Seattle–Bainbridge Island ferry
 Ferry Wenatchee en route to Bainbridge Island. | |
| Waterway | Puget Sound |
|---|---|
| Route | Seattle–Winslow, Washington |
| Authority | Washington State Ferries (1951–present). |
| Travel time | 35 minutes (2011) |
| Connections at Winslow | |
 |  SR305 |
The Seattle–Winslow ferry is a ferry route across Puget Sound between Seattle and Winslow, Washington, on Bainbridge Island. The route is also called the Seattle–Bainbridge ferry. Since 1951 the only ferries employed on the route have belonged to the Washington state ferry system, currently the largest ferry system in the United States.
Description
This ferry route is 8.6 miles long, with terminals at Colman Dock in Seattle and, on Bainbridge Island, at Winslow. Near the Winslow terminal is the main shipyard for the Washington State Ferry system.[1]
History
Before ferries were dominant on Puget Sound, the route was served by passenger and freight-carrying steamboats. The wooden steamship Florence K was placed on the by the Eagle Harbor Transportation Co., until 1915 when the company put the new steamer Bainbridge on the route, and shifted Florence K to the Seattle – Port Washington route.[2]
In 1949, the Chippewa served on the route, except during summers, when Chippewa was transferred to the Anacortes-Sidney route.[3] From 1951 to 1968, the main ferry on the route was the Tillikum (capacity: 1,200 passengers, 87 automobiles), with the steam ferry San Mateo occasionally running as an extra boat. Another vessel used on the route was the Illahee.[1]
In 1968, with increasing demand exceeding vehicle capacity, Tillikum was reassigned to the Edmonds-Kingston route, and replaced by the Superferry class boats Kaleetan and Elwha, both with capacities of 2,500 passengers and 160 (originally) automobiles.[1]
Current status
Assigned to the route as of June 2011 were the Jumbo Mark II class ferries Puyallup and Wenatchee, each with a capacity of 2,500 passengers and a maximum of 202 vehicles.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c Demoro, Harre, The Evergreen Fleet, at pages 45–47
- ^ Newell, ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History, at 90, 254, 326, 351, 372, 425, and 593.
- ^ Kline and Bayless, Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound, at page 53.
- ^ Washington State Ferries, “Spring 2011 Sailing Schedule for Wednesday June 1, 2011”.
References
- Demoro, Harre, The Evergreen Fleet – A Pictoral History of Washington State Ferries, Golden West Books, San Marino CA (1971) ISBN 0-87095-037-1
- Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA (1983) ISBN 0-914515-00-4
- Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA (1966)
External links
Media related to Washington State Ferries at Wikimedia Commons
