Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals located around Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands, designated as part of the state highway system. The agency maintains the largest fleet of ferries in the United States at 23 vessels, carrying 24.2 million passengers in 2016. As of 2016, it was the largest ferry operator in the United States, and the second-largest vehicular ferry system in the world.
The MV Crosline was a wooden, diesel ship launched in Seattle on June 22, 1925 for the Crosby Direct Line Ferry Company. It could carry 300 passengers and 65 cars.
The MV Nisqually was a Steel Electric-class ferry formerly operated by Washington State Ferries.
The MV Walla Walla is a Jumbo-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.
The MV Cathlamet is an Issaquah-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.
The MV Evergreen State is a decommissioned Evergreen State-class ferry that was operated by Washington State Ferries from 1954 to 2015.
The MV Hiyu was a ferry boat operated by Washington State Ferries. Originally built in 1967 to replace an earlier ferry, it was used on the Point Defiance–Tahlequah route during its early years. Upon its retirement in 2016, it was the smallest ferry in the fleet, with a capacity of 34 cars and 200 passengers, and a length of 162 feet (49 m).
MV Golden Gate is a passenger-only fast ferry operated by Golden Gate Ferries.
The MV Kaleetan is a Super-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.
The MV Illahee was a Steel Electric-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.
The MV Klickitat was a Steel Electric-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries.
The Steel Electric-class ferries are a class of auto/passenger ferries that became part of the Washington State Ferry System when Puget Sound Navigation Company was acquired in 1951. They were built on San Francisco Bay for service on Southern Pacific and Northwestern Pacific Railroad routes across that bay.
San Francisco Bay in California has been served by ferries of all types for over 150 years. John Reed established a sailboat ferry service in 1826. Although the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge led to the decline in the importance of most ferries, some are still in use today for both commuters and tourists.
The M/V Kitsap was a ferry built in 1925 at the Lake Washington Shipyard in Houghton, Washington. She was 165 feet (50 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 12 knots 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.
Santa Rosa was a Steel Electric-class ferry built in Alameda, California, for Northwestern Pacific Railroad. She started out serving Southern Pacific Railways on their Golden Gate Ferries line on San Francisco Bay.
Kwa-di Tabil-class ferries, were built for Washington State Ferries to replace the retired Steel Electric-class ferries. The vessels serve lower traffic routes and carry up to 64 vehicles. The State of Washington spent approximately $213 million to construct the three ferries in this class.
The Edmonds–Kingston ferry is a ferry route across Puget Sound between Edmonds and Kingston, Washington. 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. The last regularly operated steam ferry on the West Coast of the United States made its final run on this route in 1969.
Asbury Park was a high-speed coastal steamer built in Philadelphia, and intended to transport well-to-do persons from New York to summer homes on the New Jersey shore. This vessel was sold to West Coast interests in 1918, and later converted to an automobile ferry, serving on various routes San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound and British Columbia. This vessel was known by a number of other names, including City of Sacramento, Kahloke, Langdale Queen, and Lady Grace.
The MV Kulshan was a passenger ferry operated by the Washington State ferry system on Puget Sound from 1970 to 1982.
The MV Willapa was a car ferry that served on the San Francisco Bay and later on Puget Sound. She was one of the Steel Electric-class ferries built in 1927 for service across the San Francisco Bay. Originally named MV Fresno, she was operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad and provided ferry service across the bay.
