Kodiak celebrates state ferry Tustumena’s 60 years of service

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Kodiak residents gathered Wednesday to grant nan authorities ferry Tustumena, which began work 60 years agone successful 1964 and has go an icon for nan Alaska Marine Highway System.

Affectionately known arsenic nan “Trusty Tusty,” nan vessel has been nan sole ferry to service Kodiak Archipelago communities nan past fewer years.

The ferry was a fewer hours precocious because of nan weather, but still hours up of nan statement planned for her. She has sometimes been called nan “Rusty Tusty” erstwhile location are delays for illustration this one.

John Mayer captained nan ferry arsenic she yet pulled in, greeted by folks waiting for friends and family to arrive. He spent astir his full 23-year profession pinch nan Alaska Marine Highway System connected nan Tustumena.

He said his favourite portion is getting to meet nan group he shuttles betwixt communities.

“I emotion seeing america bring families into Kodiak and they’ll (be) waving to their family members connected nan dock and bringing group together,” he said.

He shuttles much than conscionable passengers though. Over nan years nan Tusty’s brought galore cars, vendors for Crab Fest, and moreover livestock to Kodiak Island.

The Tustumena is an icon successful nan authorities ferry fleet. She first arrived successful 1964 from a shipyard each nan measurement successful Wisconsin. For nan past respective years she’s been moving nan Kodiak and Aleutian way and faced immoderate of nan toughest upwind a vessel can.

That deterioration is starting to show now though – nan vessel has spent extra clip successful yards for repairs and her hull has rust and a fewer cracks connected her sides. Sixty years marks astir double nan magnitude of clip her designers expected her to beryllium successful service.

Mayer said that’s why he talked to authorities Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, astir throwing nan Tusty a 60th day celebration.

“The genesis of this statement thought was conscionable complete luncheon 1 day, I was speaking pinch Representative Stutes, I said ‘Yeah, we should person a party,’ and now spot what happened!” nan skipper said.

Stutes has been a predominant sound of support for nan ferry strategy to nan Alaska State Legislature.

For nan 60th anniversary, she collaborated pinch respective section businesses, nonprofits, and City of Kodiak Police to group up a artifact statement astatine nan ferry dock successful town.

“It’s a feel-good for nan community,” she said. “It really is simply a awesome thing.”

Hundreds of group came for nan celebration, pinch immoderate sporting ferry-themed shirts and hats. People shared stories, learned astir nan vessel’s history, nan Alutiiq Dancers performed, and location were moreover guided tours of nan aged boat. There were besides free basking dogs and burgers successful summation to nutrient trucks nearby.

Kodiak Ferry Terminal Manager Amanda Becker said that though nan terminal is visited by different ferries, named aft nan state’s glaciers, there’s thing typical betwixt nan Tusty and nan land town.

“I mean Kennicott comes excessively and it’s okay,” she said. “But nan Tusty is, she’s our aged woman and she’s sewage character, she’s sewage an unthinkable crew.”

Becker is besides usually nan personification to denote to Kodiak erstwhile nan vessel has attraction delays and cancellations.

One of nan overarching questions though is: When will nan vessel beryllium retired?

The Tustumena’s replacement is expected to costs complete $315 million, but nan authorities has only group speech astir $180 cardinal for it.

Stutes said advancement getting costs to switch nan Tusty is slow but she’s hoping for nan best.

“I’m an optimist – we’re moving guardant and successful nan meantime they’re doing a bully occupation keeping nan Tustumena safe for passengers and for operation,” She said.

Mayer said he’s been trying to return attraction of nan Tustumena nan champion that he can.

“This vessel isn’t getting immoderate younger, – and I’m not either,” he said. “Y’know, 20 years agone they would return her retired successful rougher upwind than I’m doing now, but I’m trying to beryllium benignant to nan ship.”

Ryan Anderson, nan commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Transportation, said his squad is moving to find immoderate measurement they tin to unafraid much backing from nan national authorities for illustration done a toll credit program.

“It turns retired that nan Federal Highway Administration has a programme that erstwhile you put successful your ship, truthful each nan maintenance, each nan overhauls, we usage our revenues and we put successful those things, we tin get in installments for that,” Anderson told KMXT.

All of that money goes towards nan state’s broadside of matching contributions for national grants. The section has already started soliciting designs for parts of nan replacement ferry for illustration its elevator for cars.

“That elevator that’s connected nan Tustumena – that’s a very unsocial point for a ferry and truthful we really person to usage that elevator arsenic a exemplary to creation nan caller one,” he said. “So we’ve already sewage nan contracts retired for things for illustration nan elevator design.”

He besides gave a reside astatine nan statement recognizing nan value of Alaska’s ferry strategy and shared immoderate of nan plans for nan replacement.

“The caller alloy is going to beryllium bigger, it’s going to beryllium longer, it’s going to beryllium wider,” Anderson told nan crowd. “It’s going to clasp much people, it’s going to clasp much cars and it’s going to beryllium much businesslike connected apical of that and nan operating costs will beryllium less.”

He said he hopes to person a caller vessel arsenic soon arsenic 2027.

There were besides speeches from different high-profile individuals for illustration Alaska Senate President Gary Stevens, City of Kodiak Mayor Pat Branson, Kodiak Island Borough Mayor Scott Arndt, Homer Mayor Ken Castner, and a poem written by Stutes’ husband, Stormy. U.S. Sen Lisa Murkowski was besides slated to make an quality but had last-minute plans pinch her family.

Mayer said he hopes to spot that caller vessel and fto nan “Trusty Tusty” discontinue soon.

“In nan maritime industry, it’s amazingly singular yet regrettable that she’s made it to 60 years,” Mayer said. “It behooves america to return a look backmost and spot really overmuch effort and backing and musculus and sweat that went into keeping her going each these years.”

For now though, nan Tustumena is scheduled to sail nan Kodiak and Aleutian way until it docks successful nan wintertime for repairs.