''Hyak'' was a wooden-hulled steamship that operated on

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

from 1909 to 1941. This vessel should not be confused with the sternwheeler ''Hyak'' which ran on the extreme upper reach of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

at about the same time. The name means "swift" or "fast" in the Chinook Jargon.

Career

''Hyak'' was built at

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in 1909 at the shipyard of Joseph Supple for the

Kitsap County Transportation Company The Kitsap County Transportation Company was an important steamboat and ferry company that operated on Puget Sound. The company was founded in 1898 as the Hansen Transportation Company. Hansen Transportation The Kitsap County Transportation Com ...

.Newell, ''Ships of the Inland Sea'', at 190 and 209. The vessel was , rated at 195 tons, and was equipped with a

triple expansion steam engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...

with cylinders 12, 18 and 32 inches in diameter with an 18-inch bore stroke on all cylinders. The engine worked on steam produced at 225 pounds of pressure, and generated 750

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

. ''Hyak'' was brought up from the

around the

Olympic Peninsula The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

by Capt. J.J. Reynolds. It was reported that during this trip the vessel was at times able to reach a speed of 20 miles per hour. ''Hyak'' was placed on routes running from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. ...

and

Poulsbo Poulsbo ( ) is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the smallest of the four cities in Kitsap County. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census and an estimated 10,927 in 2018. The area was historically in ...

, serving

Port Madison Port Madison, sometimes called Port Madison Bay, is a deep water bay located on the west shore of Puget Sound in western Washington. It is bounded on the north by Indianola, on the west by Suquamish, and on the south by Bainbridge Island. Port Ma ...

Suquamish The Suquamish () are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American people, located in present-day Washington in the United States. They are a southern Coast Salish people. Today, most Suquamish people are enrolled in the federally recognized Suquami ...

Seabold Seabold is a surname that can refer to: *Elizabeth Harrower (actress) (1918–2003; full name Elizabeth Harrower Seabold), American actress and television writer *Susan Seaforth Hayes (born 1943 as Susan Seabold), American dramatic actress, daughte ...

, Keyport, Lemola,

Scandia Scandza was described as a "great island" by Gothic-Byzantine historian Jordanes in his work ''Getica''. The island was located in the Arctic regions of the sea that surrounded the world. The location is usually identified with Scandinavia. Jor ...

, and

Pearson Pearson may refer to: Organizations Education *Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC *Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation) Companies *Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...

. The vessel was also used for excursions. Like many other Puget Sound steamers, ''Hyak'' used Pier 3 (now Pier 54) as its Seattle terminal.Faber, ''Steamer's Wake'', at 131, 135, 144, 165. ''Hyak'' was one of the faster vessels on Puget Sound and was a favorite among passengers. ''Hyak'' was one of the last of the wooden-hulled steamships of Puget Sound to operate in regular commercial service. From 1935 to 1938 ''Hyak'' was owned by the

Puget Sound Navigation Company The Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded by Charles E. Peabody in 1898. Today the company operates an international passenger and vehicle ferry service between Port Angeles, WA and Victoria, BC on the Coho. History In the past, th ...

, then the dominant steamboat and ferry company on Puget Sound.Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., ''Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound'', Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 , at page 350. In 1941, ''Hyak'' was abandoned on a mudflat on the

Duwamish River