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

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals ...

. 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 The following table displays the official flag, seal, and coat of arms of the 50 states, of the federa ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, the

rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nativ ...

. 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. The population was 10,6 ...

. 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 the parts: the ...

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'Conner''. 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 a small hamlet in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located on Baynes Sound on the east coast of Vancouver Island. In 2001, its population was listed as 815. It is best known for its fine oysters. The area is serve ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

, 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 arm of land 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, an ...

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 Ki ...

, 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 of Puget Sound and connects the Olympic and Kitsap P ...

. 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 the 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 201 ...

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 frequently been used as a given ...

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 ...

Keystone Keystone or key-stone or ''variation'', may refer to: * Keystone (architecture), a central stone or other piece at the apex of an arch or vault * Keystone (cask), a fitting used in ale casks Business * Keystone Law, a full-service law firm * D ...

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 in Tacoma, Washington, USA ** Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) is the only combined zoo and aquarium in the Pacific Northwest, located in Tacoma, Washington, ...

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 (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

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" re-directs here. For the neighbourhood in Ottawa, see Qualicum, Ottawa'' 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 f ...

, British Columbia and is a subsidiary of

Atlantic Capes Fisheries The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. 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