The first batch of potential names for Washington State Ferries’
third 144-car vessel arrived over the weekend.
The boat, which is funded but not yet under construction, is
expected to be assigned to the Bremerton route, so we wanted to get
local folks involved in the naming. The Transportation Commission
is charged with naming ferries, but hasn’t asked the public for
proposals yet.
The 40 nominations that came in were about half serious and half
silly. None knocked my socks off, but it’s not all about me. You’ll
ultimately be the judges.
All but one of the current ferries’ names have tribal connections.
It’s not mandatory, but “consideration will be given to consistency
with existing fleet names,” according to the Transportation
Commission. Several proposals kept to that theme.
TRIBAL NAMES
Palouse (a region in southeast Washington, possibly named for the
Palus tribe)
Suquamish (local tribe and community)
Angeline (Princess Angeline was eldest daughter of Chief Seattle; a
Mosquito Fleet boat took the name)
Nez Perce (Columbia River Plateau tribe)
Enetai (Means “across, on the other side.” Was a ferry on the
Bremerton route from 1941 to 1967; Community between Manette and
Illahee State Park that overlooks ferry route.)
Illahee (Indian word for earth or country. Community and state park
between Silverdale and Bremerton. Puget Sound ferry from 1940 to
2007.
OTHER PLACE NAMES
Manchester (South Kitsap waterfront community named after
Manchester, England)
Blake Island (State park east of the Kitsap mainland once used as a
camping ground by the Suquamish tribe).
Sidney (The original name of the city of Port Orchard, after the
father of the man who platted it; also, the British Columbia town
to which a WSF ferry sails.
Alpental (a German word for alpine valley)
PEOPLE
The guidelines say names of people should be avoided, but will be
considered if the person has been dead for at least 20 years and
has enduring fame or played a significant historical role. Those
parameters would eliminate two of the three below, though I like
the thought.
Tony Radulescu (State Trooper who was shot and killed while on duty
near Gorst on Feb. 23, 2012.)
Billy Frank Jr. (Nisqually tribe member known for his grassroots
campaign for fishing rights who died on May 5.)
Ivar Haglund (Opened the first aquarium in Seattle and built a fish
house empire. Died in 1985.)
Several suggestions had a Seahawk theme, like Seahawks, Seahawk!, Sea Hawk (twice), 12 and Russell Wilson.
One suggested Resolute after the 1850s British ship that got stuck in arctic ice.
From this bunch, I think my favorites are Enetai and Trooper Radulescu. I would keep my “Namu” proposal in the running.
I’d like to mention some of the snide ones, but most aren’t that funny. Your typical stuff. Ko-min-at-cha isn’t bad.
We have plenty of time, so keep those suggestions coming.
I really agree with Princess Angeline
“Ivar Haglund!” Although, my hometown roots would love to see another ferry named the “Willapa.”
I liked Billy Frank Jr. I can just hear it now “here comes the Billy Frank’
Lots of mountains in Washington to use for names that can be seen from a number of areas in our beautiful Puget Sound area.
Mt. Rainer or Mt. Constance or Mt. Baker.
PRINCESS ANGELINE
Being a 2nd generation WSF employee (ex), I’d like them to stick to traditional Native Wasington names. The steel electrics were such great workhorses, in their day, consider reusing some of those names
1. Illahee
2. Quinalt
3. Klickatat
4. Nisqually
Other old names I liked
1. Klahanie
2, Kulshan
Other names, never used
1. Skykomish
2. Hoh
3. Duckabush
4. Kalaloch
5. Sol Duc
So many possibilities…but please, keep it in line with the rest of the fleet
Nice job, Patti. It’d be fun mess with the tourists by naming it Kalaloch.
My vote is for Tony Radulescu or Dennis Allred who was a kitsap county sheriffs deputy who was shot and killed by Nedley Norman in 1978 while he thought he was helping a stranded motorist