So it’s come to this. The Kalakala, an iconic art deco ferry that once had its own swing band and full-service restaurant, is now worth less than a cup of drip coffee.
With no prospects for saving the ailing vessel, the owner has put it up for sale for only a dollar.
Retired its longtime Bremerton-Seattle run in the late 1960s, the ferry was shipped up to Alaska where it served as a floating seafood processing plant until it was abandoned. It returned to Seattle in 1998, whereupon plenty of hopes and dreams (but few dollars) were pinned on the beat-up and rusted vessel.
I’m not sure the Kalakala had more than a brief turn serving the Bainbridge-Seattle run, but the “Silver Slug” must have been a common site for south-enders as it glided by from Bremerton. It ran aground on Bainbridge in 1945 and 1951.
Parked in Tacoma for the last six years, the Kalakala has worn out its welcome. Its lease in the Hylebos Waterway has been terminated and the U.S. Coast Guard believes it’s in danger of capsizing. They want the holes patched, the hull fixed and a plan in place for towing it away by Dec. 19, the Seattle Times reports.
The $1 dollar price tag means the Kalakala is priced to move (how to move it is another question).
“The person who purchases this will be credible,” the Kalakala’s owner told the Times. “I’m selling it for $1 to the right person. Then it’s closed, it’s their story. The most-treasured world-class vessel will become one person’s yacht.”
After the jump are some early interior shots of the Kalakala (via Kalakala.org)
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Modern photo: Associated Press
