Mosquito Fleet
THE MOSQUITO FLEET PROVIDES GROWTH
With dense forests and few roads through them, water remained the most efficient method of transportation around the Peninsula for many years. One of the most famous ferry services was called the Mosquito Fleet.
Like the name implies, this fleet of small steam vessels traveled the Puget Sound waterways, proving links between Peninsula communities and the Seattle-Tacoma corridor through the late 19th and early 20 centuries.
Today, there are still a few opportunities to travel this way, primarily on the Bremerton-Port Orchard foot ferry runs where the ship's Captain also serves as crew and money-taker. Modern passenger-only ferries run between Seattle and Bremerton, and Seattle and Kingston.
Most of the fleet has been replaced by the larger Washington State ferries, which carry millions of autos and foot passengers across the sound each year and are considered part of the state's highway system.
One of the most colorful auto ferries to grace the Puget Sound was the Kalakala (photo), the only Art Deco ferry ever constructed. In service between 1935 and 1962.
Kitsap Harbor Tours offers a unique water tour (charter only) of the Kitsap area, including the Navy's shipyard and mothball fleet in Bremerton.
More History: Native Inhabitants Early Settlement Naval Influence
|
