 1980–present[1]
Completed6
Active6
General characteristics [2]
TypeAuto/passenger ferry
Tonnage2,477 gross tonnage (GT)
Displacement3,310 long tons of displacement
Length328 ft (100 m)
Beam78 ft 8 in (23.98 m)
Decks3 or 4 (1 or 2 auto decks, passenger deck, nav bridge deck)
Deck clearance15 ft 2 in–15 ft 10 in (4.6–4.8 m)
Propulsion5,000 hp (3,700 kW) total from two diesel engines
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Capacity
  • 1,200 passengers (1,090 on international service)
  • Sealth: 90 vehicles (30 tall vehicles)
  • Others: 124 vehicles (24 tall vehicles)
Crew14

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.

Originally, each vessel was built to accommodate 100 vehicles and 1,200 passengers but were built with accommodations to add an additional car deck. In the early to mid-1990s, five of the six vessels were modified with the additional car deck. The lone exception is the MV Sealth, which Washington State Ferries assigns to the San Juan Islands route in the summer, where her additional capacity for tall vehicles without the second deck has proven useful.[3]

The Chelan was upgraded to international SOLAS safety standards in 2005, allowing her to make the crossing between Anacortes and Sidney, British Columbia.[4][5]

  1. ^ Colton, Tim (2008). "Marine Power & Equipment". shipbuildinghistory.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  2. ^ "M/V Sealth". Washington State Dept of Transportation. 2012. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  3. ^ "The M/V Sealth". Evergreen Fleet. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "The International Ferry to Sidney--The M/V CHELAN". Evergreen Fleet. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Issaquah Class". Evergreen Fleet. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2021.