{{sources exist|date=January 2026}} {{Short description|Former ferry used on Puget Sound}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=MV Olympic, a Washington State Ferries ship abandoned on Ketron Island, Washington since 2009.jpg |image_caption=''Olympic'' beached off [[Ketron Island]], 2024 |image_alt= }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |name=''Governor Harry W. Nice'' |operator=[[Claiborne–Annapolis Ferry Company]] |route=[[Chesapeake Bay]] |builder=[[Maryland Drydock Company]] |launched=December 11, 1937 |in_service=1938 }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header=title |name=''Olympic'' |owner=[[Washington State Department of Transportation]] |operator= |route=Various [[Puget Sound]] routes |acquired=1951 |in_service=1954 |out_of_service=1993 |status=Abandoned off [[Ketron Island]] }}
|section4={{Infobox ship/characteristics |type=[[Ferry|Auto/passenger ferry]] |length={{convert|206|ft|abbr=on}} |capacity=About 600 passengers, 50 cars }} }}
'''MV ''Olympic''''' (also known as ''Olympic II'') is a former [[ferry|automobile ferry]] that operated in [[Maryland]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington state]]. Originally named the MV ''Gov. Harry W. Nice'', it was built for the [[Claiborne–Annapolis Ferry Company]] on [[Chesapeake Bay]] in Maryland and operated there from 1937 to 1952. The ferry was then sold to the [[Washington State Ferries]] system and rechristened as the ''Olympic'', named for the [[Olympic Mountains]], and served various route until 1993. ''Olympic'' was sold in 1997 and has been beached on [[Ketron Island]] since 2010.
==Service== ===''Governor Harry W. Nice''=== [[File:MV Olympic ferry.JPG|thumb|left|The vessel operating in Maryland]] The vessel was launched on December 11, 1937, at the [[Maryland Drydock Company]] and entered service as the motor ferry ''Governor Harry W. Nice'' on the [[Chesapeake Bay]], operating for the [[Claiborne–Annapolis Ferry Company]].<ref name="MSA">{{cite magazine |date=July 1973 |title=Boats Across the Bay |pages=8–9 |magazine=Directions |publisher=[[Maryland Department of Transportation]] |volume=1 |issue=11 |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/stagser/s1800/s1883/000000/000012/pdf/msa_s1883_000012.pdf |accessdate=January 12, 2026}}</ref>
Following the opening of the [[Chesapeake Bay Bridge]] in 1952, Maryland's transbay ferry operations ended and the vessels were sold.<ref name="MSA" />
===Washington State Ferries=== [[Washington State Ferries]] (WSF) acquired the vessel, renamed it ''Olympic'', and placed it into service in 1954. The ferry operated on several [[Puget Sound]] routes as a single-engine automobile ferry with a capacity of approximately 600 passengers and 50 vehicles.<ref name="WASOS">{{cite news |date=June 27, 2016 |title=From the Archives: ferries from yesteryear |url=https://www.sos.wa.gov/about-office/from-our-corner/general/archives-ferries-yesteryear |publisher=[[Washington Secretary of State]] |accessdate=January 12, 2026}}</ref><ref name="BR">{{cite news |date=May 27, 2010 |title=Historic ferry taken off Bainbridge Island |url=https://www.bainbridgereview.com/news/historic-ferry-taken-off-bainbridge-island/ |work=[[Bainbridge Island Review]] |accessdate=January 12, 2026}}</ref> ''Olympic'' was retired from service in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last=Broom |first=Jack |date=March 19, 1997 |title=Retired ferry Olympic put on auction block |page=A1 |work=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref>
In 1997, the state declared ''Olympic'' surplus and sold it at auction to [[Bainbridge Island]] resident Darrell McNabb for $71,000.<ref name="WASOS" /><ref name="BR" /> McNabb proposed rehabilitating the vessel for reuse and kept ''Olympic'' moored in [[Eagle Harbor (Washington)|Eagle Harbor]]. He later offered the ferry for sale and donated it to the Pacific Maritime Foundation for resale. The vessel was listed for sale on [[eBay]] in 2009<ref>{{cite news |last=Lawrence |first=Blythe |date=June 25, 2009 |title=Seattle foundation puts ferry up for sale on eBay |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-foundation-puts-ferry-up-for-sale-on-ebay/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=January 12, 2026}}</ref> and on the foundation's website but remained moored in Eagle Harbor.<ref name="BR" /><ref name="IW">{{cite news |last=Ford |first=Aspen |date=August 14, 2025 |title=Washington ferries are going hybrid-electric, but disposal of old ones poses environmental, legal risks |url=https://www.investigatewest.org/washington-ferries-are-going-hybrid-electric-but-disposal-of-old-ones-poses-environmental-legal-risks/ |work=[[InvestigateWest]] |accessdate=January 12, 2026}}</ref>
==Abandonment== In May 2010, ''Olympic'' was purchased by Tom Palmer and towed south for relocation and potential reuse. During the transit, the ferry ran aground along the shoreline off [[Ketron Island]]. The vessel later broke free from its initial grounding during a windstorm and shifted position, prompting responses and investigations by authorities concerning shoreline impacts, navigational safety, and the condition of its moorings.<ref name="BR" />
The ferry has remained beached since 2010. Its size has complicated removal efforts, and because the vessel rests on private property, legal authority and access have further limited the ability of public agencies. [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]] declared the former ferry a "public nuisance"; however, efforts to require removal or disposal have failed, and the vessel continues to deteriorate in place.<ref name="IW" /><ref name="SR">{{cite news |last=Banse |first=Tom |date=November 24, 2025 |title=For sale: Two retired state ferries. Dreamers need not apply |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/nov/24/for-sale-two-retired-state-ferries-dreamers-need-n/ |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |accessdate=January 12, 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{commonscat-inline|Olympic (ship, 1938)}}
{{Washington State Ferries}} [[Category:Washington State Ferries vessels]] [[Category:1937 ships]] [[Category:Ships built in Baltimore]]