MV Wickersham

The MV Wickersham was a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway. Wickersham was the second vessel, after the MV Chilkat, in the Alaska Marine Highway fleet to not have been constructed specifically for AMHS, but was rather acquired for from the Stena Line, where it was known as the Stena Britannica and served the Kiel, Germany–Gothenburg, Sweden route. Constructed just one year prior to its purchase by AMHS in April 1968, her arrival and status as an "oceangoing" vessel allowed AMHS to expand the southern terminus of its route system south to Washington and the Port of Seattle.

Stenna Britannica

Wickersham at the Seattle in 1974
History
Sweden
Name	Stena Britannica[1]
Owner	Stena Line[1]
Route	Kiel-Gothenburg[1]
Builder	A/S Langesunds Mek[1]
Launched	1967[1]
Fate	Sold to Alaska Marine Highway
United States
Name	Wickersham
Namesake	James Wickersham
Owner	Alaska Marine Highway System
Port of registry	United States
Route	Seattle (WA), Prince Rupert (BC), Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka
Acquired	by purchase, April 1968
Commissioned	1968
Decommissioned	1974
Identification	IMO number: 6717148
Fate	Sold to Sally Line
Finland
Name	Viking 6 [2]
Owner	Sally Line[1]
Operator	Viking Line[2]
Route	Stockholm-Helsinki[2]
In service	1974[2]
Out of service	1980[2]
France
Name	Goelo
Owner	Sally Line[2]
Operator	Brittany Ferries[2]
Route	Portsmouth-St Malo[2]
Commissioned	1980[2]
Decommissioned	1982[2]
Fate	Sold to Sol Lines
Cyprus
Name	Sol Olympia
Owner	Sol Lines[2]
Operator	Sol Lines[2]
Route	Venice-Haifa[2]
Commissioned	1982[2]
Decommissioned	1985[2]
Fate	Reverted to AB Sally after Sol Lines bankruptcy
Finland
Name	Sun Express
Owner	Sally Line[1]
Operator	Viking Line[2]
In service	1985[2]
Out of service	1986[2]
Renamed	Viking 6
Italy
Name	Moby Dream
Owner	Moby Lines[1]
In service	1986[2]
Out of service	1994[2]
Italy
Name	Sardegna Bella
Owner	Moby Lines[1]
Operator	Sardegna Lines
In service	1994[2]
Fate	Scrapped in 2001[2]
General characteristics
Length	363 ft (111 m)
Decks	One vehicle deck
Ramps	Bow
Ice class	1B
Capacity	1,300 passengers

Due to the Passenger Services Act and laws of cabotage, however, the Wickersham could only undergo its Washington-Alaska voyages with an intermediate stop in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Further complicating her service was her complicated bow unloading system which was only compatible with AMHS ports in Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka, in addition to the ports of Seattle and Prince Rupert. Her large size and draft which served her well in the turbulent waters of Dixon Entrance and other exposed portions of the Alaska-Washington voyage, were too great to slip through passages of water such as Peril Strait en route to Sitka, which forced her to approach Sitka from the outer coast of Baranof Island and through the Pacific Ocean.

Wickersham at the Prince Rupert terminal in 1970

Viking 6 at Emden in April 1975

With the debut of the Columbia, the marine highway's new flagship vessel, in 1974, the Wickersham was sold to the Finland-based Rederi Ab Sally as the Viking 6, where she sailed from Stockholm to Helsinki under the Viking Line brand.

References

1. Kiffer, Dave (October 11, 2006). "The Wickersham sailed on after leaving Alaska". Sit News. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
2. "Stena Britannica". Simplon Postcards; The Passenger Ship Website. Retrieved June 25, 2013.

External links

• Kiffer, Dave. "SitNews - The 'Wickersham' sailed on after leaving Alaska". www.sitnews.us. Retrieved 2009-10-04.