BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — A Washington state ferry is out of service Sunday after it ran aground Saturday, leaving over 600 people stranded on board.
The Washington State Ferries (WSF) said the M/V Walla Walla was stranded along the Rich Passage near Bainbridge Island at about 4:30 p.m. The vessel ran aground, meaning it was lying on or touching the ground under shallow water.
The Walla Walla was en route from Bremerton to Seattle when it ran aground. Initial indications are that the vessel suffered a generator failure, but an official investigation will be conducted to determine the cause, according to WSF.
The vessel was successfully re-floated during high tide overnight and brought safely to Bremerton with tugs assisting.
The United States Coast Guard said in a tweet Saturday night that passengers were offloaded onto Kitsap Fast Ferry vessels. The first group of passengers was taken to Bremerton via Kitsap Transit just after 8:30 p.m., according to WSF.
There were 596 passengers and 15 crew members on board, but no injuries were reported, according to WSF.
"So we thought it was a joke," said Debbie O’Neill, a passenger who was on her way to a concert in Seattle. "And then over the intercom, the lights started flickering, flickering on and off."
O'Neill said passengers were told to brace for impact.
"So we had no idea like if we were crashing into another boat, and then we did just crash into like some dry lands," O'Neill said. "So I think the boat just scraped like the bottom because we were in shallow water."
According to Washington State Ferry Spokesperson, Diane Rhodes, the last car was removed from the Walla Walla at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Rhodes said divers are expected to inspect the hull of the vessel at some point Sunday afternoon.
Patty Kreemer, a Seattle resident said she got a hotel in Bremerton for the night and was able to retrieve her car Sunday morning.
"I've been on hundreds and hundreds of ferries and never had that experience," said Kreemer. "I think my husband's like, 'Maybe we'll just drive home.'"
The 124-vehicle Issaquah Ferry will take over the route between Seattle and Bremerton until further notice. The route schedule will stay the same but the Issaquah is smaller than the Walla Walla. The Issaquah can carry a maximum of 1,200 passengers while the Walla Walla's capacity is 2,000.
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