M/V ''Taku'' is a ''Malaspina''-class mainline vessel built for the
Alaska Marine Highway System
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 ...
. The ship has been retired and was sold to a Dubai-based company for $171,000.
The owner sought to sell the ferry internationally, and was unsuccessful, and it was last seen beached in
Alang, India, to be scrapped.
History
Designed by
Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, constructed in 1963 by the
Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company in
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 ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
the M/V ''Taku'' is named after
Taku Glacier
Taku Glacier (Tlingit language, Lingít: ''T'aaḵú Ḵwáan Sít'i'') is a tidewater glacier located in Taku Inlet in the U.S. state of Alaska, just southeast of the city of Juneau, Alaska, Juneau. Recognized as the deepest and thickest alpine t ...
which is located just southeast of
Juneau
The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the s ...
,
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., ...
and has been in the ferry system for over forty years. In 1981, the ''Taku'' received a major refurbishment and was in service steadily until the summer of 2015 when she was laid up due to budget considerations.
The AMHS subsequently announced that it would retire the vessel in preparation for sale or scrapping.
[AMHS focus of SE Conference]
Bowman, Nick. '' Ketchikan Daily News'', 25 February 2017
Role
As a mainline ferry, ''Taku'' served the larger of the inside passage communities (such as
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 ...
,
Petersburg, and
Sitka
russian: Ситка
, native_name_lang = tli
, settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough
, image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg
, image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984
, image_size ...
), its route primarily stayed between
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 ...
and
Skagway
The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with ...
in
Southeast Alaska.
The M/V ''Taku'' was the largest of the three AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of
Hoonah
Hoonah ( tli, Xunaa or ''Gaaw Yat’aḵ Aan'') is a largely Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inside Passage. Hoonah is the only f ...
and
Kake
KAKE (channel 10) is a television station in Wichita, Kansas, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Lockwood Broadcast Group. The station's studios are located on West Street in northwestern Wichita, and its transmitter is located in ...
and because of this served as a critical component of providing transportation out of Hoonah and Kake after the "milk run" ferry, the hit a rock and went into
dry dock.
Amenities
The ''Taku''s amenities included a hot-food cafeteria; bar; solarium; forward, aft, recliner, movie, and business lounges; gift shop; 8 four-berth cabins; and 36 two-berth cabins.
Accidents and Incidents
* On April 23rd, 1963 the ''Taku'' struck a rock outside
Petersburg in a minus tide. She returned to service on May 3rd.
* On August 8th, 1963 two boys entered the wheelhouse when the ''Taku'' was preparing to leave Petersburg, and engaged the engines. The resulting damage to the dock left the vehicle loading ramp out of commission for three months.
* On July 29th, 1970, the ''Taku'' ran aground on Kinihan Island, outside of
Prince Rupert,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. All passengers on board were evacuated safely, and the cars were transferred to the BC Ferry ''
MV Queen of Prince Rupert
MV ''Queen of Prince Rupert'' was a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry operated by BC Ferries that provided the main surface transport link between the Queen Charlotte Islands and mainland British Columbia, connecting Skidegate with Prince Rupert across ...
''
[Cohen (1994), p. 16]
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
Official Alaska Marine Highway System website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taku
Former Alaska Marine Highway System vessels
1962 ships
Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company