Happy 50th Birthday, Hyak!
Posted December 7, 2016 at 5:50 am by Tim Dustrude
The San Juan Historical Museum checks in with their History Column for December…
As we close out the year of the San Juan Historical Museum’s 50th anniversary, we note that 1966 was also the year the super-class ferry M/V Hyak was launched. This was big news on December 17 of that year as this ferry was not only the fleet’s first to be super in size, but also in speed.
Washington State First Lady Nancy Evans (center of inset photo) was given the honors of christening the Hyak in San Diego on that day. (Read more about it on History Link, the free online encyclopedia of Washington State.)
A few more interesting facts: Hyak is Chinook jargon for “speedy.” A few legal issues and damage from a severe storm delayed the ferry’s debut until the summer of 1967, when her service finally began on the Seattle-Bremerton run. Last summer, after many years on the Anacortes-San Juan Islands route, the Hyak returned to her original sailing route down sound. She is currently a favorite rally boat for Seattle Seahawks fans during football season.
Here’s to you, M/V Hyak, 50 years young, as we like to say for people. And since we celebrate our friends’ birthdays in a special way when they turn 65, let’s also recognize Washington State Ferries for its 65th year of service this year.
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