| Cross Sound Ferry Block Island Express | |
| Owner: | John P. Wronowski, Adam Wronowski |
| Area Served: | Long Island North Fork, Southeastern Connecticut, Block Island |
| Locale: | Long Island Sound Block Island Sound |
| Transit Type: | Ferry |
| Headquarters: | New London, Connecticut |
| Website: | |
| Began Operation: | 1975 (Cross Sound) 2004 (Block Island) |
| Operator: | Cross Sound Ferry Services Block Island Ferry Services[1] |
| Vehicles: | 10 ferry vessels[2] |
Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient, New York on Long Island.
The service is privately owned and operated by Cross Sound Ferry Services, headquartered in New London and run by the Wronowski family, which also owns and operates the Block Island Express ferry service and the Thames Shipyard and Repair Company.[3]
Though there have been multiple proposals to bridge the Long Island Sound at various locations, none have ever come to fruition. Therefore, Long Island motorists located east of the Throgs Neck Bridge heading toward Connecticut must first drive west into Queens, cross one of the three city bridges to the Bronx, and then drive east to reach New England destinations. This circuitous route could, at the extreme, add as many as to a trip between Long Island and New London, points north, or points east.[4] In addition to the saving in mileage, use of Cross Sound Ferry or its western competitor, the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry, drivers avoids heavy urban traffic in New York City and on Interstate 95 in Connecticut.[5]
The ferry serves over one million passengers annually,[6] about half of whom live on Long Island.[7]
Cross Sound Ferry previously attempted to establish service between New London and East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island. A local ordinance passed by the Town of East Hampton in 1997 prohibits vehicle ferry service within the Town's borders and places limits on the speeds of both passenger vessels and road vehicles. Cross Sound Ferry filed a lawsuit against the town in 2004 to overturn the ruling, which was eventually dismissed.[8]
Cross Sound Ferry operates year-round with up to 32 daily departures with the lone exception of no service on December 25, Christmas Day.[9]
The Block Island Express, a high-speed passenger ferry service, operates out of the same New London ferry terminal and services Block Island (New Shoreham, Rhode Island).[10] The Thames Shipyard and Repair Company services both Cross Sound Ferry and Block Island Express vessels.[11] All three organizations share the 2 Ferry Street office at the New London terminal.
The three companies, as well as the Thames Towboat Company, are owned by John P. Wronowski and son, Adam Wronowski.[3]
Cross Sound Ferry Services owns a fleet of seven traditional vehicle-passenger ferries, one high-speed passenger-only ferry, and two additional ferries cruises and charters. Vessels are retrofitted at Cross Sound's sister company, Thames Shipyard and Repair.[12] Block Island Ferry Services has one vessel, serviced at the same shipyard.
| Image | Vessel | Year built | Service began | Auto capacity | Passenger capacity | Length | Type | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribbean ferry | 1972 | 1977 | 22 | 130 | 128 ft | Freight/ROPAX | Built in 1972 by Blount Marine (Warren), formerly used for service in the West Indies | ||
| New London | 1979 | 1979 | 60 | 300 | 260 ft | Freight/ROPAX | Built by Thames Shipyard (New London), first new-build vessel of the Cross Sound Ferry | ||
| Cape Henlopen | 1943 | 1983 | 84 | 900 | 328 ft | ROPAX | Acquired from Delaware River and Bay Authority, built in 1943 as to serve in D-Day | ||
| North Star | 1968 | 1984 | ROPAX | Built in 1968 (Morgan City) as an offshore supply vessel, now used for charter services | |||||
| John H. | 1989 | 1989 | 120 | 1000 | 240 ft | ROPAX | Largest vessel of the fleet, built 1989 by Eastern Marine Shipyard (Panama City) | ||
| Sea Jet I | 1989 | 1995 | - | 400 | High-speed | Built by Nichols Brothers Shipyard (Freeland), formerly operated in Hawaii and Catalina Island | |||
| Susan Anne | 1964 | 1998 | 80 | 840 | 250 ft | ROPAX | Built 1964 by Northumberland Ferries Limited as Prince Nova, originally sailed between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island | ||
| Mary Ellen | 1983 | 2003 | 85 | 675 | 260 ft | ROPAX | Built in 1983 by Offshore Shipbuilding in Palatka Florida as Grand Republic for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry. She operated as Grand Republic until she was sold to Cross Sound Ferry in 2003 and was renamed Mary Ellen.[13] | ||
| Jessica W | 1990 | 2004[14] | - | 530 | 160 ft | High-speed passenger | Operated by Block Island Ferry Services, built in 1990 as Condor 9 acquired from Condor Ferries in 2003 | ||
| Jennifer C. | 1965 | 2016 | 50 | 300 | ROPAX | Built by New Bern Shipyard (New Bern) in 1965 as MV Pamlico, acquired in 2015 from North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division | |||
| Cecilia Ann | 2003 | 2017 | - | 600 | 143 ft | Passenger | Built by Austal Shipyard (Mobile) in 2003 as Zephyr, acquired from Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, primarily used for lighthouse cruises |
Local officials on Long Island's North Fork have criticized Cross Sound Ferry for causing increased vehicle traffic on New York State Route 25 (NY 25), particularly following the addition of its Sea Jet service. The Orient terminal is located at the eastern terminus of NY 25, and all traffic must use NY 25 to get to and from the ferry terminal; travelers coming from points further west must travel through several towns, including Riverhead and Southold in the process. In an attempt to verify this, the Town of Southold commissioned a corridor study in 2007. However, the results of the study found that "the section of [NY 25] in the vicinity of the Cross Sound Ferry currently operates with a Vehicle to Capacity (v/c) ratio of .18. This means that the roadway is currently running at 18% of its total capacity. This also means that the roadway can handle approximately five times the current traffic."[15]
On November 19, 2002, semi-truck driver Michael Zuber was killed by drowning after his semi-truck rolled off the back deck of the Susan Anne while he was asleep behind the wheel after crew members neglected to place wheel chocks behind the back wheels of Zuber's semi-truck. No criminal charges were filed against Cross Sound Ferry or any of its employees, but Zuber's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the ferry company, alleging negligence. The two sides agreed to an out-of-court settlement for $3.2 million in 2008, some six years after the accident.[16]