The 84-metre Kalakala created a stir when it sailed into Victoria on July 11, 1936, and no wonder 鈥� it was unlike any other vessel Victorians had seen. Its streamlined silvery exterior looked more Space Age than Jazz Age.
It鈥檚 a listing, rusting hulk now, moored at a Tacoma dock and scheduled for demolition. It鈥檚 an ignominious fate for a once-elegant vessel that was part of the Island鈥檚 maritime history.
Kalakala鈥檚 first visit to Victoria was a 90-minute stop on a chartered cruise for 1,000 people who had been attending a convention in Seattle. As Kalakala left the Inner Harbour, the Victoria Daily Times reported, scores of cars followed it along the waterfront, tooting their horns as the ship headed for the open strait.
Kalakala was a reincarnation of the ferry Peralta, which had been built by Key Systems for the San Francisco-Oakland ferry run, going into service in October 1926.
In 1933, a fire at Key System鈥檚 Oakland pier destroyed the building and caused heavy damage to Peralta. Capt. Alexander Peabody, the owner of the Puget Sound Navigation System, bought what was left of the vessel and towed it to Seattle, where it was rebuilt with a streamlined shell and renamed Kalakala, said to mean Flying Bird in the Chinook language.
The Kalakala could carry 80 vehicles and 1,000 passengers on long trips, or 2,000 passengers on short commutes. It had a sleek, curved lunch counter, an Art Deco bar and a dance floor. After its commuter runs, Kalakala was used for moonlight dancing cruises.
In 1935, Kalakala entered service for Peabody鈥檚 Black Ball line, sailing between Seattle and Bremerton, except for charters such as the one that brought it to Victoria the following year.
In June 1945, Kalakala began weekend seasonal service between Victoria and Seattle, with one trip each way each day. Again, the elegant vessel drew a crowd of appreciative Victorians. In 1946, the vessel was pulled from the Victoria-Seattle service.
Washington state bought most of Peabody鈥檚 company in 1950, setting up Washington State Ferries. Peabody continued to operate Black Ball ferries between Nanaimo and Horseshoe Bay, as well as a run between Port Angeles and Victoria.
In May 1955, Black Ball stopped its Port Angeles service, but within a matter of weeks had reached a deal with Washington State Ferries, which allowed the state-owned service to use the Black Ball terminals on either side of Juan de Fuca Strait.
The vessel assigned to the route? Thanks to requests from premier W.A.C. Bennett, it was Kalakala, still the most memorable vessel plying local waters.
The service was launched on June 24, 1955. The fireboat Island Comet greeted Kalakala with towering fountains of spray, and the Victoria Girls鈥� Pipe Band performed on the dock.
After five years, Kalakala was replaced by MV Coho and went back to the Seattle-Bremerton run.
In October 1967, Kalakala had its last ferry run and its career took a slide 鈥� it became a crab-processing vessel in Alaska.
In 1983, it was discovered abandoned on an Alaskan beach by sculptor and fisherman Pete Bevis, who started raising money to have it refloated and restored. In 1998, Kalakala was towed to Seattle, but fundraising efforts failed to garner estimated the $30 million needed for restoration. Tacoma industrialist Karl Anderson became Kalakala鈥檚 reluctant owner in 2012 when the previous owner failed to pay rent at Anderson鈥檚 dock.
Anderson says he can鈥檛 watch the vessel deteriorate further, and so demolition will begin at the end of the month.
It鈥檚 a sad ending for a graceful vessel, but Victorians who knew Kalakala will remember it not as an eyesore, but as a shining icon.
