MV Taku
 MV Taku | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Taku |
| Namesake: | Taku Glacier, Juneau, Alaska |
| Owner: |
 Alaska Marine Highway System |
| Port of registry: |
 United States |
| Builder: | Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company, Seattle, Washington |
| Cost: | $4.5 Million USD[1] |
| Launched: | 1963[2] |
| Commissioned: | 1963 |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2015 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Malaspina-class mainline ferry |
| Tonnage: | 2,625 Domestic 7,302 International[2] |
| Displacement: | 4,283 long tons (4,352 t)[2] |
| Length: | 352 ft (107 m)[2] |
| Beam: | 74 ft (23 m)[2] |
| Draft: | 16 ft 11 in (5.16 m)[2] |
| Decks: | One vehicle deck, three passenger decks [3] |
| Ramps: | Aft, port, and starboard ro-ro loading |
| Installed power: | Two 4,000 hp MaK Diesel engines [3] |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)[2] |
| Capacity: | 370 passengers 69 vehicles[2] |
| Crew: | 42[2] |
M/V Taku is a Malaspina-class mainline vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
History
Designed by Philip F. Spaulding & Associates, constructed in 1963 by the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company in Seattle, Washington,[1] the M/V Taku is named after Taku Glacier which is located just southeast of Juneau, Alaska and has been in the ferry system for over forty years. In 1981, the Taku received a major refurbishment and has been in service steadily since although there was talk of retiring the vessel in 2003.
Role
As a mainline ferry, Taku serves the larger of the inside passage communities (such as Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka), its route primarily stays between Ketchikan and Skagway in Southeast Alaska.
The M/V Taku is the largest of the three AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of Hoonah and Kake and because of this served as a critical component of providing transportation out of Hoonah and Kake after the "milk run" ferry, the M/V LeConte hit a rock and went into dry dock.
Amenities
The Taku 's amenities include 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.[1]
- 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.[1]
- On July 29th, 1970, the Taku ran aground on Kinihan Island, outside of Prince Rupert, Canada. All passengers on board were evacuated safely, and the cars were transferred to the BC Ferry MV Queen of Prince Rupert [1]
Notes
References
- Cohen, Stan. (1997). Highway on the Sea: A Pictorial History of the Alaska Marine Highway System. Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 0-929521-87-0.
- "Vessel Profiles". Alaska Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- Welcome Aboard! M/V Taku. Alaska Marine Highway pamphlet.
External links
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