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History
The Alaska Marine Highway was founded in 1948 by Haines residents Steve Homer and Ray Gelotte, who used a converted LCT-Mark VI landing craft which they christened the M/V Chilkoot. Their business was purchased by the territorial government in 1951 and renamed the Alaska Marine Highway System in 1963. Service was extended to Prince Rupert, British Columbia that year, and to Bellingham in 1967.
In September 2005, the Alaska Marine Highway was named an All-American Road by the Federal Highway Administration.
Communities served
The Alaska Marine Highway's main hub is in Juneau, though administrative offices were recently and controversially moved to Ketchikan. Other smaller operational hubs include Cordova (Prince William Sound), Ketchikan (southern Panhandle), and Kodiak (Southcentral Alaska).
The AMHS serves the following communities year-round: Akutan; Angoon; Bellingham, Washington; Chenega Bay; Chignik; Cold Bay; Cordova; False Pass; Haines; Homer; Hoonah; Juneau; Kake; Ketchikan; King Cove; Kodiak; Metlakatla; Petersburg; Port Lions; Prince Rupert, British Columbia; Sand Point; Seldovia; Sitka; Skagway; Tatitlek; Tenakee Springs; Unalaska/Dutch Harbor; Valdez; Whittier; Wrangell; and Yakutat. Bartlett Cove, location of the Glacier Bay National Park ranger station and eight miles (13 km) from the community of Gustavus, is served occasionally by the M/V LeConte in summer months.
Vessels
Current vessels
The following vessels, from smallest to largest, currently serve in the Alaska Marine Highway's fleet:
- M/V Lituya, solely dedicated to serving the Ketchikan-Metlakatla route.
- M/V Chenega (fast ferry), operates in Prince William Sound.
- M/V Fairweather (fast ferry), operates a variety of routes in Southeast Alaska.
- M/V Aurora, operates in Prince William Sound.
- M/V LeConte, serves the feeder communities in northern Southeast as a day boat.
- M/V Tustumena, serves Southcentral and Aleutian Island communities.
- M/V Taku, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska.
- M/V Malaspina, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Prince Rupert or Bellingham.
- M/V Matanuska, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Prince Rupert or Bellingham.
- M/V Kennicott, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Prince Rupert or Bellingham and making a cross-Gulf of Alaska trip to Southcentral Alaska once a month.
- M/V Columbia, runs mainline throughout Southeast Alaska, frequently beginning in Prince Rupert or Bellingham.
Most Alaska Marine Highway System vessels are built for multiple-day voyages due to the large distances between ports. For example, it takes just under three days to travel from Bellingham to Skagway, and 18 hours for the Sitka to Juneau "milk run." Because of this, larger vessels (M/V Tustumena and larger) come with staterooms, while all mainline vessels have solariums, showers, and lounges for sleeping. Hot food services and, on the M/V Columbia, a sit-down restaurant are also offered.
All current vessels are named after Alaskan glaciers.
Retired vessels
In addition to the current fleet, the following vessels have been retired:
Traffic
The AMHS carries over 350,000 passengers and 100,000 vehicles every year. It is very popular with summer tourists (one of the primary reasons Bellingham and Prince Rupert are AMHS destinations). Tent cities commonly sprout up on the aft of mainline vessels, and for budget-travellers, the AMHS is one of the top modes of transportation to the "Last Frontier". Service drops off significantly in winter. Vessels usually undergo overhauls and renovations during this period due to the decline in passenger and vehicle traffic (attributed to lack of tourists).
Politics
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The ferry system has been in the spotlight in recent years over a proposal to build a road link between Skagway and Juneau, the only mainland state capital in the United States without road access. Proponents of the road have called ferry service spotty and expensive compared to roads and say residents should be able to come and go as they please. Critics say the very people who want the road, the administration of Governor Sarah Palin, are also in charge of the ferry system and are themselves responsible for the "spotty" ferry service and service changes often considered illogical. As well as the possibility for improved commerce and improved capital access, a road would present significant environmental, financial and social concerns that must be addressed.
See also
- BC Ferries – British Columbia's ferry system, similar to the Alaska Marine Highway
- Inter-Island Ferry Authority – A Southeast Alaskan ferry system that operates out of Prince of Wales Island that is sponsored by communities that received spotty ferry service
- Washington State Ferries - State-operated ferry system serving Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and Sidney, B.C.
External links
- Official site
- Route maps
- America's Byways - Alaska Marine Highway
- Sitnews.us: "The Grand Ships of the Alaska Marine Highway System"
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