Virginia V

VIRGINIA V (steamer)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
File:Virginiav-logo.jpg
Location	860 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
Built	1922
Architect	Anderson & Co.; Matthew Anderson
Architectural style	Other
NRHP reference No.	73001875
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	April 24, 1973
Designated NHL	October 5, 1992

The steamship Virginia V (the “V” represents the Roman numeral five) is the last operational example of a Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet steamer. She was once part of a large fleet of small passenger and freight carrying ships that linked the islands and ports of Puget Sound in Washington State in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Her original route was between the cities of Tacoma and Seattle, along the West Pass (also known as “Colvos Passage”) between Vashon Island and the Kitsap Peninsula.

Today the ship operates from Heritage Wharf at Lake Union Park in Seattle.

History

West Pass Transportation Company

Around the turn of the 20th century outlying communities all over Puget Sound, particularly those on the many islands, were dependent on small boats and ships for delivering goods and basic transportation. The primary shipping lane from Seattle to Tacoma was along the east side of Vashon Island, where it remains to this day.

Farmers and business people on the west side of Vashon were very dissatisfied with the unreliable boat service they received. In 1910 Captain Nelse “Nels” Christensen and John Holm formed the “West Pass Transportation Company” and purchased their own boat to serve this part of the island.

The boat they bought was the Virginia Merrill, a 54-foot (16 m) long gasoline-powered tug. She was renamed simply the “Virginia” and converted for use as a small ferry.

The “Virginia” Boats

The Virginia was replaced in 1912 with the Virginia II, a 77-foot (23 m) long ship propelled by a 110 hp (82 kW) Corliss gasoline engine. In 1914 the West Pass Transportation Company purchased the 92-foot (28 m) steam ship Typhoon and renamed her Virginia III. In 1918 they purchased the 98-foot (30 m) steam ship Tyrus, and in 1920 they renamed her Virginia IV and put her on the West Pass route.

Construction of the Virginia V

In 1921 Anderson & Company of Maplewood, Washington, began construction on the Virginia V. The ship was built of local old-growth fir. She was launched March 9, 1922, and towed to downtown Seattle for the installation of her engine and steam plant. In Seattle the engine was removed from the Virginia IV and installed in the Virginia V. On June 11, 1922, the Virginia V made her maiden voyage from Elliott Bay in Seattle to Tacoma down the West Pass. She continued to make this voyage nearly every day until 1938.

Storm of 1934

Heavy damage to Virginia V caused by October 1934 storm.

On October 21, 1934, a severe Pacific storm swept through the Puget Sound. The Virginia V was attempting to dock at Ollala, Washington, when the brunt of the storm hit. The powerful winds pushed the ship against the dock as the waves pounded the ship into the pilings. The result was the near destruction of the upper decks. The ship was re-built at the Lake Washington Shipyard at Houghton, near modern day Kirkland, Washington. She was returned to service on December 5, 1934.

Camp Sealth and the Camp Fire Girls

Each summer from 1922 to 1970 (with a few interruptions around World War II) the Virginia V carried girls to and from Seattle to Camp Sealth on Vashon Island for the Camp Fire Girls. Thousands of women in the Northwest recall a ride on the “Virginia Vee” (as she was affectionately called) as the beginning of a camping adventure.

Columbia River service and bankruptcy

The West Pass Transportation Company went out of business in 1942. Virginia V, which had been operating for a while on the Seattle-Fort Worden run, was transferred to the Columbia River, where for a brief time she was placed on the Portland-Astoria run, thus becoming the last scheduled passenger vessel running on both Puget Sound and the Columbia River. Her Columbia River career was unsuccessful. Her owners were unable to pay her crew and she was libelled (legally seized for debts owed) and sold at Vancouver by the U.S. Marshalls to pay her owner's debts. Virginia V was purchased by O.H. “Doc” Freeman and Joe Boles of Seattle. They resold the vessel to Jack Katz and Capt. Howell Parker less than a year later.

Captain Howell Parker and The Great Steamboat Race

Virginia V leading Sightseer, May 22, 1948.

Capt. Parker operated the Virginia V carrying war workers between Poulsbo, Washington, and the Keyport Naval Torpedo Station with his wife Mary as steward and purser. After the end of World War II, the Parkers continued to operate the vessel as an excursion vessel all around Puget Sound. In 1948 the Puget Sound Maritime Historic Society (PSMHS) was formed to preserve the Northwest’s marine history. As a publicity event, the PSMHS sponsored a race between the Virginia V and a similar ship, the Grayline Sightseer (formerly the Vashona) to be held on National Maritime Day. “The Great Steamboat Race” began on May 22 at 2PM. At the end of a 5-mile (8.0 km) course that ran across the Seattle waterfront, the Virginia V won the race by a small margin.

Puget Sound Excursion Lines

Virginia V, on Puget Sound, about June, 1983

In 1954 the Virginia V was sold to Captain Phillip Luther of Puget Sound Excursion Lines. Capt. Luther sold the vessel to Charles McMahon in 1956. McMahon extensively refurbished the vessel, and then continued to operate her as a commercial excursion vessel around Puget Sound. In 1958 James F. “Cy” Devenny purchased controlling interest in Puget Sound Excursion Company and took over operation of the Virginia V along with several other small vessels. Among these was the McNeil Island federal prison tender J.E. Overlade (ex Arcadia), built in 1928, herself one of the last survivors of the Mosquito Fleet. Devenny renamed her Virginia VI to match her more famous running mate.

Northwest Steamship Company

In 1968 a group of steamboat enthusiasts formed the Northwest Steamship Company, and raised the funds to buy the Virginia V from Puget Sound Excursion Company. The ship was placed on the National Registry of Historic Sites in 1973. But despite her recognition as historically significant, it was increasingly difficult for her owners to maintain the ship as a commercial venture.

Steamer Virginia V Foundation

Virginia V, at Olympia, Washington, July 4, 1996

In 1976 the non-profit Steamer Virginia V Foundation was formed to preserve the Virginia V. The Foundation acquired the vessel on September 30, 1980, for $127,000.

Major Restoration 1995-2001

In 2002, the Foundation was able to put the Virginia V back in service after a six-year, $6.5 million stem-to-stern restoration project. It included a rebuild of the steam engine, construction of a new boiler and rebuild of the superstructure using traditional tongue and groove fir planking. The Foundation was honored in 2001 with the Washington State Historical Society's "David Douglas Award" for the restoration work completed to-date.

Present Day

Virginia V, September 2007

Since 2002 the Virginia V has been providing public excursions, private charters, and visits to local maritime festivals throughout Puget Sound.

Specifications

Ship

• Length: 125 feet (38 m) on deck
• Beam: 24 feet (7.3 m)
• Draft: 8 feet (2.4 m)
• Displacement: Approximately 150 tons
• Tonnage: 99 Gross, 67 Net
• Official Number: 222170
• Callsign: WDD9410
• MMSI: 367311060

Engine

Triple-expansion steam engine of the Virginia V.

The triple-expansion, double-acting, reciprocating steam engine is the original, installed in 1922 when it was taken from the Virginia IV (formerly Tyrus). The parts were cast in 1898 at the Heffernan Machine Works in downtown Seattle as one of two identical engines built for the Army. The first engine was assembled and installed in the US Army Quartermaster Steamer Evan Thomas. The Virginia V’s engine was assembled and installed in the Tyrus in 1904.

• Indicated Horsepower: 400
• Maximum RPM: Approximately 200
• Cylinder Bore (Diameter) 10 ½ inches, 16 ¾ inches, and 28 ½ inches (HP, IP, and LP respectively)
• Stroke: 18 inches

Boiler

The original Stoddert oil-fired, water-tube boiler was replaced in 2000 with a new Babcock and Wilcox oil-fired water-tube boiler of similar configuration.

The Virginia V always used oil as its fuel. The ship originally burned heavy bunker fuel. It was converted to burn #2 Diesel fuel in 2002.

• Working Pressure: 200 PSI
• Capacity: 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) per hour of steam
• Fuel: #2 Diesel Oil
• Fuel Consumption: Approx 20 – 50 gallons per hour

Trivia

• After the storm of 1934, the Virginia V was refit at the same yard, and at the same time, that the ferry Peralta was being modified into the art-deco ferry Kalakala.

• The current pilot house on the Virginia V is the ship’s fifth one:
  • The original was destroyed in the storm of 1934
  • Pilot house #2 was replaced with a larger version in the mid 1950s during refurbishment by Charles McMahon
  • Pilot house #3 was replaced with a version that more closely resembled the original by the Northwest Steamship Company in about 1970
  • Pilot house #4 was replaced during the major restoration 1995-2001 with a house built by students a Seattle Central Community College’s Marine Carpentry program

• The Virginia V was built on a beach with no formal plans. Matt Anderson of Anderson & Company Boat Builders worked with Captain Nels Christenson of West Pass Transportation Company to design and build the ship.

References

• M.S. Kline, Steamboat Virginia V (Documentary Book Publishers Corp., 1985)
• Roland Carey, The Sound of Steamers (Alderbrook Publishing Co., 1965)
• Roland Carey, The Sound And The Mountain (Alderbrook Publishing Co., 1970)
• Gordon R. Newell, Ships of the Inland Sea (Binford & Mort, Publishers, 1960)
• Jim Faber, Steamer’s Wake (Enetai Press, 1985)

External links

Historic images from on-line collections of the University of Washington

Virginia V

• Virginia V
• profile view of Virginia V
• Virginia V underway, probably on an excursion cruise

Other related steamboats

• Virginia III
• Virginia VI (ex Arcadia, ex J.E. Overlade)

Crew and personnel

• Captains Harry Wilson of Sightseer and Howell Parker of Virginia V preparing for the great steamboat race of 1948
• May Parker and Capt. Howell Parker on his birthday

Websites

• The Steamship Virginia V Web Site
• The National Park’s Maritime Heritage Program Virginia V Page
• HistoryLink Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History

See also

• Historic preservation
• List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington