PORT TOWNSEND — Sea trials for the new 64-car Kwa-di Tabil-class ferry Chetzemoka, destined for the Port Townsend-Keystone route, are expected to begin next month.
But don’t expect to see the vessel tested on Admiralty Inlet, a Washington State Ferries official said.
The trials “will be conducted in Puget Sound away from other marine traffic, not on the Port Townsend/Keystone route,” said state ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey, and they will take about three days.
An Aug. 28 christening of the Chetzemoka is planned, Coursey said.
The state Department of Transportation and Washington State Ferries will not share its plans for the celebration until Friday, she added.
“We will be officially announcing the date for the Chetzemoka celebrations at the end of this week,” Coursey said.
“There will be activities in Port Townsend, on Whidbey Island, and on the vessel.
“The events are currently in the planning phases so we aren’t able to provide details at this time.”
Coursey said the purpose of the sea trials is for Seattle ferry contractor Todd Shipyards to demonstrate the vessel to the Coast Guard and state ferries inspectors.
The sea trials team will include a master and crew hired by Todd with Todd’s test and trials department.
The Chetzemoka is undergoing final outfitting in the passenger areas, Coursey said.
“Flooring, walls, and ceilings are being installed. Exterior passenger seating has been installed,” she said.
“Dock trials are being conducted, including load tests on generators, sprinkling systems and main engines.”
After sea trials — sometime in August — the ferry Chetzemoka will begin to serve the northern water link on Admiralty Inlet between the North Olympic Peninsula and Whidbey Island.
The Chetzemoka was placed in the water for the first time on March 2 at Todd’s graving dock.
The second Kwa-di Tabil ferry, to be named by the state Transportation Commission in July, is under construction at Todd Shipyards in Seattle on Harbor Island.
As was the case with the Chetzemoka, the second ferry to serve the Port Townsend-Keystone route will be built by Todd in partnership with Jesse Engineering in Tacoma Nichols Brothers Boatbuilders in Freeland on Whidbey Island, and Everett Shipyard.
The second ferry’s first three hull modules are now being fabricated at Todd.
The main engines are expected to arrive in July.
The second vessel is scheduled to be rolled out of the construction shed in October. It will be towed to Everett Shipyard for final outfitting.
Final outfitting involves the installation of all major system components, including engines, ventilation and heating components, plumbing, wiring, furniture and lighting among them.
It is expected to begin plying the route in spring 2011.
The state has leased the Pierce County-owned, 50-car ferry Steilacoom II as the only vehicle ferry that will work for Keystone Harbor’s challenging conditions to serve the Port Townsend-Keystone route.
The car ferry temporarily replaces the more than 80-year-old Steel Electric ferries that were declared unsafe and pulled from the Port Townsend-Keystone route on Nov. 20, 2007.
The city of Port Townsend is planning a marketing effort to coincide with the launch of the first new Kwa-di Tabil class ferry this year, a classification so named by a Blue Heron Middle School fourth-grade class in Port Townsend, which won the state’s ferry classification naming contest.
The first 64-car ferry was named for a S’Klallam chief
The Chetzemoka was named for a S’Klallam chief, who was buried in 1888 at Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Townsend. Port Townsend’s Chetzemoka Park, overlooking Admiralty Inlet and the ferry route to Whidbey Island, was dedicated in his name in 1904.
Of the 23 ferries operating in Puget Sound, 21 have names reflecting the state’s tribal heritage. The other two are named the Rhododendron and the Evergreen State.
The latest photos are available at http://tinyurl.com/3xkmskn.
________
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
