View source for MV Kitsap (1925)

{{for|the later ferry named Kitsap|MV Kitsap}}
{{Italic title prefixed|2}}
The '''M/V ''Kitsap''''' was a [[ferry]] built in 1925 at the [[Lake Washington Shipyard]] in [[Houghton, Washington]] (now part of [[Kirkland, Washington|Kirkland]]).  She was {{Convert|165|ft|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 {{Convert|12|kn|km/h mph}} 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.<ref name=evergreenfleet/><ref name=oldtacomamarine/>

She was owned originally by the [[Kitsap County Transportation Company]] (KCTC), and was the first in a series of ferries (the others being the {{MV|Bainbridge}} and {{MV|Vashon}}) that provided some serious competition to the [[Puget Sound Navigation Company]] (PSN), which was the other dominant ferry operator on Puget Sound.  She first entered service on the Fauntleroy-Vashon route and sailed there until 1930 when she was moved over to the Suquamish-Ballard route.<ref name=evergreenfleet/>

A strike in 1935 resulted in KCTC being acquired by PSN, making PSN the sole ferry operator on Puget Sound.  PSN kept her on the Suquamish-Ballard route until 1938, when they moved her to the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry route.  In 1940, she was on the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry route but returned to Mukilteo-Clinton a year later, where she remained until World War II ended.  She was assigned to the Point Defiance-Tahlequah run from 1947 to 1949.<ref name=evergreenfleet/>

In 1951, almost all of PSN's ferries and routes were acquired by [[Washington State Ferries]] (WSF), including the ferry ''Kitsap''.  She was assigned to the Lofall-South Point route across Hood Canal, where she supplemented the newer {{MV|Rhododendron}}.<ref name=evergreenfleet/>

The [[Hood Canal Bridge]] opened in 1961, and WSF no longer needed the ''Kitsap''. In 1961, she was sold to the [[Oregon Department of Transportation]] for use on the [[Astoria–Megler Ferry|Astoria–Megler ferry route]] across the [[Columbia River]]. In 1966, the [[Astoria–Megler Bridge]] opened, putting the ''Kitsap'' and other ferries that served the route out of service. ''Kitsap'' was sold to a private party to be used as a [[cannery|fish cannery]].<ref name=evergreenfleet/> 

She sank while being towed to [[Alaska]] on 3 November 1966.<ref>{{cite web |title=MV Kitsap |url=https://www.miramarshipindex.nz/ship/2224849 |website=Miramar |accessdate=13 October 2018}}</ref>

A [[MV Kitsap|new, much larger ferry with the same name]] was built in 1980, and is still in service on [[Puget Sound]].<ref name=evergreenfleet/>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=evergreenfleet>[http://www.evergreenfleet.com/kitsap1925.html The M/V ''Kitsap'' (1925)] – EvergreenFleet.com</ref>
<ref name=oldtacomamarine>{{citation|publisher=Old Tacoma Marine Inc.|title=Washington Iron Works engines|url=http://www.oldtacomamarine.com/washington/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629215821/http://www.oldtacomamarine.com/washington/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2013|accessdate=2013-06-29}}</ref>
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitsap (1925), MV}}
[[Category:Washington State Ferries vessels]]
[[Category:Kitsap County Transportation Company]]
[[Category:Puget Sound Navigation Company]]
[[Category:Ships built at Lake Washington Shipyard]]


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