MV ''Suquamish'' is an that is 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 ...

and the inaugural sailing was at 12:30pm on October 4, 2018. The vessel carries 144 cars and 1,500 passengers. She primarily serves as a maintenance relief boat for other ferries, but also sails regularly on the Mukilteo–Clinton route during the summer peak with her sister ship, the .

History

On March 16, 2016, the

Washington State Transportation Commission 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 ...

chose to name the ferry ''Suquamish'' after the

Suquamish tribe The Suquamish () are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American people, located in present-day Washington in the United States. They are a southern Coast Salish people. Today, most Suquamish people are enrolled in the federally recognized Suqua ...

. Two other names, Cowlitz and Sammamish, were also considered for the ferry but ultimately rejected. At the

keel laying Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a shipbuilding, ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel l ...

in May 2016, Suquamish tribe members blessed the boat and were joined by Governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee ( ; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician and lawyer who served from 2013 to 2025 as the 23rd governor of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1993 to 1995 and again from 1999 to 2012 as a ...

and Senator Christine Rolfes in a ceremonial weld strike. The ferry'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 assembled in

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

, while the hull and car deck was built in Seattle. The superstructure was moved to Seattle for final assembly in August 2017 and completed

sea trial A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on op ...

s in July 2018. The ''Suquamish'' was placed on the Mukilteo–Clinton route and entered service on October 4, 2018.

References

Washington State Ferries vessels Ships built in Seattle {{ferry-stub