ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — A salvage crew has raised the first ferry of the Alaska Marine Highway System after the retired vessel sank in Guemes Channel at Anacortes in western Washington.
The Chilkat was lifted by a crane and placed on a barge on Wednesday. It sank on Jan. 12 after it broke free from its mooring and crashed into the Guemes Island Ferry Terminal.
Officials say it had to be removed because it was near the terminal and posed a hazard.
The ship was launched in 1957 and decommissioned in 1988. It was then re-purposed for other jobs before recently being taken out of service.