MV Rhododendron
MV Rhododendron arriving at Tahlequah Ferry Terminal
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| History | |
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| Port of registry: | 1951-present: Seattle, Washington,  United States
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| Builder: | Maryland Drydock Company, Baltimore |
| Completed: |
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| Out of service: | January 23, 2012 |
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| Status: | Retired |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Rhododendron-class auto/passenger ferry |
| Tonnage: | 937 |
| Length: | 227 ft 6 in (69.3 m) |
| Beam: | 62 ft (18.9 m) |
| Draft: | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Deck clearance: | 13 ft 6 in (4.1 m) |
| Installed power: | 2,172 hp |
| Propulsion: | 2 Diesel engines |
| Speed: | 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Capacity: |
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The Motor Vessel Rhododendron was the sole Rhododendron-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. She was named for the state flower of Washington, the rhododendron. She was referred to affectionately as "The Rhody" by residents of Vashon Island.
The Rhododendron was one of two similar Chesapeake Bay ferries that were purchased to become part of the WSF fleet in the 1950s; the other being the now-retired MV Olympic. The Rhododendron's former name was the MV Governor Herbert R. O'Conner. She was originally purchased to be used in the interim while other new ferries were being built.
The ferry was retired in January 2012 and was sold in February 2013.
Her original use in Washington from 1953 to 1961 was on a route from the Olympic Peninsula to the Kitsap Peninsula, near the current site of the Hood Canal Bridge. Her service there ended when the Hood Canal Bridge was built.
At that time, she was reunited with the Olympic and reassigned to the Mukilteo-Clinton route, where she stayed until 1974.
In 1975, Washington State Ferries (WSF) acquired the Port Townsend to Keystone route from a private company and reassigned the Rhododendron and the Olympic to this route.
In 1983, the Rhododendron was mothballed and stored at the WSF maintenance facility at Eagle Harbor. In 1990, the ferry was completely reconditioned, with its rotted superstructure completely replaced.
Due to her construction, she was not permitted to operate more than one mile (1.6 km) from shore. Consequently, in 1993 she was assigned to the Point Defiance to Vashon Island route, a 12-minute trip that is a total of 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. For a short time in 2008 the Rhododendron was leased to Pierce County for service to Anderson Island.
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Wikipedia