Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Leaky ferry stayed in service 8/19/07 • Cracked ferry's future in doubt 8/16/07 • Crack puts 80-year-old ferry on shelf 8/1/07 • Quest for new ferries sped up 7/26/07 • Ferry solutions mired in blame 7/23/07 • Are old, rusting ferries still fit? 7/22/07 • Old ferries' care found lacking 7/11/07 • Keystone left with older ferries 6/24/07 • Four old ferries sold for scrap 6/23/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, August 23, 2007 Crack found on a second ferry Like its sister ship, the Quinault, which serves the Keystone-Port Townsend route, was pulled because of a crack in a crucial part. By Scott North Herald Writer The state's oldest ferries just can't seem to catch a break. Close inspection of the 1927-vintage Quinault shows it, too, needs replacement of key parts in its propulsion system, said Washington State Ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey on Wednesday. The problems are with the stern tubes, the cast-iron pipes that contain the ferry's propeller shafts where they run through the hull. Meanwhile, the ferry Rhododendron, built in 1947, was pulled from service Wednesday morning after ferry engineers discovered about a dozen holes and cracks in the hull above the waterline. The defects are believed to be the result of corrosion from exposure to rain and sea spray, Coursey said. It is unclear when the Rhododendron will resume its route. It runs between Tacoma and Vashon Island. Although 20 years younger than the Quinault and the state's other Steel Electric-class ferries, the Rhododendron also does not meet federal safety standards for hull design that have been in effect since the mid-1950s. The Quinault has been in dry dock undergoing inspection and maintenance ordered by the Coast Guard. Its stern tubes were inspected after a 20-inch crack developed in a stern tube on the Quinault's sister ferry, the Illahee. The Illahee's crack allowed water to stream into the hull at a rate of five gallons per minute. Crews at Todd Shipyards in Seattle are attempting to fabricate two new stern tubes for the Illahee. They are hopeful the work will meet Coast Guard approval and the vessel can return to service by mid-September, Coursey said. Close inspection of the Quinault's stern tubes on Friday found them to be too corroded for continued use, Coursey said. Ferry officials are hopeful new tubes can be fabricated for the Quinault and the vessel can be cleared to return to service by Nov. 12. "They are not complete in their work yet," Coursey said. Meanwhile, the state is down to two operating Steel Electric ferries. The Klickitat and the Nisqually are both being used on the route between Keystone on Whidbey Island and Port Townsend. The Steel Electric ferries are the only boats in the state's 28-vessel fleet capable of using those terminals. The Coast Guard has ordered the Nisqually into mandatory inspection and repairs after Sept. 9, the end of the summer tourist season. Until then, it has ordered unprecedented inspections of the vessel, including checks by ferry crews every four hours and weekly internal structural exams by Coast Guard inspectors. The Coast Guard on June 26 said ongoing problems with leaking hulls were "serious in nature" and ordered the state to step up maintenance. The Steel Electrics have been the focus of increased scrutiny since the Klickitat was pulled from service in March with a 6-inch crack in the hull. Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.

1. Fire destroys Silver Lake landmark 2. Tree clearing, mud slide angers Everett neighbor 3. County tackles bikini barista rules 4. Six people injured in Machias car crash 5. Edmonds councilwoman dies at 59 6. Search for missing hiker called off 7. Later start for school day unlikely in Marysville 8. Extended tax credit should spur home sales 9. Hopes for Snohomish excursion train may hinge on railway purchase 10. Designing a new business 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Gough on track to keep job • Jazz vocalist headlines NPAC • Mountlake Terrace makes football history • Tax revenue sagging, city budgets lagging • ‘Touch of Magic' show opens at Gallery North • Jackson repeats as South champs • Holiday Bazaars Calendar • Meadowdale storms back to grab title • Edmonds moves to Fire District 1 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million