By Julie MacIntire Corey

Author and Journal contributor

UPDATE:

Washington Ferries Service announced today that Elwha and the Klahowya have been placed back on the market, and both ferries are up for sale. The sale with a businessman from Ecuador did not go through. WSF Assistant Secretary Steve Nevey said, “It’s in the best interest of Washington state, the public, and WSF to sever ties due to multiple failures to meet contractual obligations and deadlines,” The sale had several issues. The towing equipment malfunctioned in Puget Sound, and the media reported that the crew suffered from poor living conditions. WSF still owns the ferries because they were not removed by the mandated deadline on the purchase and sale contract. The buyer then forfeits the $200,000 paid for both ferries. as damages. Some of the funds covered the cost of removing leftover fuel from the ferries. The rest was placed in the Puget Sound Ferry Operations Account. Other potential buyers have already shown interest, and WSF has contacted the possible new owners.

The largest ferry system in the United States is right here in Washington. These iconic boats are the lifeline to the mainland and San Juan islands for locals and visitors alike. The latest statistics report that twenty-one ferries service ten routes and twenty terminals in Washington State, with the most extensive sailings serving the San Juan Islands. Washington State Ferries announced recently that two ferries, the Elwha and Klahowya, had been decommissioned. Both vessels are certified to be free of hazardous materials. They were sold for salvage to a clean, green steel mill facility owned by businessman Nelson Armas of Ecuador. The cost for both ferries was $100,000 each.

WFS Assistant Secretary Steve Nevey said, “The Elwha and Klahowya have both been decommissioned. After safely serving our customers for more than five decades each, the sale of these two retired ferries will free up our docking space so we can focus vessel maintenance needs on our current fleet.”

The 144-car Elwha was named for the Lower Elwha Kallam Tribe. She is a Super-Class vessel built in 1967 in San Diego, California. It made worldwide headlines after running aground on a submerged rock near Orca’s Island on October 2, 1983. The collision was thought to be caused by a failure in the steering component, but later, it was found to have been caused by the ferry captain going off course to give a visitor a view of her waterfront home. The Ferry Captain and the Ferry Chief were fired after concluding the investigations. This incident caused $250,00 worth of damage, and the ferry was out of service for several weeks. After the incident, the rock was named “Elwha Rock.” In 1989, the Island City Jazz Band wrote and performed their song “Elwha on the Rocks.”

In December 1990, while out of service for routine maintenance at South Terminal Pier in Everett, a severe winter storm with hurricane-force winds ripped its mooring lines and slammed the partially adrift Elwha into the concrete pier it was tied up to. She was out of service for a year. This accident caused costly damage and forever altered the ferry’s service.

In September 1999, The Elwha made more headlines after a computer glitch led the ferry to ram into the Orcas Island ferry dock—that accident cost $3.8 million. A quote from the Seattle Times article, “Ferry Loaded With Passengers Slams Into Orcas Island Dock Sept. 8, 1999, said” “’People at the dock were yelling for everybody to get off the dock. Then it just rammed the dock, and the pilings started cracking,’ Patty Cunningham, who worked at the nearby Orcas Hotel.”

In July 2019, according to a Journal article, a ferry employee found a suspicious note in the woman’s bathroom inferring information about a bomb. U.S. Coast Guard and K-9 bomb detection teams boarded the vessel. Several hours later it was determined to be clear of any explosive hazards and ferry service continued.

Those were just a few incidences the Elwha experienced. This ferry consistently made headlines throughout her rough and tumble life. She retired in April 2020 and will be remembered as the ferry that never gave up.

The 87-car ferry Klahowya was named after a greeting in the Chinook language. She was built in 1958 by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging and was an Evergreen State-class vessel that mainly served the Seattle area. In 2014, she was permanently moved to the San Juan Islands interisland route. Locals appreciated her service, taking them to and from school and work between the islands. She retired in January 2017 and was replaced by a sister ship, the Tillikum, which is still in service on the inter-island route.

The Hyak is slated to be on sale soon.

Any islanders with memories to share about the Elwha or the Hyak, please feel free to contact the Journal at editor@sanjuanjournal.com.