''Speeder'' was a motor launch built in 1908 which served 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 ...

and in the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

. From 1908 to 1922 this vessel was named ''Bainbridge''.

Design and construction

''Speeder'' was built in 1908 at

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

for the Eagle Harbor Transportation Company The original name of the vessel was ''Bainbridge''.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 151. As originally built, the vessel was long, beam, and in depth of hold. Overall size was 39 gross and 26 registered tons. Only two crew were required according to the 1911 merchant vessel registry. As of 1911, the vessel was powered with a gasoline engine that generated 80 indicated

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 ...

. The vessel's U.S. Registry number was 205199. ''Bainbridge'' was built to run on the Seattle-Bainbridge Island route and was the fastest vessel of the type yet constructed when built.

Career

In 1910 ''Bainbridge'' was purchased 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 ...

. PSN was then engaged in a strong competition with 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 ...

, which had deployed a similar vessel, the gasoline launch '' Doncella'' to run against ''Bainbridge''. There was a near-collision between the two vessels off

Duwamish Head Duwamish Head is the northernmost point in West Seattle, Washington, jutting into Elliott Bay. The Duwamish called it "Low Point" or "Base of the Point" (Lushootseed: sgWudaqs). A large boulder covered with petroglyphs once lay on the beach. The ...

, in which, it was reported at the time that “'women fainted in fright.'” As a result of this incident, charges were brought against Capt. Carl Freese of the ''Bainbridge'' and Capt. George W. Keeney of ''Doncella''. In 1911 the original gasoline engine was replaced with a new 75 horsepower Troyer-Fox gasoline engine assembled by the Astoria Iron Works, of

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a port city and the seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the northwest corne ...

. In 1922, Captain Norman I. Drigge, of

Friday Harbor, Washington Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,162 at 2010 census. Located on San Juan Island, Friday Harbor is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago and is the county seat ...

had ''Bainbridge'' rebuilt at the Jensen shipyard in Friday Harbor. He renamed the vessel ''Speeder''. A 90-horsepower Gulwosen-Grei diesel engine was installed, and the rebuilt vessel had two smoke stacks. Following reconstruction, the vessel was long and had a passenger capacity of 100 persons. Under Driggs, ''Speeder'' was run between Bellingham and

Anacortes, Washington Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Deer Harbor,

Orcas The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white pat ...

Shaw Island Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries. The island has a land area of and a small year-round population of 240 ( 2010 census). During the summer time, weekends swell with other resi ...

, and Friday Harbor.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 326. In 1924, ''Speeder'' with other motor launches, including ''Alverene'' were running in the San Juan Islands, and facing heavy competition from the powerful Crosby Marine Corporation, which had placed the ferry ''Mount Vernon'' on the San Juan route. ''Speeder'' was later operated on the Bellingham-San Juan Islands by the W.H. Kasch Navigation Co., owners of ''Alverene''.Kline and Bayless, ''Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound'', at page 133. In 1927, ''Speeder'' was back in the ownership of Eagle Harbor Transportation Company, whose principals then were E.L. Frank and J.B. Burns. In that year, Franks and Burns sold their two vessels, ''Speeder'' and the steamer ''Bainbridge'' to

through an intermediary, Arthur E. Burr. Kitsap County Navigation Company was then under the control of

John L. Anderson John Leonard Anderson (born 1945) is the current President of the National Academy of Engineering. He was a professor of chemical engineering, who served as the eighth president of Illinois Institute of Technology. Prior to his appointment at IIT, ...

, whose wish to acquire the state-issued route certificate held by Eagle Harbor Transportation Co. was the motive for the purchase. E.L. Frank stayed on as chief engineer of the ''Bainbridge'' after the ownership transfer.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 388.Kline and Bayless, ''Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound'', at page 166. KCTC put ''Speeder'' on the Seattle-Winslow route.

Later years

In 1935 ''Speeder'' came into the ownership of Puget Sound Navigation Co. when PSN acquired Kitsap County Transportation Co. and the entire KCTC fleet. ''Speeder'' was not operated by PSN however, and seems to have been idle for a number of years following the purchase.Kline and Bayless, ''Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound'', at page 353. In 1942, ''Speeder'' was acquired by Boles Harbor Island Ferries. The cabins of the vessel were cut down and the vessel was then and placed on a route running shipyard workers from downtown Seattle to the yards on

Harbor Island Harbor Island is an artificial island in the mouth of the Duwamish River in Seattle, Washington, US, where it empties into Elliott Bay. Built by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company, it was completed in 1909 and was then the largest art ...

. Master of the vessel in this service was Joe D. Williamson, who later became known as a prominent maritime photographer.Newell, ed., ''McCurdy Marine History'', at page 510. It is also reported that ''Speeder'' made runs to

Bremerton 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 Bremerto ...

during this period.Newell and Williamson, ''Pacific Steamboats'', at page 104. As of 1966, ''Speeder'' was still operational, and was then owned by

Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It became the Seat ...

Notes

References

* Kline, M.S., and Bayless, G.A., ''Ferryboats -- A legend on Puget Sound'', Bayless Books, Seattle, WA 1983 * Newell, Gordon R., ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', Superior Publishing Co., Seattle, WA (1966) * Newell, Gordon R., and Williamson, Joe D., ''Pacific Steamboats'', Superior Publishing, Seattle WA 1958
U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Bureau of Statistics, ''Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States'' (for year ending June 30, 1911)
(accessed 06-16-11). {{Mosquito Fleet 1908 ships Motor vessels of Washington (state) Ships built in Seattle