The M/V ''Chilkat'' was the first ferry purpose built for what was to become the

Alaska Marine Highway 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 ...

. Originally built to serve the

Lynn Canal Lynn Canal is an inlet (not an artificial canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska. Lynn Canal runs about from the inlets of the Chilkat River south to Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage. At over in depth, Lynn Canal is the deepest fjor ...

out of

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

, she was built with a bow ramp that allowed her 59 passengers and 15 vehicles to offload on an unimproved beach as well as a dock.

History

In 1948, ''Chilkoot Motorship Lines'' provided ferry service between Haines and Juneau using the M/V ''Chilkoot,'' a surplus WWII landing craft. The line provided weekly service carrying up to 14 vehicles with limited passenger accommodations. The cost of operating a single vessel proved too great for the company, and in 1951 they sold their assets to the Alaska Territorial Board of Road Commissioners, who continued to run the Chilkoot. The needs of the ferry service outgrew the ''Chilkoot,'' and the territorial government commissioned the construction of the ''Chilkat'' to replace her in 1957. She became the first vessel of the Alaska Marine Highway when it was established in 1963. After breaking loose from her mooring during a severe windstorm on January 13, 2021, she capsized and sank west of the Guemes ferry dock in the Guemes Channel in

Anacortes, WA Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.scallop Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve molluscs in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related famili ...

tender.

Role

Amenities

Sale

In 1988, the state of Alaska sold the Chilkat for $50,000 to a private party. After that, it served various roles in Alaska's marine industry, hauling various cargoes like fish or even Christmas trees. Chilkat Welcome Aboard 2

Island Scallops

In 2012, ''Chilkat'' was purchased by Island Scallops for use as a scallop tender.

References

Former Alaska Marine Highway System vessels 1957 ships {{Ferry-stub