The MV ''Coho'' is a passenger and vehicle

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 ...

owned and operated by Puget Sound Navigation Company, Black Ball Line. Black Ball's only ferry, ''Coho'' carries passengers and cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailers, bicycles, etc. between Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and Port Angeles, Washington, Port Angeles, Washington (state), Washington, United States. ''Coho'' makes between two and four round trips from Port Angeles to Victoria daily, with each crossing taking about 90 minutes and covering . The peak summer season has the most trips per day and the winter season the fewest.

Construction and design

''Coho'' was designed by Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, of Seattle and is named after the coho salmon commonly found in the United States' Pacific Northwest. ''Coho'' was the first large vessel built on the West Coast in 20 years solely with private financing. The vessel was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company, Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle, Washington, Seattle, Washington and made her first sailing to Victoria, British Columbia on December 29, 1959. She was originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer, Cooper-Bessemer diesel engines rated at each. In 2004 she was refitted with two V12 engine, V-12 Electro-Motive Diesel, Electro-Motive Division (EMD)12-645F7B diesels rated at each. ''Coho'' has twin stainless propellers with twin rudders. Her overall length is with a service speed of . The ship's vehicle clearance is with a carrying capacity of 110 vehicles and up to 1,000 passengers. The design of ''Coho'' was the basis for that of BC Ferries' first two ships, the ''Queen of Sidney'' and ''Queen of Tsawwassen''., which developed into the .

Terrorist incident

''Coho'' made news on December 14, 1999, when Ahmed Ressam was arrested by border authorities in Port Angeles after he attempted to enter the United States via Victoria on ''Coho'' with home-made explosives and timing devices hidden in his car. He admitted he and accomplices had planned to bomb Los Angeles International Airport on New Year's Eve, 1999.

Notes

External links

MV ''Coho'' at Black Ball Ferry Line (official site)M/V ''Coho'' underwayDesigner, builder and owner of M/V ''Coho'' on her bridge during sea trials, 1959
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coho Ferries of Washington (state) Ferries of British Columbia Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company Motor vessels of Washington (state) 1959 ships