MV Wickersham explained
The
MV Wickersham was a mainline
ferry vessel for the
Alaska Marine Highway.
Wickersham was the second vessel, after the, in the Alaska Marine Highway fleet to not have been constructed specifically for AMHS, but was rather acquired for from the
Stena Line, where it was known as the
Stena Britannica and served the
Kiel,
Germany -
Gothenburg,
Sweden route. Constructed just one year prior to its purchase by AMHS in April 1968, her arrival and status as an "oceangoing" vessel allowed AMHS to expand the southern terminus of its route system south to
Washington and the
Port of Seattle.Due to the
Passenger Services Act and laws of
cabotage, however, the
Wickersham could only undergo its Washington-Alaska voyages with an intermediate stop in
Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Further complicating her service was her complicated bow unloading system which was only compatible with AMHS ports in
Haines,
Juneau,
Ketchikan, and
Sitka, in addition to the ports of Seattle and Prince Rupert. Her large size and draft which served her well in the turbulent waters of
Dixon Entrance and other exposed portions of the Alaska-Washington voyage, were too great to slip through passages of water such as
Peril Strait en route to Sitka, which forced her to approach Sitka from the outer coast of
Baranof Island and through the
Pacific Ocean.With the debut of the, the marine highway's new flagship vessel, in 1974, the
Wickersham was sold to the Finland-based
Rederi Ab Sally as the
Viking 6, where she sailed from
Stockholm to
Helsinki under the
Viking Line brand.
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