By Coastal Angler Staff Writer
On June 13th, the Steamship Authority, one the largest ferry services to the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod, welcomed the newest ferry in its fleet – the M/V Woods Hole – with a Commissioning ceremony and open houses in Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven. The celebrations continued the following day with another open house on Nantucket.
Steamship Authority General Manager Wayne Lamson presided over the ceremony, held on the dock adjacent to the Woods Hole ferry terminal, which included a formal reading of the Orders of Commission, posting of the colors, setting the watch, and entertainment by the Spirit of America brass quintet and recording artists Jilly Martin and Ryan Brooks Kelly.
Reverend Deborah Warner of the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole delivered the invocation. Following the invocation, an open house was held aboard the new ferry for members of the community and invited guests after the Commissioning, and featured a delicious assortment of foods and drinks for all visitors. Following the Woods Hole open house, the ferry set sail for Vineyard Haven and another open house was held for island residents and visitors.
“We’re excited to introduce this new, state-of-the-art ferry. It was designed to operate year-round on either route and to use the entire freight deck to carry all trucks, all cars, or a combination of both, so it’s a very versatile vessel,” said Wayne Lamson, General Manager of the Steamship Authority. “The M/V Woods Hole will enable the Authority to meet the changing needs of freight shippers, island residents and visitors who rely on us to provide safe and reliable service throughout the year.”
The M/V Woods Hole is a 235-foot long passenger and vehicle ferry and will serve both the Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard 45 minute route as well as the Hyannis to Nantucket two hours and fifteen minute route. With a beam of 64-feet and a maximum draft of 10.5-feet, this ferry has the capacity to carry 384 persons on board, including crew, and the freight deck can accommodate ten 100,000 lbs. semi-trailers or a mix of trucks and cars. She is powered by two MTU 16V4000 M64 series, EPA Tier 3 diesel engines.
This vessel possesses the latest in passenger comfort and amenities, including Wi-Fi access, and is equipped with state-of-the-art radar, communications and navigation systems, multiple electrical outlets, cushioned chairs, bench seating, tables, a full service snack bar and restrooms. The vessel also includes an elevator from the freight deck to the passenger deck for those in wheelchairs or who need extra help, two rescue boats, a Marine Evacuation Slide and Liferaft System with 100% persons on board capacity, and emergency equipment exceeding United States Coast Guard requirements. Passenger areas throughout the vessel are adorned with historic prints and panels provided by the Woods Hole Historical Museum.
Built by Conrad Shipyard, LLC in Morgan City, Louisiana and designed by the Elliott Bay Design Group of Seattle, Washington, the vessel is expected to begin serving the Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard route at the start of the summer schedule, June 17, 2016.
The Steamship Authority is the largest ferry service to the Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod. Schedules and reservations can be found on their website.