State’s oldest ferry’s storied history comes to end, BUT will soon be up for sale
— from Washington State Ferries —
SEATTLE – Built in 1954 when “Mr. Sandman” topped AM radio pop charts, the Evergreen State is now set to sail into history and into the dreams of Washingtonians.
Due in part to its status as the state’s oldest ferry, the Evergreen State has been decommissioned and will soon be put up for sale. The 87-car ferry boasts World War II surplus drive motors and has served as a workhorse for tens of thousands of passengers and vehicles in our state for more than six decades.
“The recent addition of two modern, larger and faster Olympic Class vessels to the fleet means the Evergreen State is no longer the best solution for moving people and goods across our state’s waters,” said Washington State Ferries Chief of Staff Elizabeth Kosa. “While it’s bittersweet to say goodbye, difficulty locating replacement parts and maintaining a vintage vessel are also factors that make it time for the E-State to retire.”
The 62-year-old ferry was originally slated for decommissioning last spring, but was called back into service over the summer while other vessels were out of service for maintenance or repairs. With two additional 144-car Olympic Class ferries under construction, the Evergreen State will soon be offered up for sale. Potential buyers interested in owning a piece of history will be able to bid for the vessel once it’s posted for sale through the state surplus process.
The Evergreen State was the largest ferry on the West Coast when it was built to serve on the Seattle/Bainbridge route. However, it spent the majority of its storied career in the San Juan Islands, where it was involved in several rescues at sea. Its crew also saved the life of an overturned kayaker near Fauntleroy in January 2003.
Washington State Ferries is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and safely and efficiently carries people and goods through the most majestic scenery in the world. For breaking news and the latest information follow WSF on Twitter.
**If you are reading theOrcasonian for free, thank your fellow islanders. If you would like to support theOrcasonian CLICK HERE to set your modestly-priced, voluntary subscription. Otherwise, no worries; we’re happy to share with you.**
Interesting article about the Evergreen State and I loved hearing Mr. Sandman, a song that was very popular when I was in high school, and which I years later found out was written by an uncle of my late husband.
Let’s buy it for San Juan County. Weddings, graduations, OPALCO meetings, bowling tournaments. WOW, think of the possibilities.
When the old steel/electric class (Ilahee) boats were sold, the State ended up shipping them to Mexico for razor blades.
Surely we can do better !!!
I worked as a relief oiler on the Evergreen State, off and on over a period of thirteen years, when she was on the San Juan run in the late seventies and eighties. Often heard it referred to by the regular crew (with fondness I’m sure) as the “Evergreen Mistake.”
The Evergreen State’s engine had a sort of “ringing ” sound which was our early morning alarm clock when my family lived in Pole Pass in the 70s. I will miss the old girl !
When I worked as an oiler for the Washington State Ferries in the late 1970s, the Evergreen State was little loved. It was not impressively modern, like the “Jumbo” class–the Spokane and the Walla Walla. Nor did it have the old timey-charm of the “Steel Electrics” (before the their abominable modernizations of the 1980s), the Nisqually, the Klickitat, the Illahee and the Quinault. Then there was the all-wooden Vashon, serving the San Juans on the inter-island run. My happiest engineroom time was spent on her in the summers of 1978 and 79. Hand-oiling the lumbering Washington diesel and spinning the clutch-wheel while docking. Communication with the pilot house consisted of the brass “engine order telegrapgh,” and a voice tube.
But the Evergreen State was the true workhorse of the San Juans. Normal maintenance on those World War 2 surplus engines required that every couple of weeks or so, on night tie-up watches, a cylinder head, liner, piston and connecting rod were pulled for reconditioning and replaced. All before morning start-up time.
Many thanks to the E State for many dedicated years of service to San Juan County.