Histoy of MV Taku (DN) - 2017

aku story (3-15-17)

By DAVE KIFFER

For the Daily News

On Aug. 8, 1963, the Alaska state ferry Taku was idling at the dock in Petersburg. The shiny new ferry was four months into its first season as the second of Alaska's mainline ferries in the state system, which had just begun regionwide operations that year.

The Taku had already had an adventure coming into Petersburg earlier in the season, soon after it began sailing in April, when it hit a rock while approaching the terminal during a -3.4 foot tide. That impact had damaged an 8-foot by 70-foot section of the Taku's hull, keeping it out of service for three weeks and costing $41,000.

But what happened on Aug. 8 had nothing to do with a low tide. In one of the craziest events in the history of the Alaska Marine Highway System, two young Petersburg boys dashed into the wheelhouse, slammed the vessel into gear and ran back out. The ship surged forward and crashed into the dual, 75-foot towers for the loading ramp. The towers twisted and broke from the impact.

The terminal was out of commission for three weeks and cars had to be barged from Petersburg to Wrangell in order to be loaded onto the ferries, according to Stan Cohen's 1994 history of the AMHS, "Highway on the Seas."

The two early incidents caused some to think the Taku might be the unluckiest member of the new fleet, although other groundings and terminal accidents did hit other members of the fleet over time.

Unfortunately those incidents paled in comparison to the worst accident that befell the Taku. On July 29, 1970, the ship ran aground on Kinahan Island, 8 miles west of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The ship was near full speed at 17 knots and, according to the final report on the accident, missed the turn into the Prince Rupert harbor. Longtime Capt. Jim Sande was not faulted for the grounding because he was still in his cabin when it occurred. A Coast Guard board of inquiry met to determine who was at fault; First Mate Thomas Aspinwall, who turned over control of the ship 18 minutes before the grounding, or Second Mate Cornelius Norden, who was in command when it went aground. Both were originally charged with negligence but the Coast Guard dropped charges against Aspinwall. Norden was found guilty of negligence and left the AMHS.

During the hearing it also came out that visitors had been on the bridge shortly before the accident and that a lookout was posted on the bridge rather than on the deck during the approach to Prince Rupert. AHMS officials said that both actions were violations of policy.

All 297 passengers and crew were safely evacuated by fishing boats and a nearby oil tanker. The Canadian coastal ferry Queen of Prince Rupert — which loaded vehicles from the bow — was able to pull up behind the Taku and remove the 73 vehicles on board the Alaska ferry. There was a 3-mile oil slick from the grounding and the oil dispersed fairly quickly, according to Cohen.

But when low tide hit, the Taku developed a dangerous list, according to Cohen, and it was feared the ship would tip over completely. Capt. Sande and several crew members were later commended for staying on board the ship during the long, tense night. Fortunately, workers were able to stabilize the ship enough and it was righted during the incoming tide the next morning and pulled off the beach.

"Under her own steam and accompanied by a tugboat, she headed to Seattle for repairs," Cohen wrote in 1994. "The bottom had suffered considerable damage and two holes were punched in her hull. Repair costs totaled around $400,000."

That the Taku recovered from such incidents is just part of the ship's long Alaska history, which now appears to be ending as the State of Alaska has put her up for sale. The state is seeking bids until May 9. Bids must begin at $1.5 million.

For the past decade, the Alaska Marine Highway System has been looking to replace the original three mainliners that all came into service in 1963. The Malaspina and Matanuska were eventually enlarged, but the Taku, the second of the ships to come on line in 1963, retained its original size of just over 350 feet.

For the past two years, the cash strapped AMHS has kept the Taku in Ketchikan tied up as it assessed the overall system schedule. It is currently docked in Ward Cove. Late in 2016, it was announced the marine highway system would try to find a buyer for the Taku.

The Taku was designed by Philip Spaulding and Associates and constructed in 1962-63 by Puget Sound Bridge and Drydock Company in Seattle. It was named after the Taku Glacier just south of Juneau. The construction cost of the 352-foot long Taku was $4.5 million. It has a gross tonnage of 2,624 tons and generally operated at a speed of 16.5 knots, driven by a pair of 4,000 horsepower Enterprise diesel engines (later replaced by turbo charged MAK engines). Passenger capacity is 475, with 106 sleeping berths and space for 83 vehicles. The crew complement was originally 42.

The Taku's amenities included a hot-food cafeteria; bar; solarium; forward, aft, recliner, movie and business lounges; gift shop; eight four-berth cabins; and 36 two-berth cabins. Like other ships in the line, the bar and gift shops were eventually discontinued.

The Taku was primarily on the Prince Rupert to Skagway route, but it was also 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 when the smaller ships, the Aurora and LeConte, were unavailable.

In the 1980s, when the state was expanding the size and capacity of the Malaspina and the Matanuska, it was decided to not expand the Taku. Still, the ship underwent a major renovation in 1980-81 in which the funnel and wheelhouse were replaced and a solarium was added. Staterooms and the elevator were upgraded. In the early 1990s, the ship received new engines. Over the years, the Taku, like the Malaspina and the Matanuska, received upgrades well in excess of the original cost in order to keep them operating. Originally, the ships were given a 30-year lifespan and have now been operating more than 50 years.

At several points in the past 30 years, the state has looked at revamping the system and retiring one or more of the original three ships. But proposed schedule changes, roads linking communities in Southeast and use of fast ferries have proved ineffective. Meanwhile, the older ships have become increasingly expensive to operate and maintain at a time when the ferry system is under pressure to lower its costs.

Over the years, like all the other "blue canoes," the Taku developed a following among locals and crewmembers alike.

Ketchikan resident John Kanarr spent 34 years as an able bodied seaman on the Taku. In 2013, when the marine highway celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Malaspina, Taku and Matanuska coming on line in 1963, Kanarr was interviewed by the 360 North television channel. Kanaar said he realized it was time to retire in the late 1990s when he realized he was crewing with the grandson of someone he crewed with back in the early 1960s.

Kanarr also noted that many people, crewmen and others, met their life partners on the ship.

“The socializing while you were on board the ships was a lot closer than where you work or in your community in a lot of cases," Kanarr said. "Because you have one common thing together, because you’re on the ferry to start with. And you’re all going in the same direction.”

Kanaar said that the most interesting "passenger" in the early days was a cocker spaniel that would often come down the ramp and get on in Wrangell. The dog would then get off in Petersburg. Sometimes it would make the trip the other way.

"I told the terminal agent in Wrangell and he says 'yeh. he's doing that all the time.'" Kanaar said.  "I say, 'What's the deal?' He says 'He must have a girl up there.'"

Prominent community members like Mary Ida Henricksen and AJ Charlton also spent time as crew on the Taku in the early years and both spoke fondly of the ship.

"I was one of the youngest (crewmembers)," Henricksen said recently. "They called me their token 'hippy.' I got my document and signed on the Taku in 1969."

More than a few Ketchikan residents remember arriving in Alaska on the Taku.

Anita Hales came here with family in the Taku in the early 1960s.

Kevin Nye also made the journey to Ketchikan on the second oldest "blue canoe." He said he over-imbibed a bit on the way up.

"They just told me to crash on the floor of the bar and someone threw a sleeping bag over," he said recently. "The next morning, I woke up in Ketchikan with a bad hangover. I was 25. It was 'welcome to Alaska, kid.' "

Lavena Sargent said her parents were waiting in Prince Rupert to come to Ketchikan when the ship hit Kinahan Island.

"They were waiting at the dock in Prince Rupert when they got word that the Taku had run aground," she said recently. "My father (who was in the Coast Guard) had to go out to inspect her. Later I went to work on her and was bartender for two years."

Other important days in the Taku's history included the time, in 1974, when it was blocked from landing in Ketchikan during a union dispute. There was a sad day in December of 2005, when Capt. Thomas Reed died in his cabin at 57, just before he was take over the ship as it transited Peril Strait near Sitka.

In 2013, the ship was tied up as a floating hotel in Wrangell during the rededication of the Chief Shakes Tribal House.

In 2009, the crew was honored by the United Seaman's Service "Honored Seafarer Award"  for a spectacular rescue near Hoonah.

The engine room of a 55-foot fishing boat, Alaska Pride, caught fire and the Taku successfully the rescued the boat's crew during a 35-knot storm with 10-foot seas. Taku Capt. Thomas Moore traveled to New York City to accept the award on the Taku's behalf.

The Taku was taken out of service on June 23, 2015 and earlier this month the state officially put the ferry up for sale. It is currently docked in Ward Cove. The deadline for bids on the ship is May 9.