Kalakala

[Lashlander]

Washington Staters will know all about this one. The Kalakala was a Puget Sound Ferry in the 30s and 40s. Washington State sold it to a fish processor and he sailed around Alaska processing fish until the main blew up. They then beached it in Kodiak and filled in around it and processed with it for a few more years. Eventually they built a new cannery on the outside and quit using it.
A private individual decided to remove it and take it back to Seattle to use as a museum and for floating shops. We dug it out for him. We had to dredge the entire basin in front of it. Slide it out forward and to the left. Then swing the stern out and tow it out backwards. It was around 60,000 yards of material.
It didn't work out very well for him. I heard he filed for bankruptcy and the boat has been sold a couple times and been a real pain in everyones butt. Its to bad, it is a unique vessel.

 

[Countryboy]

In the last picture, is that a canal to the left or were yall going to dig out to the right and pull it through there?

Great pictures. :thumbsup

 

[Steve Frazier]

Did you guys get paid before he filed bankruptcy?

 

[Lashlander]

In the last picture, is that a canal to the left or were yall going to dig out to the right and pull it through there?

The water to the left is an inlet. This pic was taken the day we removed it. It came out at high tide, which was about 2:00 am. I'm just finishing the dig in the pic.

Did you guys get paid before he filed bankruptcy?

We did get paid. He lasted a year or so after he got it back to Seattle. I was surprised that once he got it down there one of the historical societies or preservation societies didn't jump on the band wagon. I was reading an article the other day how the state of Washington is going after the contractor building the new Tacoma Narrows bridge because they think they have disturbed the ruins of the first bridge that collapsed in the wind. Its been declared a historical site. This sort of mentality boggles my mind.

 

[wrenchbender]

This is the kinda stuff that really blows my mind. You know all the time and money people spend on what to me seems a whim. But at least ya'll got paid and the old tub got travel some again. Great pics really shows just how big the vessel is and that thang is huge.

 

[nedly05]

Great pics!! Neat job, what happened to all of the gravel? Looks like nice stuff.

 

[Lashlander]

The material in the pics got pushed back in. The material that had to get hauled off site the city took and screened for road sand and other things.