MV Taku

{{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=MV Taku BW.jpg |image_caption=MV Taku }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |country= |flag= |name=''Taku'' |namesake= [[Taku Glacier]], [[Juneau, Alaska]] |owner=[[Image:Flag of Alaska.svg|20px]] [[Alaska Marine Highway System]] |operator= |registry={{flag|United States}} |route= |ordered= |awarded= |builder=Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company, [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] |original_cost=$4.5 Million USD<ref name="Cohen p16"/> |yard_number= |way_number= |laid_down= |launched=2 July 1962<ref>{{csr|register=MSI|id=5351052|shipname=Taku |accessdate=16 February 2021}}</ref> |sponsor= |christened= |completed= |acquired= |commissioned=1963 |decommissioned= |maiden_voyage= |in_service= |out_of_service= |renamed= |reclassified= |refit= |struck= |reinstated= |homeport= |identification=*{{IMO Number|5351052}} *{{MMSI Number|338697000}} *[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: WI9491 |motto= |nickname= |fate=Scrapped 21 April 2018 |notes= |badge= }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |class= [[MV Malaspina|''Malaspina''-class]] mainline ferry |type= |tonnage= 2,625 Domestic 7,302 International{{Clarify|GRT? NRT?|date=October 2012}}<ref name="AMHS Profile">Vessel Profiles, ''M/V Taku''</ref> |displacement= {{convert|4283|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |length= {{convert|352|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |beam= {{convert|74|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |height= |draft={{convert|16|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |depth= |hold_depth= |decks=One vehicle deck, three passenger decks <ref name="Welcome Aboard">Welcome Aboard</ref> |deck_clearance= |ramps= Aft, port, and starboard [[Roll-on/roll-off|ro-ro]] loading |ice_class= |power= Two 4,000{{nbsp}}hp MaK Diesel engines <ref name="Welcome Aboard"/> |propulsion= |speed= {{convert|16.5|kn|lk=in}}<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |range= |endurance= |boats= |capacity=*370 passengers *69 vehicles<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |crew=42<ref name="AMHS Profile"/> |notes= }} }}

'''M/V ''Taku''''' was a ''Malaspina''-class mainline vessel built for the [[Alaska Marine Highway System]]. The ship has been retired and was sold to a Dubai-based company for $171,000.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Brooks|first1=James|title='Bittersweet for Alaska': Beloved ferry Taku just sold to a Dubai company|url=http://juneauempire.com/news/state/2018-01-23/bittersweet-alaska-beloved-ferry-taku-just-sold-dubai-company|website=Juneau Empire|accessdate=25 May 2018|date=2018-01-23}}</ref> The owner sought to sell the ferry internationally, and was unsuccessful, and it was last seen beached in [[Alang]], [[India]], to be scrapped.

==History== Designed by [[Philip F. Spaulding]] & Associates, constructed in 1963 by the [[Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company|Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Company]] in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]],<ref name="Cohen p16"/> the M/V ''Taku'' is named after [[Taku Glacier]] which is located just southeast of [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]], [[Alaska]], and has been in the ferry system for over forty years. In 1981, the ''Taku'' received a major refurbishment{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} and was in service steadily until the summer of 2015 when she was laid up due to budget considerations.<ref name = "Takulaidup">{{cite web | url = http://juneauempire.com/state/2015-05-13/amhs-ferry-taku-beached-summer | title = AMHS ferry Taku beached for the summer | last = Westmoreland | first = Charles | date = 13 May 2015 | website = Juneau Empire | publisher = | access-date = 13 September 2015 | quote = | archive-date = 12 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150912195614/http://juneauempire.com/state/2015-05-13/amhs-ferry-taku-beached-summer | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name = "Takusale">{{cite web | url = http://juneauempire.com/state/2015-10-12/amhs-may-explore-selling-taku-ferry | last = Bowman | first = Nick | date = 13 September 2015 | website = Juneau Empire | publisher = | access-date = 13 September 2015 | quote = | title = AMHS may explore selling Taku ferry }}</ref> The AMHS subsequently announced that it would retire the vessel in preparation for sale or scrapping.<ref name=KDNMarineHighway>[http://www.ketchikandailynews.com/premium/AMHS-2-25 AMHS focus of SE Conference]. Bowman, Nick. ''[[Ketchikan Daily News]]'', 25 February 2017</ref>

==Role== As a mainline ferry, ''Taku'' served the larger of the inside passage communities (such as [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]], [[Petersburg, Alaska|Petersburg]], and [[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]]), its route primarily stayed between [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] and [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]] in [[Southeast Alaska]].

The M/V ''Taku'' was the largest of the three AMHS vessels able to serve the communities of [[Hoonah, Alaska|Hoonah]] and [[Kake, Alaska|Kake]] and because of this served as a critical component of providing transportation out of Hoonah and Kake after the "milk run" ferry, the {{ship|MV|LeConte}} hit a rock and went into [[dry dock]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}}

==Amenities== The ''Taku''{{'}}s amenities included a hot-food cafeteria; bar; solarium; forward, aft, recliner, movie, and business lounges; gift shop; 8 four-berth cabins; and 36 two-berth cabins.

== Accidents and Incidents== * On April 23rd, 1963 the ''Taku'' struck a rock outside [[Petersburg, Alaska|Petersburg]] in a minus tide. She returned to service on May 3rd.<ref name="Cohen p16"/> * On August 8th, 1963 two boys entered the wheelhouse when the ''Taku'' was preparing to leave Petersburg, and engaged the engines. The resulting damage to the dock left the vehicle loading ramp out of commission for three months.<ref name="Cohen p16"/> * On July 29th, 1970, the ''Taku'' ran aground on Kinihan Island, outside of [[Prince Rupert, British Columbia|Prince Rupert]], [[Canada]]. All passengers on board were evacuated safely, and the cars were transferred to the BC Ferry ''[[MV Queen of Prince Rupert]]'' <ref name="Cohen p16">Cohen (1994), p. 16</ref>

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book | last = Cohen | first = Stan. | title = Highway on the Sea: A Pictorial History of the Alaska Marine Highway System | publisher = Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Inc. | year = 1997 | location = Missoula, MT | isbn = 978-0-929521-87-9}} * {{cite web |url=http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/vessel_profiles.shtml |title=Vessel Profiles |publisher=Alaska Department of Transportation |accessdate=January 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330005353/http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/vessel_profiles.shtml |archivedate=March 30, 2013 }} * {{Cite book | last = | first = | title = Welcome Aboard! M/V Taku | publisher = Alaska Marine Highway pamphlet}} {{Refend}} * {{Cite web |url=http://juneauempire.com/news/state/2018-01-23/bittersweet-alaska-beloved-ferry-taku-just-sold-dubai-company |title='Bittersweet for Alaska': Beloved ferry Taku just sold to a Dubai company |publisher=Juneau Empire |accessdate=May 25, 2018 |date=2018-01-23 }}

==External links== * [http://www.ferryalaska.com Official Alaska Marine Highway System website] * [http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/taku_1963.htm M/S Taku.]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taku}} [[Category:Former Alaska Marine Highway System vessels]] [[Category:1962 ships]] [[Category:Ships built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company]]