Elleda Wilson: A labor of love

Elleda Wilson, The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·2 min read

Aug. 4—The historic Astoria ferry, Tourist No. 2, capsized on the Astoria waterfront on July 28.

According to her 1997 National Register of Historic Places application, the wooden-hulled vessel was built in 1924 for Swedish immigrant Fritz Elfving to join his new ferry service across the Columbia River.

The application notes the ferry was likely commandeered on Dec. 7, 1941 (Pearl Harbor Day), by the U.S. Army. Renamed The Octopus, she was a minelayer at the mouth of the Columbia River during World War II, and was later a troop ferry between Fort Stevens and Fort Columbia, Washington. She was returned to Elfving in 1945.

In 1946, the ferry service was bought by the state. On July 29, 1966, the Astoria Bridge opened, ending the auto ferry business. The Tourist No. 2 was purchased by Pierce County, Washington, renamed The Islander of Pierce County, and joined their ferry service from 1967 to 1974, then was a backup ferry from 1974 to 1994.

Kirkland Ferry LLC bought the ferry from Pierce County at a public auction. Renamed MV Kirkland, she was leased to Argosy Cruises of Seattle and, between both companies, was totally refurbished to the tune of almost $2 million. An August 2010 fire ended her many years of ferry service.

She was declared a total loss; the aging vessel would have to be donated, sold or scrapped. Because of her wooden hull, the ferry had to be dry-docked every two years for a U.S. Coast Guard inspection, and replacement of old hull boards, to retain her certification to carry passengers. Worse yet, she was due for recertification after the fire. The costs for this biennial maintenance were astronomical.

It was a painful dilemma. She has "been a labor of love for this company, and a source of pride for us" Kevin Clark, former CEO of Argosy, said at the time. Scrapping would be a heartbreaker, but donation attempts were unsuccessful.

Finally, the ferry was sold at a very reduced value to Christian Lint. He did restoration work, and later worked with the late Robert "Jake" Jacob and a group of local citizens to bring her back to Astoria. Unfortunately, that deal eventually fell through, and the ferry went back to Lint, who owns it now.

Can Tourist No. 2 be saved? Stay tuned ...