Name MV Tacoma Cost $80 million Length 140 m | Owner WSDOT Completed 1997 Builder Vigor Shipyards | |
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Operator Washington State Ferries Route Seattle-Bainbridge Island | ||
The MV Tacoma is a Jumbo Mark II Class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. Launched in 1997, it was the first in its class in the Washington State Ferries fleet. Since delivery, the Tacoma has almost exclusively been assigned to the Seattle-Bainbridge Island route.
The Tacoma and its sister ship, the MV Wenatchee, suffered from excessive vibration during their early period of operation, until it was repaired during routine maintenance in 1999. The issue was addressed in the later Jumbo Mark II ferry, the MV Puyallup, before it launched.
Electrical failure
On July 29, 2014, the vessel suffered a catastrophic electrical failure, in which most of the ship's electrical system was destroyed. The Tacoma remained out of service for nearly nine months while repairs were made. After four weeks of sea trials and approval from the Coast Guard, the Tacoma returned to service on the Seattle-Bainbridge route on March 28, 2015.
