MV Coho in Victoria Harbor |
|
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Coho |
| Owner: | Black Ball Transport |
| Operator: | Black Ball Ferry Line |
| Port of registry: | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| Builder: | Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock |
| In service: | December 29, 1959 |
| Identification: | Call sign WM4599 IMO number 5076949[1] |
| Status: | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Auto ferry |
| Tonnage: | 5366 (GRT) |
| Length: | 341.5 ft (104.1 m) |
| Beam: | 72 ft (22 m) |
| Draught: | 12.6 ft (3.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2×EMD12-645F7B Diesels, 2,550 hp (1,900 kW) each |
| Speed: | 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 110 vehicles + 1,000 passengers |
The M/V Coho is an auto ferry operated by Black Ball Line.[2] Black Ball owns and operates this single ferry between Victoria, British Columbia and Port Angeles, Washington.
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The Coho was designed by Phillip F. Spaulding & Associates, of Seattle and is named after the coho salmon commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. The Coho was the first large vessel built on the West Coast in 20 years solely with private financing. The vessel was built by Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle, Washington and made her first sailing to Victoria B.C. on December 29, 1959. She was originally powered by two Cooper-Bessemer diesel engines rated at 2,080 bhp (1,550 kW) each. In 2004 she was refitted with two V-12 Electro-Motive Division (EMD)12-645F7B diesels rated at 2,550 hp (1,900 kW) each. Coho has twin 8-foot (2.44 m) stainless propellers with twin rudders. Her overall length is 341.5 feet (104.1 m) with a service speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ship's vehicle clearance is 14 feet (4.27 m) with a carrying capacity of 110 vehicles and up to 1,000 passengers.[3][4]
The design of the Coho was the basis for that of BC Ferries' first two ships, the Sidney class Queen of Sidney and Queen of Tsawwassen.
The 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 the Coho with home-made explosives and timing devices hidden in his car. He admitted he and accomplices had planned to bomb LAX on New Year's Eve, 1999.