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After stranded on Bainbridge Island on Saturday night, the Walla Walla Ferry returned to Bremerton early Sunday morning.
The 50-year-old boat en route from Bremerton to Seattle beached at the southern tip of Bainbridge Island when it entered the Rich Passage around 4:30 pm on Saturday. A Washington State Ferry spokeswoman said the cause was an apparent loss of power.
About 600 people were on the boat when it hit the beach on Saturday. Everyone left Walla Walla and took the Kitsap Transit fast ship back to Bremerton. But that meant nearly 200 cars were left on board.
The tug managed to overturn the boat and moor it in Bremerton so the car didn’t have to run backwards on Sunday morning. Details of the boat’s malfunction have not yet been reported, but Washington State Ferry said it appeared to be a problem with the generator. Divers were scheduled to dive into Puget Sound on Sunday to check for damage to the hull, according to Phil Orwell, head of relief terminals for Washington State Ferries.
Beginning at 9am on Sunday, travelers and tow trucks began lining up at Bremerton’s docks. The crew hesitantly unloaded the ship for an hour, finishing around 10am.
When the boat ran aground on Saturday afternoon, passengers on board recalled the lights flickering, followed by an alarm on the boat and the captain warning people to prepare for the impact. The crash itself was mild as the jumbo class ferry settled on a sandy beach south of Bainbridge Island.
Lorna Jones was heading back to Seattle on Saturday night, but after a five-hour ferry ride, she spent the night in Bremerton with her son.
Marisha Doan, who was on the boat with her two young children and her husband, called the whole experience “extremely surreal.”
The experience was interesting for a while, she said, once it became clear that no one was hurt.
This story will be updated.
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