The Motor Vessel ''Rhododendron'' was the sole ''Rhododendron''-class ferry operated by

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a public ferry system in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. It is a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and operates 10 routes serving 20 terminals within Puget ...

. She was named for the

state flower This is a list of U.S. state, federal district, and territory flowers. See also *List of U.S. state trees * Lists of U.S. state insignia References External linksList of state flowers {{USStateLists * U.S. state flowers Flowers ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, the

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

. She was referred to affectionately as "The Rhody" by residents of

Vashon Island Vashon () is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. Before the constru ...

. The ''Rhododendron'' was one of two similar

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

ferries that were purchased to become part of the WSF fleet in the 1950s; the other being the now-retired MV ''Olympic''. The ''Rhododendrons former name was the MV ''Governor Herbert R. O'Conor''. She was originally purchased to be used in the interim while other new ferries were being built. The ferry was retired in January 2012 and was sold in February 2013. It is currently anchored in

Fanny Bay Fanny Bay is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located on Baynes Sound on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It has a population of 921. It is best known for its fine oysters. The area is served b ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, where it serves as a storage and operations platform for nearby oyster farming.

Career

Her original use in Washington from 1953 to 1961 was on a route from the

Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

to the

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kits ...

, near the current site of the

Hood Canal Bridge The Hood Canal Bridge (officially William A. Bugge Bridge) is a floating bridge in the northwest United States, located in western Washington. It carries State Route 104 across Hood Canal in Puget Sound and connects the Olympic and Kitsap ...

. Her service there ended when the Hood Canal Bridge was built. At that time, she was reunited with the ''Olympic'' and reassigned to the

Mukilteo Mukilteo ( ; ) is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located on Puget Sound between Edmonds and Everett, approximately north of Seattle. The city had a population of 20,254 at the 2010 census and an estimated 2019 ...

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...

route, where she stayed until 1974. In 1975,

(WSF) acquired the

Port Townsend Port Townsend is a city on the Quimper Peninsula in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,148 at the 2020 United States Census. It is the county seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County. In addition ...

to Keystone route from a private company and reassigned the ''Rhododendron'' and the ''Olympic'' to this route. In 1983, the ''Rhododendron'' was mothballed and stored at the WSF maintenance facility at Eagle Harbor. In 1990, the ferry was completely reconditioned, with its rotted superstructure completely replaced. Due to her construction, she was not permitted to operate more than one mile (1.6 km) from shore. Consequently, in 1993 she was assigned to the

Point Defiance Point Defiance may refer to: * Point Defiance Park Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington, United States, is a large urban park. The park includes Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Rose Garden, Rhododendron Garden, beaches, trails, a boardw ...

route, a 12-minute trip that is a total of long. For a short time in 2008 the ''Rhododendron'' was leased to Pierce County for service to Anderson Island. The ''Rhody'' remained on the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route until she was retired in 2012. Her final scheduled sailing was at 2:10 pm on January 23, 2012, after which she was replaced by the . The state attempted to sell the ship in an

online auction An online auction (also electronic auction, e-auction, virtual auction, or eAuction) is an auction held over the internet and accessed by internet connected devices. Similar to in-person auctions, online auctions come in a variety of types, with ...

in November 2012, but the

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

300,000 winning bid was later withdrawn. On February 26, 2013, the ''Rhody'' was sold for $275,000 to Island Scallops, who operates scallop farms on Vancouver Island near

Qualicum Beach Qualicum Beach () is a town located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In the 2021 census, it had a population of 9,303. It is situated at the foot of Mount Arrowsmith, along the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island's northeastern ...

, British Columbia and is a subsidiary of Atlantic Capes Fisheries. Island Scallops plans to use the ferry as a support vessel based in Fanny Bay, BC and will remove her engines. On March 11, 2013, the ''Rhododendron'' left Eagle Harbor (slip 1) for the last time, arriving in Fanny Bay on the following day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhododendron, Mv Washington State Ferries vessels Washington State Ferries vessel classes 1947 ships Ships built in Baltimore