PORT ANGELES — Don’t be alarmed if the iconic horn from the MV Coho ferry blares a bit longer than normal today.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Coho’s first sailing on the Strait of Juan de Fuca between downtown Port Angeles and Victoria.
“They’ll be a couple longer blasts on the horn, but it will be a regular sailing day,” said Ryan Malane, Black Ball Ferry Line vice president of marketing.
“No cake. No big party.”
To celebrate the diamond anniversary of the iconic vessel, Captain John “Jack” Cox, chairman of Black Ball Ferry Line, will ride the ferry round trip, Malane said.
Cox worked as a first officer on the Coho soon after it went into service amid fanfare on Dec. 29, 1959.
“That summer naval architects were coming from all over the world to see the Coho for themselves,” Cox said in a company press release.
“She really was a phenomenon — unlike anything that was in Europe at the time. Coho really influenced many of the ships that came after it.”
Over the years, the well-maintained ferry has served the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island with a 99.99 percent reliability rate, Black Ball officials said.
About 470,000 passengers and 125,000 vehicles make the 90-minute crossing every year.
This year, the Coho carried its 26 millionth passenger and 7 millionth vehicle across the Strait.
“From all of us at Black Ball Ferry Line, we extend our sincerest gratitude to the communities of the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island for your continued support over the past 60 years,” said Ryan Burles, president of Black Ball Ferry Line.
“Our invaluable partners in the tourism and maritime industries have also been pivotal to our success. We are very grateful for your business, and we look forward to serving these communities for many years to come.”
The Coho, which is known for an aggressive maintenance regimen, will be out of service for its annual dry dock from Jan. 6 to Feb. 6.
The ship has been thoroughly inspected by naval architects, Malane said. It will have a new electrical system installed and other “life extension” work completed in the next two years, he added.
“It has easily another 25 years of life left,” Malane said in a telephone interview.
“It’s pristine. The ship is in extraordinary condition.”
The Coho’s original engines were replaced in 2004 with two General Motors main propulsion engines each rated at 2,550 horsepower.
Black Ball Ferry Line, which owns and operates the Coho, celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2018.
It is the last privately-owned company offering international service carrying passengers and cargo under the American flag.
“Our traffic volume is growing and we know we’ll have to replace her eventually, but, right now, our focus is on Black Ball’s future with the Coho in it,” Cox said.
“The Coho has a great charm to it. I often refer to it like a 1958 Chevrolet convertible that’s in mint condition. It’s rare and perfect.”
For information on the Coho and Black Ball Ferry Line, visit www.cohoferry.com.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Cars disembark the ferry MV Coho after arriving in Port Angeles from Victoria on Friday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
