Investigation Into Grounding Of State Ferry Could Take Weeks

It could be several days - or even weeks - before investigators determine what caused the state ferry Kitsap to run aground in Rich Passage yesterday morning, stranding 475 passengers and causing $200,000 damage to the vessel.

No one was injured in the accident, but officials for Washington State Ferries said the Kitsap damaged its steering mechanism and rudder. In addition, the sudden jolt caused minor damage to about six of the 135 vehicles aboard the ferry during the Bremerton-to-Seattle run.

The ferry was about halfway through the narrow Rich Passage at the south end of Bainbridge Island when it went aground shortly before 6 a.m.

"I felt a jolt, and we kind of came to a jerking stop," said commuter Dawn Perez of Silverdale, Kitsap County. "I thought we hit another boat. It was really foggy."

The ferry sat grounded for about 90 minutes before it refloated itself on the rising tide. Because of possible rudder damage, it traveled to Seattle at severely reduced speed, docking with the help of two tugboats about 10:30 a.m.

Drug tests were administered yesterday to crew members, a routine step after a ferry accident. Coast Guard investigators also interviewed the crew, said Lt. Cmdr. Ken Thorkildsen, chief investigator for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Office, which is heading up the investigation.

The crew will be on paid leave during the investigation, ferry spokeswoman Susan Harris-Huether said.

Thorkildsen said investigators now will turn their attention to the ferry and its equipment. Among the items being scrutinized: the rudder, rudder-control system and the radar system, which was operating during the ferry run.

Thorkildsen said it was possible the investigation could conclude that nothing went wrong and that the grounding was unavoidable.

"It's a particularly hazardous area," Thorkildsen said of Rich Passage.

He said the narrow channel is heavily traveled and prone to thick fog this time of year. Visibility was near zero at the time of the incident, Harris-Huether said.

The captain on the Kitsap was Pete Williams, who is a relief skipper on the Seattle-to-Bremerton run, according to Harris-Huether. He is a 23-year veteran of the system and has been a captain for 16 years.

Jerry Mecham, senior port captain for the ferries, said the Kitsap, like all ferries, is equipped with radar that should have warned the crew.

"It should have been on radar that the land was coming up," Mecham said.

But Mecham pointed out that there could have been some sort of malfunction in the equipment.

Harris-Huether said the radar system shows land across, but doesn't reflect depth. For depth readings, skippers and captains rely on depth charts, she said.

Mecham said Rich Passage has only 660 feet of navigable water.

The ferry was towed for repairs yesterday to Todd Shipyard at Harbor Island. It's expected to be back in service Sept. 27, Harris-Huether said.

The 160-car Hyak was shifted from the Edmonds-to-Kingston route to cover the Seattle-to-Bremerton run until further notice, Harris-Huether said.

The 100-car Tillikum - usually assigned to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route - will take over the Edmonds-to-Kingston run, and the 75-car Nisqually will handle the Vashon run.

The Coast Guard, which keeps track of ferry incidents, has logged 38 incidents since the ferry Kitsap was built in 1980, including yesterday's grounding. Almost all the incidents were minor equipment problems, said Coast Guard marine science technician Don Laisure, such as a stuck switch or a malfunctioning diesel generator blower.

Information from Associated Press is included in this report.