The Seattle to Bremerton ferry, the Walla Walla, ran aground in Rich Passage. It was traveling from the city of Bremerton to Seattle, according to Washington State Ferries, a division of the state Department of Transportation. The passenger ferry ran aground near Bainbridge Island west of Seattle on Saturday afternoon. There were no reports of contamination. There were 596 passengers and 15 crew members aboard. A tug boat and the Coast Guard were on the scene.
A witness said they got underway then shortly thereafter the lights and engines went out. “Then the engines came back on, then they quickly went off again,” the witness said. “Then they made an announcement that we had lost steering and propulsion and we were going to run aground. They announced we should brace for impact. Gradually, we scraped the bottom and then ran aground on Bainbridge Island.”
No injuries have been reported. Washington State Ferries reports that the vessel “suffered a generator failure,” but also says that an investigation into the incident will be conducted.
The ferry was carrying 175 vehicles, according to Washington State Ferries. Passengers were kept onboard until two passenger-only vessels from Kitsap Transit began taking them to the slip at Bremerton around 8 p.m.
The last passengers left the Walla Walla around 10 p.m. The change in the depths of the water created by the rising tide floated the ferry free around midnight. This allowed tug boats to tow the ferry to Bremerton. Passengers collected their vehicles in Bremerton on Sunday morning. Divers west of Seattle on Sunday began inspecting the hull of a ferry.
