Jump to content

HST-2

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other ships named Puerto Rico operated by the United States Government, seeUSS Puerto Rico.
"Alakai" redirects here. For the locality onKauaʻi,seeAlakai Wilderness Area.

HST-2leaving Yarmouth Harbour
History
United States
NameAlakai
Owner
Operator
Port of registry
BuilderAustal USA
CostUS$88M
Yard number615
Way number1
Laid downJune 3, 2004
LaunchedJanuary 18, 2007
ChristenedApril 14, 2007
Maiden voyageAugust, 2007
In service2007
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
TypeFerry
Tonnage8,127GT
Displacement1,646 tons
Length349 ft (106 m)
Beam78 ft (24 m)
Draft12 ft (3.7 m)
Decks4
Deck clearance14 ft (4.3 m)
Installed power4 x MTU-8000 diesel engines
Propulsion4 x Rolls-RoyceKaMeWa125MkII waterjets
Speed35knots(65 km/h; 40 mph)
Capacity866 passengers, 282 cars
Crew21

HST-2,formerly namedUSNSPuerto RicoandAlakai,is a vessel owned by theUnited States NavyMilitary Sealift Command.She was originallyHawaii Superferry's first high-speedferry.The vessel was later chartered byBay Ferries Limitedto operate a ferry service betweenMaineandYarmouth, Nova Scotia.

The design of theSpearhead-class expeditionary fast transportis similar to the two high-speed ferries operated by Hawaii Superferry, both built byAustal USA.

Vessel[edit]

HST-2was built asAlakai,which means "sea path" in theHawaiian language.The vessel is a 349-foot (106 m) long high-speedroll-on/roll-off(Ro/Ro) passenger and vehicle ferry. She used to operate a daily service operated by Hawaii Superferry at a speed of 35knots(65 km/h; 40 mph) between the islands ofOahuandMaui.HST-2has a capacity of 866 passengers and up to 282 subcompact cars. Alternately, its vehicle decks can be reconfigured in five minutes to carry up to 20 large trucks and 90 cars.[1]

Like hersister shipUSNSGuam(formerlyHuakai), the vessel features environmentally friendly technologies including non-toxic bottom paint, zero wastewater discharge and cleandiesel engines.[2]

Hawaii Superferry's vessels were designed and built byAustal USA,a subsidiary ofAustal,an Australian company that is the world's largest builder of fast ferries. Construction onHST-2began in June 2004 inMobile, Alabama.The ship waslaunchedin January 2007, christened in April 2007 andsea trialswent smoothly.

Starting service[edit]

The vessel arrived asAlakaiinHonolulu, Hawaiion June 30, 2007, with a celebration,[3]after a smooth 17-day delivery voyage.[4]The ship's maiden voyage was on August 26, 2007, and the trip to Maui was smooth. The voyage toKauaiwas rougher andAlakaiwas met by about a dozen protestors on surfboards blockading the entrance toNawiliwili Harbor.The protestors were peacefully cleared by theUnited States Coast Guard.

2008 dry dock[edit]

On February 13, 2008,Alakaiwent into dry dock to make repairs to her auxiliary rudders that were damaged in late January. The dry docking was extended due to hull damage caused when atugboatmovingAlakaiintodry docklost power and collided heavily with the catamaran.[5]Alakaireturned to service in early April 2008 shortly afterAloha Airlinesended service.[6]Before resuming service the ship went through sea trials and was re-certified by the Coast Guard.

2009 shut down[edit]

On March 17, 2009, after about 11 months in service, theHawaii Supreme Courtruled that the legislation permittingAlakaito operate without an environmental review was unconstitutional. Hawaii Superferry made one last round trip to allow an orderly return of passengers who were not on their home island. They canceled existing reservations and did not take new reservations. The Superferry company intended to look for other work forAlakai;it had also left open the possibility of bringing the ferry back into service if and when Hawaii completed an environmental review, but the company decided to abandon the vessel ending all possibilities of returning to Hawaii.[7]

In January 2010, theUnited States Maritime Administrationannounced thatHuakaiandAlakaiwould be used to assist with relief in the2010 Haiti earthquake.[8][9][10]

Navy acquisition and name change[edit]

On September 13, 2010,HuakaiandAlakaiwere auctioned off, for $25 million each, by theU.S. District Courtfor the Eastern District of Virginia. They were purchased by theU.S. Department of Transportation'sMaritime Administration.[11]

On January 27, 2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration transferred two high speed vessels,HuakaiandAlakai,to theU.S. Navyunder the Defense Authorization Act of 2012.[12]The Navy had planned to use the vessels to transport troops and equipment to training areas fromOkinawaand other locations, helping the Navy meet the unique operational requirements without the need to build new vessels.[13]

In May 2012, the Navy announced that bothAlakaiandHuakaihad been renamed.Alakaiwas to be named USNSPuerto RicoandHuakaiwas to be namedUSNSGuam.[14]Guamwas modified to replace the charteredWestpac Expressin Okinawa in March 2013, andPuerto Ricoremained laid up until 2016.

On August 19, 2012,HST-2(then USNSPuerto Rico) was towed fromNorfolk, VirginiatoPhiladelphia,to keep it safe fromhurricaneswhile future uses for the vessel were being evaluated.[15]

On February 5, 2016, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy removed the namePuerto Ricofrom the vessel.[16]The namePuerto Ricowas subsequently reassigned toUSNSPuerto Rico(T-EPF-11)on December 14, 2016.[17]

Austal USA shifted its entire effort after 2009 to U.S. Navy construction of the similarJoint High Speed Vessels(JHSVs) and 12Littoral Combat Ships(LCSs) with the experience building the high speed ferries as a feature in winning those contracts.[18]

Gulf of Maine ferry service[edit]

On March 24, 2016,Bay Ferries Limitedannounced that it had reached an agreement with the U.S. Maritime Administration and the U.S. Navy for a multi-yearcharterofHST-2.The vessel would be operated for a passenger/vehicle ferry service in theGulf of MainebetweenPortland, MaineandYarmouth, Nova Scotiaand retain the nameHST-2,but the service and vessel would be branded asThe CATto align with previous branding used when Bay Ferries operated a high-speed passenger/vehicle ferry on the same route six years prior.[19]The vessel underwent a refit at the Detyens Shipyard inSouth Carolinaand the service started on June 15, 2016.[19][20][21]

At the end of the 2018 season, it was announced that the ferry would be departing from the town ofBar Harbor,rather than Portland.[22][23]Service along this new route was originally expected to begin in summer 2019, but was delayed due to construction work at the Bar Harbor marina.[23]Service was then canceled during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[24]After three years out of port,The CATreturned to sail from Yarmouth on May 19, 2022,[25]providing service toBar Harbor, Mainefor the first time in 13 years.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Alakai weighs anchor".Honolulu Star-Bulletin.August 26, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon July 24, 2008.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  2. ^Hawaii Superferry - Eco-friendly FeaturesArchivedFebruary 13, 2012, at theWayback Machine
  3. ^Shikina, Robert (July 1, 2007)."Superferry!".Honolulu Star-Bulletin.Archived fromthe originalon December 4, 2008.RetrievedMay 11,2017.
  4. ^"'Alakai' superferry speeds towards Hawaii ".CDNN.June 29, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon July 20, 2008.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  5. ^"BYM Marine & Maritime Defence News".bymnews.Archived fromthe originalon August 17, 2016.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  6. ^Wilson, Christie (March 9, 2008)."Superferry in drydock till April 22".The Honolulu Advertiser.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  7. ^Dicus, Howard (July 1, 2009)."Hawaii Superferry abandons ship, and other bankruptcies in the news".KGMB9.Howzit Howard. Honolulu, Hawaii:KGMB9.Archived fromthe originalon October 9, 2009.RetrievedMay 11,2017.
  8. ^Maritime Administration Prepares Five Ships For Duty, U.S. Department of Transportation, January 18, 2010ArchivedJanuary 22, 2010, at theWayback Machine
  9. ^"Secretary LaHood Announces Additional Fast Ferry Mobilized for Haiti"(Press release). United States Department of Transportation. January 20, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon May 28, 2013.RetrievedMay 11,2017.
  10. ^"New ferry expected to make Portland-Yarmouth trip in 5½ hours".The Portland Press Herald.The Associated Press. March 24, 2016.RetrievedMay 11,2017.
  11. ^"U.S. buys more high-speed vessels".navytimes.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.[dead link]
  12. ^"Defense Authorization Act funds transfer of ex-Superferries to Navy".MarineLog.December 19, 2011.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  13. ^"Navy Gets Two High Speed Vessels from Maritime Administration"(Press release). United States Department of Transportation. January 27, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2012.RetrievedMay 11,2017.
  14. ^"Secretary of the Navy Names High Speed Ferries Guam and Puerto Rico – May 2012".Archived fromthe originalon October 25, 2012.
  15. ^Seward, Zack (September 5, 2012)."Why is a Hawaiian 'superferry' docked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard?".newsworks.org.Archived fromthe originalon August 13, 2016.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  16. ^"No Name (HST 2)".Naval Vessel Register.RetrievedDecember 12,2016.
  17. ^"Secretary of the Navy Names Three Vessels"(Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. December 14, 2016.RetrievedDecember 25,2016.
  18. ^Keating, Edward G.; Danescu, Irina; Jenkins, Dan; Black, James; Murphy, Robert; Peetz, Deborah; Bana, Sarah H. (2015).The Economic Consequences of Investing in Shipbuilding: Case Studies in the United States and Sweden(PDF).Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, National Defense Research Institute. p. 29.ISBN978-0-8330-9036-2.LCCN2015939206.Archived(PDF)from the original on May 4, 2021.RetrievedMay 3,2021.
  19. ^ab"US Navy to lease high-speed transport to Bay Ferries".professionalmariner.March 24, 2016.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  20. ^"The Cat expected to start ferry service in Maine in mid-June".The Portland Press Herald.May 25, 2016.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.
  21. ^Cbs 13 (June 16, 2016)."High-speed ferry begins service in Portland".Bangor Daily News.RetrievedJuly 10,2016.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  22. ^"Future of Portland's ferry service remains uncertain".News Center Maine.Associated Press. November 24, 2021.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  23. ^ab"Maine-Nova Scotia ferry service further delayed".News Center Maine.Associated Press. July 16, 2019.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  24. ^Gabrielle Mannino (February 4, 2021)."For 3rd year, ferry from Maine to Nova Scotia is canceled".News Center Maine.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  25. ^"The CAT Schedule".Bay Ferries Limited.February 26, 2020.RetrievedMay 26,2022.
  26. ^"The Cat ferry resumes service to Bar Harbor after 13-year hiatus".newscentermaine.May 19, 2022.RetrievedMay 26,2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HST-2&oldid=1223875939"