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Alaska Marine Highway

Alaska Marine Highway
AMHS logo.jpeg
Malaspina At Skagway.jpg
Locale Aleutian Islands to Bellingham, Wash.
Route Alaska Marine Highway System
Began operation First founded in 1949. Officially designated in 1963.
System length 3,100 mi (5,000 km)
Travel time variable
Yearly ridership 350,000
Yearly vehicles 100,000
Website http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/

The Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is a ferry service operated by the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska.

The Alaska Marine Highway System operates along the south-central coast of the state, the eastern Aleutian Islands and the Inside Passage of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. Ferries serve communities in Southeast Alaska that have no road access, and the vessels can transport people, freight, and vehicles. AMHS's 3,500 miles (5,600 km) of routes go as far south as Bellingham, Washington in the contiguous United States and as far west as Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, with a total of 32 terminals throughout Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. It is part of the National Highway System and receives federal highway funding. It is also a form of transportation of vehicles between the state and the contiguous United States, going through Canada but not requiring international customs and immigration.

The Alaska Marine Highway System is a rare example (in the USA) of a shipping line offering regularly scheduled service for the primary purpose of transportation rather than of leisure or entertainment. Voyages can last many days, but, in contrast to the luxury of a typical cruise line, cabins cost extra, and most food is served cafeteria-style.

The forerunner to the Alaska Marine Highway was the Chilkoot Motorship Lines, founded in 1948 by Haines residents Steve Homer and Ray Gelotte. The company used a converted LCT-Mark VI landing craft, christened the MV Chilkoot. They operated a weekly service from Tee Harbor (north of Juneau) to Haines and Skagway, connecting the territorial capital to the international road system. The Chilkoot Motorship Lines was purchased by the territorial government, and moved under the Territorial Board of Road Commissioners in 1951. In 1957, the MV Chillkoot was replaced by the MV Chilkat, which remained a part of the system until being decommissioned in 1988.


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