Knik Arm ferry or Cook Inlet ferry, was a proposed year-round passenger and auto
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
across
Knik Arm
Knik Arm ( Dena'ina: ''Nuti'') is a waterway into the northwestern part of the Gulf of Alaska. It is one of two narrow branches of Cook Inlet, the other being Turnagain Arm. Knik Glacier empties into the Knik Arm. The Port of Anchorage is loc ...
between
Anchorage
Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
and
Point MacKenzie in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. The project was to use the MV ''Susitna''
SWATH
A small waterplane area twin hull, better known by the acronym SWATH, is a catamaran design that minimizes hull cross section area at the sea's surface. Minimizing the ship's volume near the surface area of the sea, where wave energy is located ...
/ barge convertible expedition craft, which was built for , to connect Alaska's financial center with the fastest growing community in Alaska, just two miles across water. No ferry landings were ever built, and the ship was never put into commission. Eventually, the Borough offered to either transfer the ferry for free to government entities in the U.S. in January 2013 or to sell the ship to a commercial interest. Sealed bids were taken through March 29, 2013.
but the ship was not actually sold until 2016, for substantially below the cost of building it, just
[
]
MV ''Susitna''
The ferry is a one-of-a-kind, ice-capable vessel that can transition from barge to twin-hulled ship, designed by ''Guido, Perla & Associates'' based on a concept by Lockheed-Martin Corporation
The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is ...
for the Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...
as a half-sized prototype for a military vessel.
''Susitna'' was built by Alaska Ship and Drydock, Inc., in Ketchikan
Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District.
With a population at the 20 ...
. Design and construction costs were funded by the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is an organization within the United States Department of the Navy responsible for the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Established by Congress in 1946, its mission is to plan ...
to study the technology for its potential as a new type of expeditionary landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
, also called an "E-craft". Basic construction of the ferry was completed and she was christened MV ''Susitna'' in June 2010, but it was never put into service.
The vessel is long and has a capacity is 129 passengers and 20 automobiles. Her design incorporates lift technology that allows changing from the Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH
A small waterplane area twin hull, better known by the acronym SWATH, is a catamaran design that minimizes hull cross section area at the sea's surface. Minimizing the ship's volume near the surface area of the sea, where wave energy is located ...
) mode to barge mode by lowering or raising her center deck. She is the world's first ice-capable twin-hulled vessel; and the world's first ship able to convert between a high-speed SWATH hull to a shallow barge-type.
Timeline
A ferry in the area was proposed as early as 1999. ''Susitna'' was a project of Senator Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left ...
, who helped secure numerous earmarks through Defense Department budgets to pay for the ship. Rather than toss the ship in a scrap heap as all other prototypes were, the ship was to be put to work as both a ferry for taxpayers, and as a research vessel for the U.S. Navy. The navy would gather information via the 1,000 sensors on board to learn how the stresses of ice affect the ship, helping the navy construct an improved landing craft for icy seas.
As of February 2013, the ferry was still docked at Ward Cove in Ketchikan, hundreds of miles from Knik Arm. In 2008 then mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage Mark Begich
Mark Peter Begich ( ; born March 30, 1962) is an American politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously ser ...
terminated the 2002 agreement with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its county seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview.
The borough is part of ...
, who then bore sole responsibility for the project. Several landing sites were proposed, and each time there were objections. One site could possibly interfere with the endangered Beluga whale
The beluga whale () (''Delphinapterus leucas'') is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus ''Delphinapterus''. It is also known as the whi ...
population in Cook Inlet
Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its sou ...
. Another was deemed too close to the oil "tank farm" at the Port of Anchorage and was rejected out of security concerns. A third site was objected to by commercial fishermen
A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish.
Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or recreat ...
who feared it would interfere with their operations. Another site was rejected because the ferry required additional clearance. The borough favored a site at Ship Creek
Ship Creek ( Dena'ina: ''Dgheyaytnu'') is an Alaskan river that flows from the Chugach Mountains into Cook Inlet. The Port of Anchorage at the mouth of Ship Creek gave its name ("Knik Anchorage") to the city of Anchorage that grew up nearby.
The ...
, an industrial area already used for offshore docking of tugboats
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
, however, offloading of vehicles requires a ferry landing. No landings were ever built.
In August 2011 the borough government was informed they were expected to take possession of the ship within a month, and that they were required to provide berthing fees and other expenses even though the vessel was not in service, an estimated annual cost of 1.3 million dollars. Concerned with taxpayers paying for operations costs on a ship that has no revenue, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly agreed to either transfer the vessel to any U.S. government entity or sell it to a commercial interest. They were informed that if they sold it outright they would need to return Federal grant funds used for its construction. The amount is uncertain. Or If the borough transferred the ship to another government entity, the financial obligation could have been reduced.
In January 2012, the Alaska Marine Highway
The Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) or the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is a ferry service operated by the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska.
The Alaska Marine Highway System operates along the south-central ...
rejected a proposal that they utilize the ship as it is not compatible with their existing facilities or training. A proposal to lease the vessel to the Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
was rejected by that agency on similar grounds. The unused vessel was listed for sale in September 2012.
In May 2013, the borough agreed to sell the vessel to a private company for $6 million, a small fraction of its worth but enough to cover their obligations related to it. However the buyers did not remit a promised down payment on schedule.
Sale to the Philippine Red Cross
In September 2015, a deal was brokered with the Philippine Red Cross
The Philippine Red Cross (PRC; fil, Krus na Pula ng Pilipinas) is a non-profit humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
The PRC was established in 1947, with roots in the Philippine Re ...
to purchase the ferry. The arrangement required that the ship first be repaired as three of its four engines were damaged by neglect and exposure during the time it had been stored without being used.
In December 2016, MV ''Susitna'' arrived at Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...
in the Philippines for turnover to the PRC which purchased the vessel, with help from the , British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...
, German Red Cross
The German Red Cross (german: Deutsches Rotes Kreuz ; DRK) is the national Red Cross Society in Germany.
With 4 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within ...
, Japanese Red Cross
The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross.
The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters i ...
, and American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
, for from Matanuska-Susitna Borough. As part of the organization's 70th anniversary activities in 2017, a contest was initiated to rename ''Susitna'' where, in the end, it became known as MV ''Amazing Grace''. Considered as the country's first humanitarian vessel, it was commissioned the same year in the presence of Philippine president
The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
. Its first deployment was on 2020 as part of PRC's disaster relief operations in the Philippine province of Catanduanes
Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes, is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across Maqueda ...
after being ravaged by Typhoon Rolly (Goni).
References
External links
M/V Susitna
at Guido, Perla & Associates
Alaska Ship and Drydock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knik Arm Ferry
Ferry companies of Alaska
Transportation in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
Transportation in Anchorage, Alaska