Wickersham at the Seattle in 1974
History
Sweden
NameStena Britannica[1]
OwnerStena Line[1]
RouteKiel-Gothenburg[1]
BuilderA/S Langesunds Mek[1]
Launched1967[1]
FateSold to Alaska Marine Highway
United States
NameWickersham
NamesakeJames Wickersham
Owner Alaska Marine Highway System
Port of registry United States
RouteSeattle (WA), Prince Rupert (BC), Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka
Acquiredby purchase, April 1968
Commissioned1968
Decommissioned1974
IdentificationIMO number: 6717148
FateSold to Sally Line
Finland
NameViking 6 [2]
OwnerSally Line[1]
OperatorViking Line[2]
RouteStockholm-Helsinki[2]
In service1974[2]
Out of service1980[2]
France
NameGoelo
OwnerSally Line[2]
OperatorBrittany Ferries[2]
RoutePortsmouth-St Malo[2]
Commissioned1980[2]
Decommissioned1982[2]
FateSold to Sol Lines
Cyprus
NameSol Olympia
OwnerSol Lines[2]
OperatorSol Lines[2]
RouteVenice-Haifa[2]
Commissioned1982[2]
Decommissioned1985[2]
FateReverted to AB Sally after Sol Lines bankruptcy
Finland
NameSun Express
OwnerSally Line[1]
OperatorViking Line[2]
In service1985[2]
Out of service1986[2]
RenamedViking 6
Italy
NameMoby Dream
OwnerMoby Lines[1]
In service1986[2]
Out of service1994[2]
Italy
NameSardegna Bella
OwnerMoby Lines[1]
OperatorSardegna Lines
In service1994[2]
FateScrapped in 2001[2]
General characteristics
Length363 ft (111 m)
DecksOne vehicle deck
RampsBow
Ice class1B
Capacity1,300 passengers

The MV Wickersham was a mainline ferry vessel for the Alaska Marine Highway. Wickersham was the second vessel, after the MV Chilkat, 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.

Stenna Britannica

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.

Wickersham at the Prince Rupert terminal in 1970
Viking 6 at Emden in April 1975

With the debut of the Columbia, 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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kiffer, Dave (October 11, 2006). "The Wickersham sailed on after leaving Alaska". Sit News. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "Stena Britannica". Simplon Postcards; The Passenger Ship Website. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
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