1925: The Launch of a Ferry in the Evergreen State

June 22, 1925

A ferry named the MV Crosline was launched in the western region of Seattle. This wooden diesel-powered ship had been designed by naval architect L.H. Coolidge.

Crosline was built by the Marine Construction Company for entrepreneur Harry W. Crosby to use in his recently established ferry service in that part of the world. Crosby Direct Line Ferries operated a ferry route on Puget Sound, which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and part of the Salish Sea, and specifically between the Seattle communities of Alki Point and Manchester.

The launch for Crosline took place at the Marine Construction Company’s location at 4100 Iowa Street in Seattle (along the industrialized estuary known as the Duwamish Waterway). In reporting on this Monday evening ceremony, the Seattle Star highlighted the significance of the new vessel. This newspaper asserted, “Addition of the ferry Crosline to the Crosby service indicates the rapidly increasing volume of business being handled by the new line.”

Crosline, which routinely took only 25 minutes to make regular runs between Alki Point and Manchester, was able to transport up to 300 people and 65 automobiles. In 1926, the Crosby Direct Line Ferries merged with Puget Sound Navigation. This change did not have any immediate impact on Crosline, which continued to serve on the Alki-Manchester route over the next several years. After the dock at Alki Point was destroyed during a storm in 1935, however, Crosline’s route was modified to instead encompass regular runs between Colman Dock (Seattle’s primary ferry terminal) and Manchester. Crosline remained on this route until 1940.

Two years later, Crosline was acquired for use by the Burrard Inlet ferry services in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Crosline was part of that fleet until 1947, when she was sold to the ferry system of the Washington State Department of Highways (now part of the Washington State Department of Transportation). She was subsequently used on the ferry route between Port Defiance and Gig Harbor in the Evergreen State until 1950. The following year, Crosline was added to the fleet of the newly formed government agency Washington State Ferries (WSF).

The final trip of Crosline occurred on the night of Labor Day in 1967. WSF eventually sold this ship and she would then be used in such capacities as a warehouse and a restaurant. Ultimately, the various timbers and planks of this one-time ferry were taken apart and used in the construction of both a dock and a fishing boat.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For more information on the MV Crosline, please check out https://evergreenfleet.com/crosline/