Virginia V
Virginia V, at Olympia, Washington, 4 July 1996
|
|
| History | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Anderson & Company |
| Launched: | 9 March 1922 |
| Identification: |
|
| Nickname(s): | Virginia Vee |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 99 Gross, 67 Net |
| Displacement: | Approximately 150 tons |
| Length: | 125 ft (38 m) on deck |
| Beam: | 24 feet (7.3 m) |
| Draft: | 8 feet (2.4 m) |
| Installed power: | 400 hp (300 kW) triple-expansion steam engine |
|
Virginia V (steamer)
|
|
Virginia V leading Sightseer, May 22, 1948.
|
|
 |
|
| Location | 860 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109 |
| Coordinates | 47°37′41.8″N 122°20′12.5″W / 47.628278°N 122.336806°WCoordinates: 47°37′41.8″N 122°20′12.5″W / 47.628278°N 122.336806°W |
| Built | 1922 |
| Architect | Anderson & Co.; Matthew Anderson |
| Architectural style | Other |
| NRHP Reference # | 73001875 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 24 April 1973 |
| Designated NHL | 5 October 1992 |
| Designated SEATL | March 7, 1977 |
The steamship Virginia V is the last operational example of a Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet steamer. She was once part of a large fleet of small passenger and freight carrying ships that linked the islands and ports of Puget Sound in Washington State in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Her original route was between the cities of Tacoma and Seattle, along the West Pass (also known as Colvos Passage) between Vashon Island and the Kitsap Peninsula.
Today the ship operates from Heritage Wharf at Lake Union Park in Seattle.
Around the turn of the 20th century outlying communities all over Puget Sound, particularly those on the many islands, were dependent on small boats and ships for delivering goods and basic transportation. The primary shipping lane from Seattle to Tacoma was along the east side of Vashon Island.
Farmers and business people along Colvos Passage in Kitsap County and on the west side of Vashon Island were very dissatisfied with the unreliable boat service they received. In 1910 Captain Nelse "Nels" Christensen and John Holm formed the West Pass Transportation Company and purchased their own boat to serve this part of the island.
The boat they bought was Virginia Merrill, a 54-foot (16 m) long gasoline-powered tug. She was renamed simply Virginia and converted for use as a small ferry.
Virginia was replaced in 1912 with Virginia II, a 77-foot (23 m) long ship propelled by a 110 hp (82 kW) Corliss gasoline engine. In 1914 the West Pass Transportation Company purchased the 92-foot (28 m) steam ship Typhoon and renamed her Virginia III. In 1918 they purchased the 98-foot (30 m) steam ship Tyrus, and in 1920 they renamed her Virginia IV and put her on the West Pass route.
In 1921, Anderson & Company of Maplewood, Washington, began construction of Virginia V. The ship was built of local old-growth fir. She was launched 9 March 1922, and towed to downtown Seattle for the installation of her engine and steam plant. In Seattle the engine was removed from Virginia IV and installed in Virginia V. On 11 June 1922, Virginia V made her maiden voyage from Elliott Bay in Seattle to Tacoma down the West Pass. She continued to make this voyage nearly every day until 1938.
...
Wikipedia