MV Columbia Totally Explained

Everything about Mv Columbia totally explained

Career
Commissioned:	1974
Classification:	O.N. 557340	ABS I.D. 7408017
Home Port:	Ketchikan, Alaska
Other Ports:	Bellingham (WA), Ketchikan, Alaska, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka, Alaska, Haines, Skagway, Alaska
Current Status	Pierside at Cascade General (Portland, OR) for repairs. (Sept 23, 2007 - May 14, 2008)
Decommissioned:	Currently active
Fate:	Currently active
General characteristics
Displacement:	7,745 long tons (SW)
Length:	418 ft (127.406 m)
Beam:	85 ft and 1.5 in (25.946 m)
Draught:	24 ft and 0 inches (7.315 m)
Horsepower:	12,350
Speed:	17.3 knots
Capacity:	Passengers 499, Automobiles 134 (20' lengths)
Access:	Aft, port, and starboard ro-ro loading Two vehicle decks
Named After:	Columbia Glacier in the Chugach Mountains

The M/V Columbia is a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
Constructed in 1974 by Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle, Washington, the M/V Columbia has been the flagship vessel for the Alaska ferry system for over thirty four years. As a mainline ferry, which means in serves the largest of the inside passage communities (such as Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka), its route expands the entirety of the inside passage, often beginning runs in Bellingham, Washington and running to the northernmost Alaskan Panhandle community of Skagway stopping in communities along the way. "Columbia" has an upper deck between the main vehicle deck and the cabin deck with additional vehicle stowage accessed by two vehicle elevators capable of hoisting 19 foot vehicles with their passengers, and additional passenger cabins.
On July 2, 2006, an auxiliary engine room fire broke out on the Columbia temporarily impairing steering and propulsion on its northbound voyage from Bellingham in Seymour Narrows in Canadian waters. The ship motored to Duncan Bay, British Columbia for damage assessment before continuing on to Ketchikan's Alaska Ship & Dry Dock for more extensive repairs.
Early on 15 August 2007, only two months before a scheduled overhaul, position number two connecting rod in the Columbia's starboard engine experianced a bearing failure. To prevent catastrophic damage to the surrounding components the engine was secured. The 268 passengers were rerouted, and it was sent to Ketchikan, where it was originally planned to be repaired within the week. Soon it became apparent that it would require further work, and in a controversial decision the Marine Highway System chose to cancel all further summer voyages on the ship pending repairs. Nearly all the other ships in the fleet were rerouted to make up for the loss of what many consider to be the flagship of the fleet, and many passengers were urged to seek alternative travel means to help ease the pressure on the system. Transfered to Cascade General Shipyard at Swan Island in the Portland, Oregon area; both main engines were disassembled and are being overhauled.

Trivia

The Columbia's amenities include a hot-food cafeteria; sit-down restaurant and dining room; cocktail lounge and bar; solarium; forward, aft, movie, and business lounges; gift shop; 45 four-berth cabins; and 59 two-berth cabins.

Further Information

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