MV Wenatchee

The MV Wenatchee is a Jumbo Mark II-class ferry operated by Washington State Ferries. Launched in 1998, she was the second in her class in the fleet following the MV Tacoma.

MV Wenatchee passing Duwamish Head
History
Name	MV Wenatchee
Owner	WSDOT
Operator	Washington State Ferries
Port of registry	Seattle, Washington
Route	Seattle-Bainbridge Island
Builder	Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington
Cost	$80 million[1]
Completed	1998
Identification	IMO number: 9137351 MMSI number: 366749710 Callsign: WCY3378
Status	Out of Service
General characteristics
Class and type	Jumbo Mark II Class auto/passenger ferry
Length	460 ft 2 in (140.3 m)
Beam	90 ft (27.4 m)
Draft	17 ft 3 in (5.3 m)
Deck clearance	15 ft 4 in (4.7 m)
Installed power	Total of 16000 hp from 4 x Diesel-Electric engines
Speed	22 kn (41 km/h)
Capacity	2500 passengers 202 vehicles (max 60 commercial)

Almost without exception since being launched, she has served the Seattle-Bainbridge Island route.[2]

As with most of the ferries in the system, she shares the name of a city in Washington state.

Wenatchee has been involved in a couple of notable incidents. In 2000, during a particularly low tide, she touched bottom while rounding Tyee Shoal at the entrance of Bainbridge Island's Eagle Harbor, resulting in minor keel and propeller damage. On August 30, 2009, she had a collision with the #3 slip at Pier 52 in Seattle. There was heavy fog at the time and the vessel and slip were out of service for four days.

The Wenatchee and its older sister ship, the MV Tacoma, suffered from excessive vibration during their early period of operation, until it was repaired during routine maintenance in 1999. The issue was addressed in the later Jumbo Mark II ferry, the MV Puyallup, before it launched.[1]

The Jumbo Mark II fleet is planned to be converted to diesel-electric hybrid beginning in 2021. The conversion is part of a state-mandated reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and will be funded by part of a settlement from the Volkswagen emissions scandal.[3] In April 2021, during sea trials following engine overhauls, the vessel suffered an engine fire and lost power, which lead to an ongoing investigation by the Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.[4]