Building the Kalakala




		The original plan for the Kalakala that appeard in a 1934 edition of Pacific Motorboat Magazine. Interestingly, if you take a pencil and round off all the edges of the drawing, the profile of the Kalakala emerges. Courtesy of T. Sanislo.

	Building the Kalakala Captain Alexander Peabody, president of the Puget Sound Navigation Company, was looking to build a new company flagship, something unlike anything ever seen before. In the darkest days of the Depression, the vessel would not only be a productive addition to the fleet, but also be a symbol of hope and would demonstrate the advancements in shipbuilding. A functional vessel, the ferry would also provide a distraction from the bleak reality of the 30's by providing dances onboard and social cruises. Early drawings that appeared in Pacific Motorboat magazine, however showed that Peabody's new ferry to be anything but original. In fact, the first drawings of the Kalakala show her looking not too different from her original incarnation as the Peralta. Whether this was done on purpose by Peabody to make the vessel's debut even more startling or not is up to debate. Towing the hull up to the Lake Washington Shipyard in 1934, the first indication that the ferry would not end up looking like a pared down, single-ended Peralta was when the hull was shaved down to 55 feet. The superstructure that started to emerge from the hull was anything but traditional. For starters, there were no rivets being used--the hull was going to be completely smooth as electro-welding was to be used--a first for any ferry in the world. The process of electro-welding was in its infancy in 1934. Most of the Atlantic floating palaces of the era were still riveted. The new vessel became the first on Puget Sound to use the technology. As she began to take shape, her revolutionary design became evident. Everywhere on the Kalakala, were curves--from the large portholes that flanked the rounded stern of the ferry to the elegantly curved ladies lounge, to the bench seats on the passenger decks.




At left, the strange craft begins to take shape on Lake Washington. Electro welding was brand-new technology for shipbuiliding; even the Queen Mary, also under construction at the time still used rivets for her construction. Courtesy of MOHAI. At right, PSN was anxious to promote its new streamlined wonder. Long before the vessel first appeared on the water, photographers grafted in the builder's model into a photo of the Seattle skyline for postcards, such as the one above. Author's collection.

At Work for PSN (Black Ball) to the CHIPPEWA RETIRED FERRIES HOME