Steel Electric Class Ferry - History

History

The Steel Electric class ferries were built in 1927 for Southern Pacific Transportation Company service on San Francisco Bay. After a decade of service on San Francisco Bay, they were idled by completion of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937.

They were sold in 1940 to Puget Sound Navigation Company, also known as the "Black Ball Line". Two of the ferries, the Santa Rosa and Fresno, renamed Enetai and Willapa respectively, were extensively rebuilt and had their engines replaced. They were converted into single-ended boats, which made them faster and more suitable for use on the Seattle–Bremerton ferry route. These modifications meant that they were no longer technically part of the "Steel Electric" class. In 1951, the Steel Electrics and almost all of Black Ball's fleet was purchased by Washington State Ferries. In 1953, WSF replaced the car deck windows with portholes on all the Steel Electrics. In 1967 the Enetai and Willapa were sold, having been replaced on the Bremerton route by two of the Super class ferries, the MV Hyak and MV Yakima. In the 1980s the four remaining boats were given an overhaul and continued to serve until November 2007.

The six boats are now fairly different. The Enetai and Willapa were both converted into single-ended boats and had their engines replaced. The Klickitat was rebuilt before the other ferries and has a shorter cabin and lacks an elevator. The remaining three all have elevators.