Three Washington State Ferry boats returned to service over the weekend after experiencing mechanical issues.
On Saturday morning, crews worked with divers at the Eagle Harbor Mountain Maintenance Facility to fix a propeller on the Wenatchee that was bent when it hit a log while traveling through fog last Wednesday. The underwater repair prevented the agency from long and costly dry dock repair. The vessel returned to service on the Seattle/Bainbridge route that afternoon.
Also on Saturday at the Eagle Harbor facility, staff fixed a propulsion problem that pulled the Tacoma from the Seattle/Bainbridge route.
“We were able to return the boat to service by midday. We appreciate the U.S. Coast Guard providing two technicians to approve Tacoma’s and Wenatchee’s return to service at the same time,” Washington State Ferries shared.
On Sunday morning, steering problems forced staff to remove the Puyallup from the Edmonds/Kingston route. Employees were able to fix it within a few hours. The vessel was back in service late in the evening.
“These fast repairs allowed us to operate at full capacity on our Seattle/Bainbridge run on Sunday for the Seahawks’ home playoff game,” staff said.
That freed up the Sealth to move to the Seattle/Bremerton route to provide two-boat service there. That ferry then relocated back to the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route Sunday night after the game.
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