Olympic-class ferry
MV Tokitae en route from Clinton to Mukilteo.
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Vigor Industrial, Seattle, Washington |
| Operators: | 2014–present: Washington State Ferries |
| Built: | 2012–2018 (planned) |
| In service: | 2014–present |
| Building: | 1 |
| Planned: | 4 |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Active: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | auto/passenger ferry |
| Displacement: | 4384 long tons |
| Length: | 362 ft (110.3 m) |
| Beam: | 83 ft 4 in (25.4 m) |
| Draft: | 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m) |
| Depth: | 24 ft 6 in (7.5 m) |
| Decks: |
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| Deck clearance: | 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m) |
| Installed power: | Total 6,000 hp (4,500 kW) from 2 x Diesel engines |
| Propulsion: | Diesel |
| Speed: | 17-knot (31 km/h) |
| Capacity: |
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| Notes: | All specifications are subject to change. Vessels in design and construction phase. |
The Olympic Class ferries are the newest vessels to the Washington State Ferries (WSF) fleet. The ferries are intended to allow the agency to retire the aging Evergreen State-class ferries currently in service. The ferry design is based on the Issaquah-class ferries which have proven to be the most reliable and versatile in the fleet. The Olympic Class ferries are designed to serve all routes and terminals in the WSF system. All vessels are being built in Washington as required by state law.
Ferries in this class include:
In the early 2000s, WSF began planning a replacement for their aging Steel Electric-class ferries, which were built in 1927 and were WSF's oldest ferries. They were the only vessels in WSF's fleet that were able to run on the Port Townsend-Keystone route as no other vessel could be used in the small, shallow Keystone Harbor. WSF planned to move the ferry terminal out of Keystone Harbor and build a 144-car vessel to replace the 60-car Steel Electrics used on the route. Some local residents opposed this plan, so no new ferries were built. When the Steel Electrics were retired in 2007 due to hull corrosion, the WSF had no auto ferries able to serve the Port Townsend - Keystone route. WSF replaced the Steel Electrics with three smaller Kwa-di Tabil class ferries that carry 64 cars and entered service between November 2010 and January 2012.
It was announced on June 20, 2012 in The Seattle Times that State of Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond had selected the name "Olympic Class" from more than 130 suggestions from department employees. On November 13, 2012 the Washington State Transportation commission named the first ferry MV Tokitae and the second MV Samish.
The Tokitae's hull was rolled out of the construction building onto a drydock on Saturday, March 2, 2013. It was joined by the superstructure from Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders of Freeland, Whidbey Island on Sunday, March 3, 2013. On Tuesday, March 5, 2013, the superstructure was on top of the hull.
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