Name Matanuska Port of registry United States Launched 1963 | Yard number 114 Length 124 m | |
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Owner Alaska Marine Highway System Builder Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company | ||
Alaska marine highway mv matanuska stateroom
MV Matanuska, colloquially known as the Mat, is a mainline Malaspina-class ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Contents
- Alaska marine highway mv matanuska stateroom
- Mv matanuska northbound wrangell narrows
- History
- 2012 dock collision
- Role
- Amenities
- References
Mv matanuska northbound wrangell narrows
History
In 1959, as Alaska became a state, voters approved $18 Million dollars in bonds to build its Marine Highway and associated harbor facilities. Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, was given the contract to design 4 vessels. Three of these ships would dramatically expand service to south-east Alaska, and a fourth ship initiated service to south-central Alaska and the Aleutian chain. The third of the south-east sister ships built was the Matanuska constructed in 1963 by Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle, Washington. The Matanuska was lengthened by 56 feet in 1978 at the Willamette Iron & Shipbuilding Company in Portland Oregon.
In June of 2012, the MV Matanuska will have served the AMHS over fifty years.
2012 dock collision
On May 7, 2012, the MV Matanuska collided with a seafood processing plant's dock in Petersburg, Alaska. Damage was extensive to the building and dock, while the ship received only "dents...above the waterline". There were no injuries in on the dock, the plant, or on the Matanuska. After an inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard, she deemed seaworthy and continued on to other ports to pick up passengers, though was two hours behind schedule. The preliminary cause of the crash is being blamed on a "strong current" though an investigation was being launched at that time. The Matanuska was carrying 60 passengers at the time of the crash.
On May 10, the U.S. Coast Guard announced that the cause of the crash was not mechanical in nature. "Verbal interviews" were being completed on May 10 as well. As of May 10, 2012, the investigation is still ongoing.
Role
The Matanuska is a mainline ferry, serving the larger communities of the Alaskan Panhandle (such as Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka). Matanuska’s route spans the entirety of the Alaskan inside passage, often beginning in Prince Rupert, British Columbia or Bellingham, Washington north to Skagway. Matanuska is not ocean-certified, and therefore cannot run across the gulf of Alaska or out the Aleutian Chain.
The Matanuska is similar to its sister ship, the Malaspina, but larger than Taku which was never stretched beyond her original size.
Amenities
The ship's amenities include a hot-food cafeteria; cocktail lounge and bar; solarium; forward, aft, movie, and business lounges; gift shop; 4 four-berth cabins; 23 three-berth cabins; and 80 two-berth cabins.