The MV ''Samish'' is the second vessel of the auto ferries built by

Vigor Industrial Vigor Industrial (Vigor) is an American shipbuilding, shiprepair, and industrial service provider in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Based in Portland, Oregon, the company consists of several subsidiary companies for a combined total of seven f ...

for the

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 ...

system. The vessel started service with her maiden voyage to Friday Harbor as the #3 Boat in the San Juans on June 14, 2015.

History

Funding for a second Olympic-class vessel was authorized in the spring 2012 session of the Washington State Legislature and the keel laying and first weld took place on March 8, 2013. The name ''Samish'' was decided by the Washington State Transportation Commission on November 13, 2012 (the same day of the naming of the ) after a public outreach process. The vessel is named after the Samish Indian Nation, a Coast Salish tribe whose name means "giving people". On December 21, 2013, the ship's

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

was rolled out from Nichols Brothers Boat Builders and sent to Seattle on December 23 to be joined with the hull which was under construction at the Vigor Shipyards. The ''Samish'' was accepted by Washington State Ferries on April 10, 2015 and was officially christened on May 20 in Anacortes. The ship underwent two months of sea trials and crew training before entering service on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route at the start of the Summer 2015 sailing season on June 14 at 9:05am sailing from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. The ''Samish'' is also listed as one of the 10 Best Passenger Ships of 2015 (the year she was launched), on ''

Marine Log Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

''.

Routes

The ''Samish'' is assigned to the Anacortes-San Juan Islands route. She has also served on the Mukilteo-Clinton, Edmonds-Kingston, and Seattle-Bremerton routes. The Samish was assigned to the Mukilteo-Clinton route on 7/15/2019.

Incidents

The ''Samish'' was pulled from service on February 21, 2016, after the discovery of a quarter-sized hole in the hull below the water line, later found during a drydock inspection to be linked to corrosion. The ferry was re-entered service on March 10 after some minor patchwork. On August 7, 2017, the ''Samish'' was removed from service due to a problem with the number two drive engine, causing the Anacortes/San Juan Islands route to be operated on an emergency four boat schedule until a replacement boat entered service.

Numbers and ship recognition

The ''Samish'' has three numbers used to identify it. The first is her

IMO Number The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term covering two distinct meanings. The IMO ship identification number, is a type of hull number used as a unique ship identifier, and the IMO company and registered owne ...

. The ''Samish''s IMO Number is 9720251. Her MMSI ( Marine Mobile Service Identity), 367649320. Her Radio

Call Sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assig ...

WDH7552. The ''Samish'' is owned by

, a branch of the

Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington. Established in 1905, it is ...

. She is flagged in the United States, and listed as an AIS Passenger Vessel.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Samish 2013 ships Ships built in Seattle Washington State Ferries vessels