City of Seattle (steam ferry)

This article is about the steam ferry. For the steamship, see City of Seattle (steamship).
City of Seattle c. 1891
History
NameCity of Seattle
OwnerWest Seattle Land & Improv. Co.; Martinez & Benicia Ferry & Trans. Co.;[1] U.S. Navy; Mare Island Ferry Company; and others.[2][3]
Cost$35,000.[1]
In service1888
Out of service1947
IdentificationUS registry #126536
FateUpper works preserved as houseboat
General characteristics
TypeSteam ferry
Tonnage272 gross; 187 regist.
Length121.5 ft (37.03 m)[1]
Beam33.2 ft (10.12 m)[1]
Depth8.6 ft (2.62 m) depth of hold
Installed powertwin single cylinder steam engine; cylinder bores 16 in (40.6 cm); stroke 60 in (152.4 cm), 135 hp (101 kW) per engine; boiler: single return-tube boiler 5.5 ft (1.68 m)diameter and 22 ft (6.71 m) feet long; working steam pressure 100 pounds.[1][3]
Propulsionsidewheels
Capacity500 passengers, 19 vehicles.

The City of Seattle was a side-wheel driven steam-powered ferry built in 1888. This vessel was the first ferry to operate on Puget Sound. City of Seattle was also used in the San Francisco Bay area starting in 1913. The ferry was known as YFB54 when owned by the U.S. navy in World War II, and as Magdalena during naval service and for a time following the war. The upper works of the ferry have been mounted on a barge hull, and are now in use as a houseboat in Sausalito, California.

  1. ^ a b c d e Kline and Bayless, Ferryboats, at pages 2–3, 5–8, 25, 26, 78, 88, and 336.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Faber was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Newell, ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History, at 96.