An electrical fire broke out the evening of April 16 aboard the high-speed passenger ferry Victoria Clipper while it was near Port Townsend on a return trip to Seattle. The ferry's crew extinguished …
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An electrical fire broke out the evening of April 16 aboard the high-speed passenger ferry Victoria Clipper while it was near Port Townsend on a return trip to Seattle. The ferry's crew extinguished the fire, and no one aboard was injured, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound in Seattle received a report from Victoria Clipper personnel of an electrical fire on an anchor windlass in a forward space on board the 132-foot catamaran at 7:16 p.m., Thursday, April 16. The vessel was on a regularly scheduled return from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to Seattle.
The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Terrapin, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Bellingham, and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles escorted the Victoria Clipper to its Seattle pier after the ferry's crew members reportedly extinguished the fire aboard the vessel.
The Victoria Clipper was reportedly carrying 223 passengers from Victoria to Seattle.
The Dolphin aircrew and Terrapin crew were diverted from a scheduled training exercise to assist. The Washington State Ferries' operation center was also notified and was ready to divert a vessel to assist if passengers needed to be transferred from the Victoria Clipper.
"The response of the Victoria Clipper crew was exceptional," said Lt. Raffael Shamilov, command duty officer at the Coast Guard 13th District Command Center in Seattle.
Seattle Fire Department personnel stood by at the pier in Seattle to assist the Victoria Clipper's crew, if necessary. The Coast Guard is to investigate the cause of the fire.
Weather on scene was reported to be calm seas, 3-mph winds and an air temperature of 57 degrees.
Victoria Clipper operates two 132-foot high-speed catamarans for passenger-only ferry service year-round with daily departures to Victoria and seasonal daily departures to the San Juan Islands. Each vessel has a capacity of 330 passengers and five to 10 crew members.
At this time of year, Victoria Clipper departs Seattle at 8 a.m. and arrives in Victoria at 10:45 a.m., and departs Victoria at 5 p.m., scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 7:45 p.m.
(This story first appeared on April 17 on ptleader.com.)
