System length 8.6 miles Waterway Puget Sound | Travel time 30 - 35 minutes (2015) | |
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Transit type Jumbo Mark-II-class ferry Route Seattle–Bainbridge Island Authority Yearly ridership 6,320,820 passengers (2015) | ||
The Seattle–Bainbridge ferry is a ferry route across Puget Sound between Seattle and Bainbridge Island, Washington. The route was called the Seattle–Winslow ferry before the city of Winslow annexed the rest of the island and changed its name. Since 1951 the only ferries employed on the route have belonged to the Washington state ferry system, currently the largest ferry system in the United States.
Contents
Map of Seattle - Bainbridge Ferry, Washington, USA
Description
This ferry route is 8.6 miles long, with terminals at Colman Dock in Seattle and, on Bainbridge Island, at Winslow. Near the Winslow terminal is the main shipyard for the Washington State Ferry system.
History
Before ferries were dominant on Puget Sound, the route was served by passenger and freight-carrying steamboats. The wooden steamship Florence K served the route for the Eagle Harbor Transportation Co., until 1915 when the company put the new steamer Bainbridge on the route, and shifted Florence K to the Seattle–Port Washington route.
In 1949, the Chippewa served on the route, except during summers, when Chippewa was transferred to the Anacortes-Sidney route. From 1951 to 1968, the main ferry on the route was the Illahee which ran along with the Quinault(1951-1953), Evergreen State(1954-1959), and Tillikum(1959-1968), with the steam ferry San Mateo occasionally running as an extra boat.
In 1968, with increasing demand exceeding vehicle capacity, Tillikum and Illahee were reassigned to the Edmonds-Kingston route, and replaced by the Superferry class boats Kaleetan and Elwha, both with capacities of 2,500 passengers and 160 (originally) automobiles. In 1972-1973 the Super Class vessels were displaced by the Jumbo class Spokane and Walla Walla, which remained in Bainbridge Island service until they were displaced in turn by the Jumbo Mark II Class vessels Tacoma and Wenatchee in 1997-1998.
Current status
Assigned to the route as of July 2016 were the Jumbo Mark II class ferries Tacoma and Wenatchee, each with a capacity of 2,500 passengers and a maximum of 202 vehicles.