Rich Passage is a tidal strait in

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 m ...

, allowing access to

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremer ...

, Sinclair Inlet, and Dyes Inlet. It separates

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. ...

from the

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

area of Kitsap Peninsula. Due to the activities at

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...

, Rich Passage has a high volume of marine traffic. The Seattle-Bremerton ferry, part of the Washington State Ferries, travels the length of Rich Passage on its route. In addition to the many

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 ta ...

trips each way per day,

tugs 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 ...

with

hawser Hawser () is a nautical term for a thick cable or rope used in mooring or towing a ship. A hawser passes through a hawsehole, also known as a cat hole, located on the hawse. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, third editi ...

tows and various types of naval and recreational craft all contribute to a considerable collision hazard, particularly at the sharp bend off Point Glover. Strong tidal conditions prevail in this vicinity, and deep-draft outbound vessels making the sharp turn may be unavoidably set well over to the eastern shore. Fort Ward State Park and Manchester State Park are on the Rich Passage waterfront. Rich Passage was named by

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...

during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838–1842, to honor William Rich, the expedition's botanist.

References

Bainbridge Island, Washington Straits of Kitsap County, Washington Straits of Washington (state) Landforms of Puget Sound Transportation in Kitsap County, Washington {{KitsapCountyWA-geo-stub