MV Tokitae

Naming

On November 13, 2012, the Washington State Transportation Commission named the ferry Tokitae. Tokitae is a colloquial greeting that means "nice day, pretty colors" in Chinook Jargon.

Tokitae was also the earliest name of an orca that had been captured in Penn Cove, Whidbey Island. Jesse White, the veterinarian who bought the captured orca in Seattle for the Miami Seaquarium, gave her that name, but she was renamed Lolita in Miami. Orca Network promoted the choice of Tokitae for the ferry under construction, to promote the cause of returning the captive orca to her natal waters, and the Washington state government was sympathetic. The ferry's route crosses a passage where the orca and her orca community were chased during her capture.

History

Construction

The contracts for the Tokitae were signed on November 1, 2011, and its keel was laid on March 29, 2012.

The Tokitaes hull was rolled out of the Vigor construction building onto a drydock on March 2, 2013. It was joined by the completed superstructure the following week; it was built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, a community on Whidbey Island.

The ferry was floated out of its dry dock and launched in Elliott Bay on July 19, 2013. The Tokitae was christened by state Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson on March 20, 2014 at Vigor, during a ceremony opened to the media, officials and workers.

Launch and early problems

The official public unveiling occurred on June 8, 2014, at the Clinton ferry terminal. The ferry made its maiden voyage on June 30, 2014. The Tokitaes first week of service was marred by a hydraulic leak and a design flaw that caused cars to scrape against the car ramps. In the vessel's first 13 months it lost propulsion a total of 18 times.

References

References

1. "Olympic Class (144-Car) Ferries". [[Washington State Department of Transportation]].
2. Garrett, Howard. (November 14, 2012). "Lolita Update #130".
3. (November 13, 2012). "Two new ferries named Samish, Tokitae". [[The Everett Herald]].
4. Colby, Jason M.. (2018). "Orca: how we came to know and love the ocean's greatest predator". [[Oxford University Press]].
5. "Clinton Ferry Schedule 2023".
6. Moseley, David. (November 4, 2011). "Construction to start on new 144-car ferry". Washington State Ferries.
7. Moseley, David. (March 30, 2012). "144-car ferry milestone". Washington State Ferries.
8. (March 12, 2013). "Nichols Brothers Boat Builders Launch 144-Car Washington State Ferry Superstructure". Nichols Brothers Boat Builders.
9. Friedrich, Ed. (October 19, 2013). "Smoother sailing on construction of 144-car ferries". [[Kitsap Sun]].
10. Van Bronkhorst, Erin. (March 20, 2014). "State's newest ferry, Tokitae, is christened at Seattle shipyard". [[Puget Sound Business Journal]].
11. Haglund, Noah. (June 8, 2014). "Whidbey Island welcomes new ferry Tokitae". The Everett Herald.
12. Friedrich, Ed. (June 30, 2014). "Tokitae begins service this week with problematic ramps". Kitsap Sun.
13. Provenza, Nick. (July 1, 2014). "Some cars scrape on new Washington ferry Tokitae". [[The Columbian]].
14. Horcher, Gary. (April 15, 2015). "Ferry Tokitae loses power with 173 passengers on board". [[KIRO-TV.