Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...
from 1930 to 1976. Although later converted to diesel power, ''Concordia'' was the last inland commercial steamboat ever built on either Puget Sound or the Columbia river.
Career
''Concordia'' was built in 1930 at Tacoma, Washington.Newell, ''Ships of the Inland Sea''.
''Concordia'', popularly called the ''Conkie'', was the last steamboat built on either Puget Sound or the Columbia, and was one of only four steamboats constructed on Puget Sound after 1920. (None were built on the Columbia River). The others built on Puget Sound were ''
Virginia V
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
'', ''Sightseer'' (ex-''Vashona''), and ''Arcadia''.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 304 and 509.Kline, Mary S., ''Steamboat Virginia V'', at 34.
''Concordia'' was built by the Vashon Navigation Company to replace the larger ''Vashona''. The volume of business on the company's major route, from
Tacoma
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...
to Quartermaster Harbor, had fallen off, and would not support the larger vessel. Originally Concordia was to be , but John Manson, the company president, discovered that if the vessel were less than 65, the maritime regulations would permit the vessel to be operated with one less crewman. Four feet of hull were then omitted from the final design on the stern end, which gave the completed vessel a truncated or lopped-off appearance.Findlay and Paterson, ''Mosquito Fleet of South Puget Sound'', at page 94. '' Vashona'' was then sold to the Anderson Steamboat Company.
Operations
''Concordia'' was placed on the Tacoma-Quartermaster Harbor route. One of ''Concordias commanders on the Tacoma-Quartermaster Harbor run was the well-known and popular Thomas W. "Billy" Phillips (1877–1949).Carey, ''The Sound of Steamers'', at page 87.
On August 2, 1936, the ''
Tacoma Times
''The Tacoma Times'' was a newspaper published in Tacoma, Washington from 1903 to 1949. It was founded by E. W. Scripps, with editorial personnel taken from ''the Seattle Star''.Redondo Beach, Washington. This was part of a regular practice of the Tacoma Times of sponsoring events for their carriers.Tacoma Public Library digital collections, Image series Series: T112-1 notes, citing ''Tacoma Times'', 8/3/1936 p.14. (accessed 06-05-11).
In 1937 the vessel was refitted with a 90-horsepower diesel engine. In 1942, ''Concordia'' passed into the hands of Joe Boies and Irving Frank, doing business as Harbor Island Ferries. They then placed ''Concordia'' in service transporting shipyard workers across
Elliott Bay
Elliott Bay is a part of the Central Basin region of Puget Sound. It is in the U.S. state of Washington, extending southeastward between West Point in the north and Alki Point in the south. Seattle was founded on this body of water in the 1850s ...
from downtown Seattle.
In 1958 ''Concordia'' was operated by Horluck Transportation Company as part of their commuter and tourist fleet operating out of
Bremerton
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard ...
and
Port Orchard, Washington
Port Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located due west of West Seattle and is connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth. It is name ...
.Newell and Williamson, ''Pacific Steamboats'', at 192.
Deposition
In 1976, the ''Concordia'' was acquired by Andre Nowaczyk and brought to
Lake Union
Lake Union () is a freshwater lake located entirely within the city limits of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a major part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which carries fresh water from the much larger Lake Washington on the east t ...
from Poulsbo. Nowaczyk and his wife Beverly restored and maintained the ''Concordia'' and moored on Lake Union at the foot of Stone Way Ave N until 2020. In October of 2020 "Concordia" was renovated by South Puget Sound natives Al Pollan and Bart Brynestad and moored in front of Anthony's Seafood in Gig Harbor, Washington, nearby its original route between Tacoma and South Vashon.