Ferry run out of service

KEYSTONE – An indefinite disruption in ferry service because of a crack in the hull of an 80-year-old ferry has caused thousands of travelers to change their plans and angered some Whidbey Island and Port Townsend residents.

Engineers discovered a five-inch crack in the hull of the Klickitat ferry during a routine maintenance check at 2 a.m. Saturday. Workers welded a patch over the crack, then returned it to service later in the day.

On Monday, Coast Guard members examined the ferry and decided to take it out of service until it is properly repaired, said Traci Brewer-Rogstad, director of marine operations for Washington State Ferries.

Port Townsend and Keystone have been without ferry service ever since.

Though rough water interrupts the route occasionally, Brewer-Rogstad couldn’t think of another occasion when service had been canceled for so long.

“For us to be out for a day or two is very unusual,” she said.

The crack is on the ferry’s hull plating on the portion of the boat that is normally underwater. It caused seepage, but no leaks, Brewer-Rogstad said.

Contract workers at Todd Pacific Shipyard in Seattle were expected to begin repairing the Klickitat on Tuesday. The Steel-Electric class vessel has been in service since 1927. That was during Calvin Coolidge’s presidency, making the vessel one of the oldest operating passenger ferries in the U.S.

Last year, 766,843 people rode the Keystone-Port Townsend route, according to Washington State Ferries. Ridership peaks in the summer tourism season and drops in the winter. There were 50,263 riders on the route in March 2006.

“It’s going to have a major impact on us, especially with this weekend being the Victorian Festival,” said Susan Grantham of the Port Townsend visitor’s center. “We’re expecting people coming from all over. If they were coming from Whidbey, they’re not coming.”

Marshall Bronson, chairman of Island County Tourism, said the disruption in service has caused problems for tourists, truck drivers, commuters and Navy members who live on the Olympic Peninsula and work on Whidbey Island.

Washington State Ferries is allowing passengers to use Port Townsend-Keystone passes for the Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton routes. However, those options take about two hours longer than the ferry ride from Port Townsend to Keystone, Bronson said.

“In the summertime this would be devastating,” said Bronson, who owns Compass Rose bed and breakfast in Coupeville, near the Keystone ferry terminal.

Brewer-Rogstad said she couldn’t estimate how long it would take to fix the ferry, but she said she would be “surprised” if it was permanently removed from service.

Washington State Ferries has been planning to replace the Klickitat and three other 80-year-old ferries for years. However, the state has yet to award a bid on the project. The state’s handling of the bid process already has resulted in legal challenges in state and federal court.

In both 1997 and 1998, small holes were discovered in the hull of the Klickitat. In both instances, the holes were patched and the Klickitat returned to service.

Ferry officials haven’t determined what caused the most recent crack, but Brewer-Rogstad said age likely was a factor.

“It’s as likely a symptom as you’ll see when you have a vessel that old,” she said. “Eventually you’ll see wear-and-tear and maintenance (issues) and we need to stay on top of those issues.”

Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.