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Post by SS Shasta on Jun 23, 2007 15:52:19 GMT -8
WSF reports that MV Illahee has suffered hull damage and is out of service on the Point Defiance/Tehequah run. She will be replaced by the Rhody later tonight.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Jun 23, 2007 19:14:02 GMT -8
WSF may want to try and get an exemption from the Jones Act to get four 133's built. That'll help speed up the replacement process if we can get some business from BC.
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Post by zman on Jun 24, 2007 12:30:24 GMT -8
THis is absolutely incredible...not one week after coming out of drydock, the boat is damaged. Maybe the Pt Defiance route is jinxed?!
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Post by SS Shasta on Jun 24, 2007 13:36:02 GMT -8
THis is absolutely incredible...not one week after coming out of drydock, the boat is damaged. Maybe the Pt Defiance route is jinxed?! Has the cause of the damage been determined yet? Could she have hit the bottom or scraped a rock because of the low tides being experienced on Puget Sound this month?
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Post by Barnacle on Jun 24, 2007 16:08:18 GMT -8
No. You'd have no doubt heard about it if she had. It's another case of an old boat, more or less.
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Post by old_wsf_fan on Jun 25, 2007 16:43:27 GMT -8
Has anyone heard about what exactly is wrong with the hull of the Illahee? Could it be the same problem that happened to the Klickitat a few months back?
Does she have to go to drydock or is this an "in- house" repair?
Might be too early to ask, but I thought I would.
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Post by Barnacle on Jun 25, 2007 19:38:20 GMT -8
I believe she's at Dakota Creek right now. Generally if there's hull damage of any sort, a "crop and patch" is involved, and that almost inevitable requires a drydock--if only to get the bloody boat to hold still.
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Post by old_wsf_fan on Jul 7, 2007 22:04:44 GMT -8
Any info available concerning the Illahee? Since other vessels in the fleet are scheduled for maintenence soon, I am sure the Illahee would be a welcome addition to the Islands to free up the E-State for work elsewhere.
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 8, 2007 8:06:11 GMT -8
I think she's still in the yard. I haven't been down to look... I know, very unferrygeek of me...
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Post by SS Shasta on Jul 29, 2007 16:41:59 GMT -8
Strange Events: On 23 June MV Illahee returns to service after annual maintenance replacing MV Hiyu on the Point Defiance/Tehequah run. She is taken out of service after only a few trips with a report that she suffered "hull damage."
On 29 July MV Illahee returns to service, replacing MV Nisqually on the Port Townsend/Keystone run (apparently so that MV Nisqually can undergo additional inspections and maintenance as required by the recent agreement between USCG and WSF concerning Steel Electric Class maintenance). After only a few hours of service MV Illahee is removed from service because of a steering problem.
One wonders if these vessels are being rushed through maintenance too fast and before adequate testing? Why was it necessary to return MV Illahee so quickly to replace MV Nisqually? There was not even a public notice announcing this replacement.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Jul 29, 2007 18:39:25 GMT -8
From what I've seen, WSF generally doesn't put out service bulletins for vessel changes if the replacement vessel is the same size as the vessel being replaced (unless there was a service disruption). Considering the Illahee has a lower clearance (12'7" according to the WSF web site), they should've at least change the bulletin about what vessels are assigned to the route.
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Post by Ferry Fanatic on Jul 29, 2007 19:22:50 GMT -8
Well, I just saw the Illahee return to Eagle Harbor on vessel watch. Hopefully they haven't started the new inspections and maintenance on the Nisqually or the Quinault is finished with hers.
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 29, 2007 19:59:23 GMT -8
"Return the Illahee to service so quickly?" It was out for over a month. And heaven only knows what has happened to the steering; that wasn't the part of the vessel being worked on during that duration.
Once again, I will have to state the stunningly obvious: These boats are OLD. I think it's safe to say that as we age our bodies require more and more attention to keep them running, and even then we're never back to our peak efficiency; why should we expect more from a boat?
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Jul 29, 2007 20:00:32 GMT -8
I can't agree more. They are very close to the end of their life spans and they need to do something.
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 29, 2007 20:04:43 GMT -8
They are very close to the end of their life spans and they need to do something. Well, that's the understatement of the year. All safety issues aside, these venerable-but-tired boat are getting to be an embarassment. I will say it seems like this is a rather sudden development--from what I recall, these boats really haven't been having huge amounts of problems until recently. Though I suppose it's possible that starting with the weather crack in the Klickitat last March it's been getting a lot more attention. I was shocked to realize that the "new" ferries of my youth--the Issaquah class--are now anywhere from 25 to 27 years old.
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Post by i like ferries 2 on Jul 29, 2007 23:28:11 GMT -8
Ahh.. The Nisqually will be back!
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 30, 2007 6:04:10 GMT -8
Nisqually to the rescue! The old girl is back at Keystone this morning.
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Post by SS Shasta on Jul 30, 2007 6:06:29 GMT -8
Ahh.. The Nisqually will be back! Does anyone know the official reason for MV Illahee replacing MV Nisqually on the run yesterday?
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 30, 2007 6:09:11 GMT -8
Yes. You do. You posted it last night. Steering problems. ;D
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Post by SS Shasta on Jul 30, 2007 6:19:58 GMT -8
Did MV Nisqually have steering problems too? I must have missed that.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Jul 30, 2007 6:26:21 GMT -8
Did MV Nisqually have steering problems too? I must have missed that. From what I can tell, it looks like Barnacle misread your post and had the boats switched around in his mind.
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Post by SS Shasta on Jul 30, 2007 6:27:23 GMT -8
I was shocked to realize that the "new" ferries of my youth--the Issaquah class--are now anywhere from 25 to 27 years old. Guess I need to be shocked too! The ferries of my youth--the Evergreen State class. And that seems like just yesterday
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Post by guest on Jul 30, 2007 6:27:58 GMT -8
Steering problem, as in steering compartment full of seawater.
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Post by Barnacle on Jul 30, 2007 7:49:58 GMT -8
Did MV Nisqually have steering problems too? I must have missed that. From what I can tell, it looks like Barnacle misread your post and had the boats switched around in his mind. Oh, so I did. My apologies! The coffee hadn't settled in yet, apparently. I think the Nisqually was just going to get her turn for the Big Inspection. However, if guest's info is accurate, that would explain the sudden reversal.
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Post by Ferry Fanatic on Jul 30, 2007 20:30:42 GMT -8
Does anyone know if the Illahee's steering compartment really flooded or what was the steering issue?
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