Alaska Marine Highway System

Alaska Marine
Highway System
A Pictorial Trip Through Time:
AMHS Vessel
Tracking
Presentation By: Dave Henderson
AMHS
AMHS
Website
Updated: 09/06/2022
USCG
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Click on buttons for links to additional information
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Map showing the Alaska Marine Highway System
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MV Chilkoot
Decommissioned (Sold 1957) 4
Day Boat Ferry (Beginning 1948)
IMO: [Unknown] Call Sign: [Unknown] Port: Haines, AK
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MV Chilkoot
 The forerunner to the Alaska Marine Highway System was
the Chilkoot Motorship Lines, founded in 1948 by Haines
residents Ray Gelotte and Steve Homer. The company
used a converted 121’ long LCT-Mark VI landing craft,
christened the MV Chilkoot. They operated a weekly
service from Tee Harbor to Haines and Skagway.
 After a couple of years service the company faced
bankruptcy. When it became known that service would be
discontinued the territorial government decided in June of
1951 to purchase and operate the company.
 This vessel was replaced by the MV Chilkat in 1957.
5
Decommissioned (Sold 1957)

6
MV Chilkoot
Chilkoot Motorship Lines - Ferry service between Haines & Tee Harbor

7
MV Chilkoot
Steve Homer, Ray & Gustav Gelotte – Original owners of the MV Chilkat

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MV Chilkoot
Motor Vessel Chilkoot,
underway in Lynn Canal

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MV Chilkoot

MV Chilkat
Day Boat Ferry (Launched 1957)
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IMO: [Unknown] Call Sign: WH9501 Port: Juneau, AK
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MV Chilkat
 When the MV Chilkoot was determined to be too small, the
territorial government commissioned the construction of the
Chilkat to replace her in 1957.
 On April 18, 1957 the MV Chalkat began daily service between
Juneau, Haines and Skagway. On January 3, 1959 Alaska
became a state, making the Chilkat the first state-owned ferry.
 It was 99 feet long and 34 feet wide. It could carry 59
passengers and 15 vehicles. It could offload on an unimproved
beach as well as a dock.
 The vessel was decommissioned in 1988 and sold. Sources say
it is currently being used as a scallop boat.
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Day Boat Ferry (Launched 1957) Decommissioned (Sold 1988)

12
MV Chilkat

13
MV Chilkat

14
MV Chilkat

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MV Chilkat

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MV Chilkat

MV Malaspina
Mainline Ferry (Launched 1963)
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IMO: #5218183 Call Sign: WI6803 Port: Skagway, AK
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MV Malaspina
 MV Malaspina is named after the Malaspina Glacier,
located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, the
largest piedmont glacier in the world. The glacier was
named after Captain Don Alessandro Malaspina, Italian
navigator and explorer in the service of Spain, who
explored the Northwest coast of North America in 1791.
 The vessel was designed by Phillip F. Spaulding &
Associates of Seattle, Washington and constructed at the
Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle in 1963. She is
one of three sister ships that made up the original AMHS
fleet. After nine years in operation, the ship was
lengthened at Willamette Iron & Steel Co. in Portland,
Oregon. 18
Mainline Ferry (Launched 1963) Decommissioned (Sold 2022)

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 MV Malaspina is 408 feet long and 74 feet wide,
with a domestic gross tonnage of 2,928 and a
service speed of 16.5 knots.
 She is designed to carry 450 passengers and has
a vehicle capacity of 1,675 linear feet, which is
equal to approximately 83 twenty-foot vehicles.
 There are 45 four-berth and 26 two-berth cabins,
as well as 1 wheelchair accessible cabin.
MV Malaspina

MV Malaspina
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MV Malaspina
21

23
MV Malaspina

24
MV Malaspina

25
MV Malaspina

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MV Malaspina
Arriving &
Departing
Wrangell
A Lap Around
The Malaspina
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MV Taku
Mainline Ferry (Launched 1963)
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IMO: #5351052 Call Sign: WI9491 Port: Ketchikan, AK
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MV Taku
 MV Taku is named after the Taku Glacier, located in
Southeast Alaska and named by the Tlingit Natives.
She is the deepest and thickest glacier known in the
world and is the only advancing glacier in the Juneau
Icefield.
 MV Taku was designed by Phillip F. Spaulding &
Associates of Seattle, Washington and constructed at
the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle in 1963.
She is one of three sister ships that made up the
original AMHS fleet, but unlike the other two, she was
not lengthened after construction.
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 MV Taku is 352 feet long and 74 feet wide, with a
domestic gross tonnage of 2,625 and a service
speed of 16.5 knots.
 There are 6 four-berth and 32 two-berth cabins, as
well as 2 wheelchair accessible cabins.
MV Taku

MV Taku
30

MV Taku
31

33
MV Taku “Taku on the rocks”

MV Taku
34

35
MV Taku

36
MV Taku

37
MV Taku
Malispina
Passing Taku
Petersburg to
Wrangell
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MV Matanuska
Mainline Ferry (Launched 1963) 38
Currently In Service
IMO: #5228827 Call Sign: WN4201 Port: Auke Bay, AK
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MV Matanuska
 MV Matanuska is named after the Matanuska Glacier,
located in South Central Alaska, the largest glacier in
Alaska accessible by road. The name was derived from the
Russian term for the Copper River people.
 MV Matanuska was designed by Phillip F. Spaulding &
Associates of Seattle, Washington and constructed at the
Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle in 1963. She is
one of three sister ships that made up the original AMHS
fleet. After fifteen years in operation, the ship was
lengthened at Willamette Iron & Steel Co. in Portland,
Oregon.
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Mainline Ferry (Launched 1963) Currently In Service

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 MV Matanuska is 408 feet long and 74 feet wide,
 There are 5 four-berth, 21 three-berth and 79 two-
berth cabins, as well as 1 wheelchair accessible
cabin.
MV Matanuska

MV Matanuska
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MV Matanuska

44
MV Matanuska

45
MV Matanuska

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MV Matanuska
Northbound
Wrangell
Narrows
Tour of the
Matanuska
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MV Tustumena
IMO: #6421086 Call Sign: WGNW Port: Kodiak, AK
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MV Tustumena
 MV Tustumena is named after the Tustumena Glacier,
located in the Kenai Peninsula, which is an Indian name
meaning “Lake with the Peninsula.”
Associates of Seattle, Washington and was constructed in
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1964. It was built with an
elevator capable of loading and unloading vehicles without
a ramp, regardless of tide levels, and is used in
communities where a dedicated ramp loading directly into
the car deck is not available. It is the smallest AMHS
vessel with cabins, and is one of only two certified ocean
class ferries in the AMHS fleet.
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 MV Tustumena is 296 feet long and 59 feet wide,
a vehicle capacity of 680 linear feet, which is
well as 1 wheelchair accessible cabin.
MV Tustumena

MV Tustumena
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MV Tustumena

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MV Tustumena

53
MV Tustumena
View from the
Tustumena
Aleutian
Chain Run
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MV Wickersham
Mainline Ferry (Acquired 1968) 54
IMO: #6717148 Call Sign: HOEN Port: Juneau, AK
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MV Wickersham
 MV Wickersham was originally built in 1967 by A/S
Langesund Mekaniske Verksted in Norway and was called
the Stena Britannica.
 She was purchased by the state of Alaska for just under $7
million in April 1968. Upon taking ownership, the AMHS
rechristened her the MV Wickersham, after Alaska Judge
and political leader James Wickersham.
 Due to complications of operating a foreign built vessel, she
was put up for sale in 1973. She was sold to Rederi AB
Sally (Sally Line) in 1974 who renamed her Viking 6. After
a number of owners she was finally scrapped in 2001.
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Mainline Ferry (Acquired 1968) Decommissioned (Sold 1974)

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 MV Wickersham is 363 feet long and 59 feet wide,
 She is designed to carry 1,300 passengers and
has a vehicle capacity of 140.
well as 1 wheelchair accessible cabin.
MV Wickersham

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MV Wickersham

58
MV Wickersham

59
MV Wickersham

60
MV Wickersham
MV Goelo (1980-1982)
MV Viking 6 (1974-1980)
MV Stena Britannica (1967-1968)
MV Wickersham (1968-1974)

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MV Wickersham
MV Sun Express (1985-1986)
MV Sardegna Bella (1994-2001)
MV Moby Dream (1986-1994)
MV Sol Olympia (1982-1985)

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MV Wickersham
SitNews
Article
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MV EL Bartlett
Day Boat / Shuttle Ferry (Acquired 1969)
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IMO: #6927810 Call Sign: WY6244 Port: Cordova, AK

MV EL Bartlett
 MV EL Bartlett is named after Senator Edward Lewis “Bob”
Bartlett, who served as Alaska’s Territorial Delegate to Congress
from 1945 to 1959.
 The vessel added to the fleet and reached Prince William Sound
on July 1, 1969. During its years of service its primary ports
were Valdez, Whittier, Tatilek, and Cordova.
 It was 177 feet long and had a beam of 53 feet. Its service
speed was 12 knots and could carry 236 passengers and 29
vehicles.
 The vessel was decommissioned in 2003 and sold to All Alaskan
Seafoods on eBay.
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Day Boat / Shuttle Ferry (Acquired 1969) Decommissioned (Sold 2003)

65
MV EL Bartlett

66
MV EL Bartlett

67
MV EL Bartlett

68
MV EL Bartlett

69
MV EL Bartlett
Valdez to
Whittier
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MV LeConte
Day Boat / Shuttle Ferry (Launched 1973)
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IMO: #7318925 Call Sign: WZE4270 Port: Juneau, AK

MV LeConte
 MV LeConte is named after the LeConte Glacier, located in
Southeast Alaska near Petersburg. This the southernmost
tidewater glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. The glacier
was named for Joseph LeConte, Professor of Geology at
the University of California in 1887.
 The vessel was designed by Nickum & Spaulding
Associates of Seattle, Washington and was constructed at
Peterson Builders, Inc. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1977.
The small size of this vessel enables it to provide service to
smaller communities along the route.
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Day Boat / Shuttle Ferry (Launched 1973) Currently In Service

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 MV LeConte is 235 feet long and 57 feet wide,
 There are no staterooms available. Amenities
include observation lounges, cafeteria, movie
lounge, heated solarium, and showers.
MV LeConte

MV LeConte
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MV LeConte
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MV LeConte

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MV LeConte

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MV LeConte

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MV LeConte
Vessel grounded on May 10,
2004 @ 10:00 a.m. on Cozian
Reef, Peril Straits, on the north
end of Baranof Island, NE of
Sitka, AK.

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MV LeConte
The Alaska Marine Highway
System (AMHS) believes the
cause of the grounding was due
to navigational error
Divers reported damage to the
vessel's keel and two gashes on
both sides of the vessel. The port
side gash is approximately one foot
wide by 40-feet long. The starboard
side gash is approximately two feet
wide by 30-feet long, and extends
into void tanks under the vessel's
main engine room.

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MV LeConte
LeConte
Lynn Canal
Seasick Ferry
Ride
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MV Columbia
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Mainline Ferry (Acquired 1974) Currently In Service
IMO: #7320095 Call Sign: WYR2092 Port: Ketchikan, AK

MV Columbia
 MV Columbia is named after the Columbia Glacier
in Prince William Sound. The glacier was named
after Columbia University, one of several glaciers
in the area named for elite US colleges by the
Harriman Alaska Expedition in 1899.
Associates of Seattle, Washington and constructed
at Lockheed Shipbuilding & Construction Company
in 1973 in Seattle, Washington.
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MV Columbia
 MV Columbia is the largest vessel in the fleet. She
is 418 feet long and 85 feet wide, with a domestic
gross tonnage of 3,946 and a service speed of
17.3 knots.
as well as 3 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

MV Columbia
84

MV Columbia
86

MV Columbia
87

MV Columbia
88
Ketchikan to
Bellingham
MV Columbia
AMHS
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MV Aurora
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IMO: #7502332 Call Sign: WYM9567 Port: Hoonah, AK
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N/A

MV Aurora
 MV Aurora is named after the Aurora Glacier, located in
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. The glacier was
named by prospectors after the Aurora Borealis. Aurora
means ‘the dawn’ in Greek.
 The vessel was designed by Nickum & Spaulding
Associates of Seattle, Washington and was constructed at
Peterson Builders, Inc. in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1977.
The small size of this vessel enables it to provide service to
smaller communities along the route.
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 MV Aurora is 235 feet long and 57 feet wide, with
a domestic gross tonnage of 1,280 and a service
speed of 14.5 knots.
 There are no staterooms available. Amenities
include observation lounges, cafeteria, movie
lounge, heated solarium, and showers.
MV Aurora

MV Aurora
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MV Aurora
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94
MV Aurora

95
MV Aurora

96
MV Aurora

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MV Aurora
Chatham
Strait 2011
Departing
Chenega Bay
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MV Kennicott
IMO: #9145205 Call Sign: WCY2920 Port: Valdez, AK

MV Kennicott
 MV Kennicott is named after the Kennicott Glacier, located
in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. The
glacier was named in 1899 for Robert Kennicott, a pioneer
Alaska explorer and director of the scientific corps of the
Western Union Telegraph Expedition in 1865.
 The vessel was designed by Halter Marine and the Glosten
Associates of Seattle, Washington. It was built in 1998 at
the Halter Marine Group shipyard in Gulfport, Mississippi.
At the time of construction it was the first large ocean-going
vessel built in the US since 1952.
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 MV Kennicott is 382 feet long and 85 feet wide,
a vehicle capacity of 1,569 linear feet in SE Alaska
and 1,340 in SW Alaska, which is equal to
approximately 67 to 78 twenty-foot vehicles.
as well as 3 wheelchair accessible cabin.
MV Kennicott

MV Kennicott
101

MV Kennicott
102

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MV Kennicott

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MV Kennicott

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MV Kennicott
Loading Cars Aboard the
Kennicott
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MV Lituya
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IMO: #9283148 Call Sign: WDB6180 Port: Metlakatla, AK

MV Lituya
 MV Lituya is named after the Lituya Glacier, located in
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. The glacier was
noted in 1786 by Jena-Francois de La Perouse.
 The vessel was designed by Coastwise Engineering of
Juneau, Alaska and constructed at Conrad Shipyards in
Morgan City, Louisiana in 2004. She is the smallest vessel
in the fleet and is the only vessel in the AMHS with an open
car deck.
 She is currently dedicated to a single route between
Ketchikan and Metlakatla, Alaska
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MV Lituya
 MV Lituya is 181 feet long and 50 feet wide, with a
domestic gross tonnage of 758 and a service speed of 11.5
knots.
 She is designed to carry 125 passengers and has a vehicle
capacity of 300 linear feet, which is equal to approximately
15 twenty-foot vehicles.
 There are no staterooms available. Amenities are limited to
lounge with reclining airline-style seats and table
arrangements.
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MV Lituya
109

MV Lituya
110

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MV Lituya

112
MV Lituya

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MV Lituya
During the night of January 30, 2009, the ship came loose from its
moorings in Metlakatla while unmanned. She drifted about a mile,
running up on Scrub Island in Port Chester harbor. Winds at the time
averaged 26 mph (42 km/h) with gusts to 80 mph; seas were 8 feet.

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MV Lituya
The Alaska State Ferry Lituya, a 180-foot motor vessel home ported
in Metlakatla, Alaska, broke loose from its moorings at the ferry pier
in Metlakatla during a storm and is reported aground one mile north
on Scrub Island, Alaska, in Port Chester at 1 a.m. Friday, January
30, 2009.

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MV Lituya

116
MV Lituya
Annette Bay
To Ketchikan
Nicholas
Passage
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MV Fairweather
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IMO: #9265809 Call Sign: WDB5604 Port: Juneau, AK
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N/A

MV Fairweather
 MV Fairweather is named after the Fairweather Glacier,
located in Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve. The
glacier was named by Captain James Cook in 1778 for the
unusually good weather encountered at the time.
 The vessel was designed by Nigel Gee & Associates, a
British naval architecture firm that has many years of high-
speed ship design and build experience. It was constructed
at Derecktor Shipyards of Bridgeport, Connecticut. She
began service in 2004.
 She is powered by four diesel engines and four water jets.
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Day Boat / Shuttle Ferry (Launched 2003) Decommissioned (Sold 2021)

MV Fairweather
 MV Fairweather is 235 feet long and 60 feet wide, with a
domestic gross tonnage of 1,280 and a service speed of 32
knots.
 There are no staterooms available. Amenities include
observation lounges, snack bar, covered solarium, and
children’s play area.
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MV Fairweather
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MV Fairweather

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MV Fairweather

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MV Fairweather
FVF
Fairweather
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MV Chenega
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IMO: #9265794 Call Sign: WDC3997 Port: Cordova, AK
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N/A

MV Chenega
 MV Chenega is named after the Chenega Glacier, located
in Prince William Sound. The glacier was named in 1905
for Chenega Island and the nearby community of Chenega
Bay.
 The vessel was designed by Nigel Gee & Associates, a
British naval architecture firm that has many years of high-
speed ship design and build experience. It was constructed
at Derecktor Shipyards of Bridgeport, Connecticut. She
began service in 2005.
 She is powered by four diesel engines and four water jets.
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MV Chenega
 MV Chenega is 235 feet long and 60 feet wide, with a
domestic gross tonnage of 1,333 and a service speed of 32
knots.
observation lounges, snack bar, covered solarium, and
children’s play area.
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MV Chenega
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MV Chenega

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MV Chenega

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MV Chenega
The vessel Red Zed 1 sits at anchor outside Ketchikan’s Ward Cove
on June 13, 2021. The Fairweather and Chenega ferries are
scheduled to be towed out of the cove and loaded Friday morning.

131
MV Chenega
The Chenega, getting ready to be loaded on top of the Red Zed 1, in Ketchikan
before sailing to Spain. The Fairweather will be loaded for the trip as well.

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MV Chenega
Leaving
Whittier
Valdez to
Whittier Run
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MV Tazlina
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IMO: #9812157 Call Sign: WDJ8361 Port: Juneau, AK

MV Tazlina
 The MV Tazlina is named after the Tazlina Glacier located
43 miles north of Valdez.
 The vessel was designed by Elliott Bay Design Group of
Seattle, WA. It was constructed by Vigor Shipyard in
Ketchikan, AK. The first AMHS ferry built in Alaska, along
with its sister ship the M/V Hubbard.
 The MV Tazlina was christened in Ketchikan on August 11,
2018 by former First Lady, Donna Walker. It is planned for
operation as a day boat in North Lynn Canal between
Juneau, Haines and Skagway.
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MV Tazlina
 MV Tazlina is 280 feet long and 67 feet wide, with a
domestic gross tonnage of 3,317 and a service speed of
16.5 knots.
observation lounges, cafeteria-style restaurant, covered
solarium, and children’s play area.

MV Tazlina
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137
MV Tazlina

MV Hubbard
Day Boat / Shuttle Ferry (Launched 2019) 138
IMO: #9812808 Call Sign: WDJ8361 Port: Juneau, AK
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N/A N/A

M/V Hubbard
 The M/V Hubbard is named after the Hubbard Glacier
which is a tidewater glacier located near Yakutat, AK.
 The vessel was designed by Elliott Bay Design Group of
Seattle, WA. It was constructed by Vigor Shipyard in
Ketchikan, AK. The second AMHS ferry built in Alaska,
along with its sister ship the M/V Tazlina.
 The M/V Hubbard is scheduled to enter service in the
summer of 2020. It is planned for operation as a day boat
in the Prince William Sound area.
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M/V Hubbard
 MV Hubbard is 280 feet long and 67 feet wide, with a
domestic gross tonnage of 3,317 and a service speed of
16.5 knots.
observation lounges, cafeteria-style restaurant, covered
solarium, and children’s play area.

M/V Hubbard
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M/V Hubbard

143
M/V Hubbard

MV Tustumena
Replacement Project
Mainline Ferry (Construction 2023 – 2025)
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Potential Replacement Vessel
CLICK N/A
N/A
N/A

Tustumena Replacement Project
 The Alaska Dept. of Transportation is currently in the
process of designing the replacement for the MV
Tustumena. Currently, the Tustumena is the only AMHS
vessel capable of serving all 13 ports of call between
Homer and Unalaska.
 Retiring and replacing the Tustumena with a vessel that is
equally if not more versatile and seaworthy will allow the
AMHS to continue to provide service to these communities.
 Glosten Associates was selected to perform the design
engineering and has completed the design package.
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Mainline Ferry (Construction 2023 – 2025) Potential Replacement Vessel

 The MV Tustumena, built in 1964, is near the end of its
design service life. Reasons for replacement include age,
lack of vehicle and passenger capacity, increase in demand
for vehicle space (especially between Homer and Kodiak),
and an increase in the discovery of wasted steel and
cracking during annual maintenance inspections.
 It has been determined that the replacement vessel will
need to be 330 feet long and 74 feet wide, carry 250
passengers (with births for 126) and carry approximately 55
vehicles.
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<<< Click here for updated design presentation
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THE
END
Presentation by: Dave Henderson, Ketchikan, AK Updated 09/06/2022

Alaska Marine Highway System

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