The Stena Britannica, just a year old, was purchased and rechristened the MV Wickersham. The federal government agreed to do so, which left the AMHS with a significantly longer route system, and no new vessels to serve it.įaced with the lengthy construction time and cost of building a new vessel, the AMHS looked abroad to find a quicker solution. Citing the need for a transportation link between Alaska and the rest of the United States, then governor Wally Hickel ordered the AMHS to send a vessel south to Seattle while putting a request to Congress to re-classify the route as inside waters. Until this time, portions of the passage between Southeast Alaska and Washington State were classified as outside waters, and none of the vessels the AMHS operated in Southeast Alaska had the necessary ocean-going certification required to carry passengers on outside waters. A slide took out the Alaska Highway to the North, and BC Ferries MV Queen of Prince Rupert ran aground, severely limiting transfer passengers' ability to move between the AMHS Southern terminus of Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Seattle. In 1967, two events acted to severely restrict transportation to and from Southeast Alaska. Bartlett, in service with the state until 2004.ĪMHS vessels docked at Pier 48 in Seattle, 1975. In 1969, that service was expanded with the addition of the MV E.L. The following year, the ocean-certified MV Tustumena was completed, the Chilkat moved to Prince William Sound, and the AMHS started service in Southcentral. With 3 new ships, and a new name, the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) was born. The first of these new vessels built was the MV Malaspina, followed closely by the MV Matanuska and MV Taku. The package included 4 new vessels and new docks throughout. In 1959, the year Alaska became a state, voters approved an $18 million ($160 million today) bond package to improve the ferry system throughout the Southeast and Southcentral regions. In 1957, the MV Chillkoot was replaced by the MV Chilkat, which remained a part of the system until being decommissioned in 1988. The Chilkoot Motorship Lines was purchased by the territorial government, and moved under the Territorial Board of Road Commissioners in 1951. They operated a weekly service from Tee Harbor (north of Juneau) to Haines and Skagway, connecting the territorial capital to the international road system. The company used a converted LCT-Mark VI landing craft, christened the MV Chilkoot. The forerunner to the Alaska Marine Highway was the Chilkoot Motorship Lines, founded in 1948 by Haines residents Steve Homer and Ray Gelotte. Voyages can last many days, but, in contrast to the luxury of a typical cruise line, cabins cost extra, and most food is served cafeteria-style. of a shipping line offering regularly scheduled service for the primary purpose of transportation of passengers rather than of leisure or entertainment. The Alaska Marine Highway System is a rare example in the U.S. It is also the only method of transportation of vehicles between the state and the contiguous United States, going through Canada but not requiring international customs and immigration. It is part of the National Highway System and receives federal highway funding. AMHS's 3,500 miles (5,600 km) of routes go as far south as Bellingham, Washington, in the contiguous United States and as far west as Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, with a total of 32 terminals throughout Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington. Ferries serve communities in Southeast Alaska that have no road access, and the vessels can transport people, freight, and vehicles. The Alaska Marine Highway System operates along the south-central coast of the state, the eastern Aleutian Islands and the Inside Passage of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska. The Alaska Marine Highway ( AMH) or the Alaska Marine Highway System ( AMHS) is a ferry service operated by the U.S. The MV Malaspina at port in Skagway, Alaskaįirst founded in 1949.
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