Barn Find Kalakala, The World's Most Beautiful Ferry





If you were lucky enough to be near Puget Sound from 1935-1967 it is likely you would remember seeing the Kalakala, an art deco masterpiece was built out of the ruins of a traditional ferry boat that was damaged. The Peralta (built in 1926) was originally built to service San Francisco Bay, but an arson fire in 1933 burned the ship down to her hull. The salvaged hull was sold to a Seattle based ferry line and they commissioned in the beautifully streamlined body seen in the photos. After it was retired from service in 1967 the Kalakala spent time as a crabbing boat in Alaska and was eventually run aground and used as a makeshift cannery and seafood processing plant. The ship was purchased by a Washington man who ran into a series of legal issues with the State of Washington, the U.S. Coast Guard, and local preservation societies.

In 2012, the ship was sold to a local businessman Karl Anderson, who with the help of a number of volunteers had started restoring the ship.





UPDATE:



Sadly in 2015, the decision was made to scrap the Kalakala as the owner couldn't comply with terms of the moorage or Coast Guard requirements to maintain the vessel safely, so the ship was hauled off to scrap. Read More Sadly in 2015, the decision was made to scrap the Kalakala as the owner couldn't comply with terms of the moorage or Coast Guard requirements to maintain the vessel safely, so the ship was hauled off to scrap. Read More HERE



















