 MV Wenatchee passing Duwamish Head
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wenatchee |
| Owner | Washington State Department of Transportation |
| Operator | Washington State Ferries |
| Port of registry | Seattle, Washington |
| Route | Seattle–Bainbridge Island |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington |
| Cost | $80 million[1] |
| Completed | 1998 |
| Identification |
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| Status | In Service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Jumbo Mark-II-class auto/passenger ferry |
| Displacement | 6,184 long tons (6,283 t) |
| Length | 460 ft 2 in (140.3 m) |
| Beam | 90 ft (27.4 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft 3 in (5.3 m) |
| Decks | 5 (2 vehicle decks, passenger deck, sun deck, nav bridge deck) |
| Deck clearance | 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m) |
| Installed power | 16,000 hp (12,000 kW) total from four EMD 710 V-16 diesel engines |
| Propulsion | Diesel–electric |
| Speed |
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| Capacity |
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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.
Wenatchee has been involved in a couple of notable incidents. In 2000, during a particularly low tide, she touched bottom while rounding Tyee Shoal at the entrance of Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor, resulting in minor keel and propeller damage. On August 30, 2009, she had a collision with the slip at Colman Dock in Seattle. There was heavy fog at the time and the vessel and slip were out of service for four days.[citation needed]
The Wenatchee and its older sister ship, the Tacoma, suffered from excessive vibration during their early period of operation, until it was repaired during routine maintenance in 1999. The issue was addressed in the final Jumbo Mark-II ferry, the MV Puyallup, before it launched.[1]
The Jumbo Mark-II fleet is planned to be converted to diesel-electric hybrid beginning in 2023. The conversion is part of a state-mandated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and will be funded by part of a settlement from the Volkswagen emissions scandal.[2] The Wenatchee is the first of the fleet to undergo conversion, which began in September 2023 and was scheduled to take one year to complete.[3] Due to differences between the blueprints and the boat's condition, as well as other issues, the conversion's completion was delayed to mid-2025.[4]
In April 2021, during sea trials following engine overhauls, the vessel suffered an engine fire and lost power, which led to an ongoing investigation by the US Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.[5]
- ^ a b Nalder, Eric (March 5, 1999). "Giant New Ferries Experience Bad Vibrations -- $52,000 Per Ship To Remove Shaking 'As Bad As The Old Kalakala'". The Seattle Times.
- ^ Giordano, Lizz (November 4, 2019). "Washington State Ferries plans for an electric-hybrid fleet". The Everett Herald. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Cornfield, Jerry (August 16, 2023). "Washington awards $150M contract to convert ferries to hybrid-electric power". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
- ^ Deshais, Nicholas (September 26, 2024). "Electric conversion of WA ferry delayed a year, and the cost is rising". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ Pilling, Nathan (April 26, 2021). "Washington State Ferries, Coast Guard, NTSB investigating fire on ferry Wenatchee". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved April 27, 2021.