M.V. WALLA WALLA Official Number:546382  Call Sign: WYX2158 Length: 440'   Beam: 87'   Draft: 18'   Clearance: 15' 6''  Horsepower: 11,500 Speed in Knots: 18  Max Passengers: 2000   Max Vehicles: 188   City Built: Seattle     Year Built/Re-built: 1972 Name Translation: Nez Perce for "place of many waters." With the Olympic Mountains as a dramatic background, the Walla Walla departs from Edmonds.  Photo courtesy of Paul Kemna.
	Other than the first four months of her first year in service, the Walla Walla has been a Central Sound ferry.  Working along side her sister Spokane, the pair were the two ferries seen on the route for decades.                      Displaced nearly ten years ago by the Mark II class, the Walla Walla has spent most of her time either filling in for the Spokane when she is out for maintenance or working the Seattle-Bremerton run.       One of the last ferries to receive a complete interior upgrade, the Walla Walla had had minor upgrades from her days of 1970’s orange.  The  "tea cup" seats had been reupholstered in blue and the gold  carpet had been replaced with a gray-blue, which quickly stained.  A tile walk way was put in.   The “upgrade lite” extended the life of the interior, but  at over 30 years of age, the interior was simply worn out and in need of replacement.      In  2005 the Wally went into the yard for major work including new engines, security upgrades and a much needed interior upgrade.   Returning to service late in 2005 the ferry looked like a new vessel.  Redesigned in shades of green and tan, the interior looks bright and modern.  Use of art glass panels added an elegant touch and the large relief map which has been a favorite for kids for generations was refurbished.      The Walla Walla spends her time either at Bremerton or filling in on the Kingston-Edmonds run.  The Jumbos, with a passenger capacity at 2,000, are no long switched out on the Seattle-Bainbridge run, where the extra 500 capacity is often needed on commuter runs.
The refurbished interior of the Walla Walla is perhaps one of the nicest updates in the fleet.  The green and tans used throughout the boat are a 100 % improvement over the previous interior.  Mouse over for the "before" photos, which show  what ere possibly the most uncomfortable seats ever put in a Washington State Ferry, the  much dreaded teacups," which finally met their end in 2005.  Originally upholstered in orange, the chairs were arranged in such a way it was nearly impossible to hold a conversation without  causing a stiff neck. Photo courtesy of Matt Masuoka and photos by the author.
Vessel breakdowns often cause rare pairings.  At left, in  March of 2007, the Chelan returned to her old route to work alongside the Walla Walla.  The Evergreen State rounded out the three boat service.  Photo courtesy of Gloria Mairs.  At right, perhaps the most infamous incident in the Walla Walla's long history is when she went aground on the sandbar  off Wing Point while departing Winslow in  a heavy fog.  It was an extremely lucky grounding.  Had the ferry been in any other kind of material than what she was in (sand and gravel) she would have rolled over and been a complete loss.  Photo courtesy of Tom Sanislo.
At left, with new engines, an elevator, security updates and WiFi, the Walla Walla is ready to meet the needs of the modern commuter.   Photo courtesy of Matt Masuoka.  At right, a rare sight indeed: the Walla Walla leving Friday Harbor.  The Jumbo worked one season in the San Juans before being reassigned to the Winslow-Seattle run, where she would work for the next quarter century.  Postcards of the Wally in the Islands are sougt after by collectors.  Author's collection.
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