MV ''Aurora'' is a feeder vessel for the

Alaska Marine Highway System The Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is a ferry service operated by the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska. The Alaska Marine Highway System operates along the south-central ...

, built in

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the bay of Sturgeon Bay for which it is named, it is the most populous city o ...

in 1977 by Peterson Shipbuilders and commissioned by the

the same year. The ''Aurora'' is the younger sister ship to the MV ''LeConte'' and both serve or have served as feeder vessels that pick up passengers in small communities such as

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

and

Hoonah Hoonah ( or ''Gaaw Yat’aḵ Aan'') is a largely Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inside Passage. Hoonah is the only first- ...

and take them to larger regional communities (this process is colloquially known as the "milk run"). However, unlike the ''LeConte'', the ''Aurora'' was moved out of

Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called the Alaska(n) panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian provi ...

into

Prince William Sound Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the ...

area in 2005 to take the place of the retired MV ''Bartlett''. This move, however, was highly controversial as the MV ''Chenega'', a fast ferry, was supposed to take this role and been promised for years in advance to the Prince William Sound area and specifically to be homeported in the city of Cordova. Instead, the ferry system reneged on this promise and moved the ''Chenega'' to a

Ketchikan Ketchikan ( ; ) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District. With a po ...

- Wrangell route. Currently, the ''Aurora'' is being hubbed out of Cordova (although, unlike the fast ferry, the ''Aurora'' operates 24-hours a day so it doesn't have a crew that lives in its homeport thus denying that city the economic stimulus of additional residents/jobs. This is the primary motive for the especially rancorous uproar from Cordova regarding the ''Chenega''s route placement) and operating principally between Cordova, Whittier, and Valdez with whistle stops (the ferry only stops if there are prior reservations) in Tatitlek and

Chenega Bay Chenega (; Alutiiq: ) is a census-designated place (CDP) on Evans Island in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located in Prince William Sound, the CDP consists of the Chugach Alutiiq village of Chenega Bay, which was establish ...

. The ''Aurora''s amenities include a hot-food cafeteria, movie and forward observation lounges, and solarium. There are no cabins on the ''Aurora'' both because of its small size and the lack of demand due to its feeder route running times. The ''Aurora'' and the MV ''LeConte'' are the only AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of

Angoon Angoon (sometimes formerly spelled Angun, ) is a city on Admiralty Island, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 572; by the 2010 census the population had declined to 459. For statistical purposes, it is in the Hoonah- ...

Kake KAKE (channel 10) is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on West Street in northwestern Wichita, and its transmitter is located i ...

, Tenakee Springs and

. This quality is due because of these vessels' small sizes thus making them both vital assets for the ferry system and the residents of these rural villages although currently the ''Aurora'' is not being utilized for this unique capacity.

External links

Official Alaska Marine Highway System website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora Alaska Marine Highway System vessels 1977 ships Ships built by Peterson Builders