Ferry Walla Walla runs aground in Rich Passage; Seattle-Bremerton service resumes Sunday

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND – The state ferry Walla Walla ran aground on a Bainbridge Island beach in Rich Passage Saturday afternoon, and remained stuck for hours though passengers were evacuated and transported to Bremerton by late evening.

The incident was first reported at about 4:40 p.m. Washington State Ferries spokesperson Ian Sterling said it appeared that the Walla Walla, which was built in 1973 and rebuilt in 2003, had a generator failure of some sort that led to a loss of control on the vessel.

WSF announced late Saturday that the 124-car Issaquah ferry will replace the Walla Walla to start Sunday’s Bremerton-Seattle service. The first run will be at 7:45 a.m. from Seattle.

Drivers who left cars on the Walla Walla after the ferry was evacuated were able to pick them up at 9 a.m. Sunday in Bremerton, according to an announcement Saturday evening.

No injuries were reported, though the agency said that a passenger suffered a medical emergency that was unrelated to the grounding.

Sterling said that it didn't immediately appear that there was major damage such as a hull breach on the vessel, noting, "We'll see what damage there is once we get back to Bremerton."

Matt Holyoak, of Bremerton, was one of the nearly 600 passengers aboard the vessel. He reported: “There was an announcement made that said, ‘We have lost steering and propulsion. Everyone needs to get inside and brace for impact.'”

Holyoak said about five minutes after the announcement, the vessel slowly drifted into the beach. The impact was gentle, he said: “It wasn’t anything jarring, no one fell down.”

WSF said that 596 passengers and 15 crew members were aboard the vessel. Those aboard donned life vests, and Kitsap Transit fast ferries were called to assist with evacuating them to Bremerton. Sterling said the agency would have to coordinate how passengers with vehicles onboard the vessel would retrieve them.

Two galley employees on the vessel were giving away free food to those aboard, Sterling said.

A crowd of curious onlookers gathered on the beach on Bainbridge Island. As passengers wearing life jackets stood on the Walla Walla's deck waiting to leave the vessel, some from the two groups waved at each other. Periodically, announcements over the vessel's loudspeakers reminded passengers to wear their life jackets.

With low tide at around 8 p.m., the agency hoped that by around midnight the vessel would be able to float off the beach and be able to be towed back to Bremerton, Sterling said.

"We thank passengers for their patience," he said. "We're glad everybody's OK, and we're proud of our crew for the job they've done."

Kitsap Transit cancelled its evening sailings between Bremerton and Seattle and sent two passenger-only vessels, the Commander and the Waterman, to ferry riders from the Walla Walla into Bremerton. Both boats made multiple trips to the Walla Walla, beginning around 8:30 p.m. WSF said that as of 10 p.m., all passengers had been taken by Kitsap Transit to Bremerton.

The incident is reminiscent of when the same ferry became lodged on a Bainbridge Island beach in 1981. On April 22, 1981, the Walla Walla struck the ground at Wing Point, according to Kitsap Sun archives.

From the archives: Superferry Walla Walla Runs Aground In Mud Off BI's Wing Point in 1981

At the time the Walla Walla was serving the Winslow-Seattle route, and ran aground in dense fog after leaving Bainbridge at 7:50 a.m. The vessel was stuck for approximately nine hours and passengers were off-loaded by barge around 11 a.m., according to the Sun's reporting at the time.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Ferry Walla Walla runs aground in Rich Passage