{{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image= |image_caption= }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/career |name=*1927-1940 ''Fresno'' *1940-{{circa|1990s}} ''Willapa'' *{{circa|1990s}}-2009 ''Fresno'' |namesake=Extinct Willapa tribe of Southwestern Washington; meaning unknown |owner=*1927-1940: [[Southern Pacific Railroad#Ferry service|Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries]] *1940-1951: [[Puget Sound Navigation Company]] *1951-1967: [[WSDOT]] |operator=*[[Southern Pacific Railroad#Ferry service|Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries]] *1940-1951: [[Puget Sound Navigation Company|Black Ball Line]] *1951-1967: [[Washington State Ferries]] |registry= |route= |builder= [[Bethlehem Steel]], [[San Francisco]] |completed=1927 |in_service=1927 |refit=1941 |out_of_service=1967 |identification=*{{IMO Number|7619795}} *[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: WB4495 |fate= Aground on Spud Island on the San Joaquin River, everything but the hull was scrapped |notes= }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |class={{sclass2|Steel Electric|ferry}} |tonnage=* {{GRT|1368}} * {{NRT|930}} |length={{cvt|256|ft}} |beam={{cvt|65|ft}} |deck_clearance={{cvt|12|ft}} |propulsion= 1 × [[Busch-Sulzer]] diesel engine |power={{cvt|2800|hp}} |speed={{convert|15|kn|lk=in}} |capacity=*90 cars (1927) *800–1,500 passengers |notes=Source:<ref name=EvergreenFleet>{{cite web|title=The M/V Willapa|url=http://www.evergreenfleet.com/mvwillapa.html|work=EvergreenFleet.com|accessdate=21 January 2014}}</ref> }} }}
'''MV ''Willapa''''' was a car [[ferry]] that served on the [[San Francisco Bay]] and later on [[Puget Sound]]. She was one of the [[Steel Electric-class ferry|Steel Electric-class ferries]] built in 1927 for service across the [[San Francisco Bay]]. Originally named '''MV ''Fresno''''', she was operated by the [[Southern Pacific Railroad#Ferry service|Southern Pacific Railroad]] and provided ferry service across the bay.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
''Fresno'' served on the San Francisco Bay for ten years, when the completion of the [[San Francisco Bay Bridge]] in 1936 and the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in 1937 made the ferries no longer necessary. In 1940, all six Steel Electric ferries were purchased by [[Puget Sound Navigation Company]] (PSN) and they were brought up the coast to [[Puget Sound]] two at a time, allowing PSN to modernize their ferry fleet.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
These ferries were all renamed—''Fresno'' was renamed ''Willapa''—and two of them were significantly modified to be single-ended ferries for use on the [[Seattle-Bremerton Ferry|Seattle-Bremerton ferry route]]. These two ferries were ''Willapa'' and [[Ferryboat Santa Rosa|''Enetai'']], which had already been serving on the Bremerton ferry route while two other Steel Electrics were being readied for service. The pilothouse and propeller on one end of ''Willapa'' was removed and the rudder on that end was welded straight. The [[diesel-electric]] propulsion was removed and it was replaced with a {{convert|2800|hp|adj=on}} [[Busch-Sulzer]] [[direct drive|direct-drive]] [[diesel engine|diesel]], which increased her speed to {{convert|15|kn}}. The passenger cabin was also enlarged, increasing her passenger capacity from 800 to 1,500 passengers.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
These modifications made both ''Willapa'' and ''Enetai'' better suited for the hour-long Seattle-Bremerton route, which was seeing an increase in traffic with more people commuting to and from the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]] in Bremerton, where more warships were being built in preparation for [[World War II]]. The modifications that ''Willapa'' and ''Enetai'' received made them no longer true Steel Electric-class ferries.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
''Willapa'' continued service between Seattle and Bremerton from 1940 until 1967, when she was retired. Her running mates on that route included ''Chippewa'', her sister ''Enetai'', and ''Kalakala''. For a short period during late-World War II, the steamers [[SS Napa Valley|SS ''Malahat'']] and [[SS Asbury Park|SS ''City of Sacramento'']] also served on the route.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
In 1951, all of PSN's routes and almost all their vessels, including ''Willapa'', were purchased by [[Washington (state)|Washington]] State to form Washington State Ferries (WSF). In 1953, all six Steel Electrics had their car deck windows replaced with round portholes. By the mid-1960s, WSF began building four {{sclass2|Super|ferry|0}} ferries to replace ''Willapa'', ''Enetai'', and ''Kalakala''. These vessels were all single-ended and by the 1960s were no longer considered faster than double-ended vessels and their engines were expensive to run and maintain. Once the first Super-class ferry ''Hyak'' arrived, ''Willapa'' and ''Kalakala'' were retired. ''Hyak'' was much faster and larger than the older ferries.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
''Willapa'' was sold to a group of San Francisco investors who moved her back to the Bay area and changed her name back to ''Fresno''. However, the vessel was neglected and eventually sank at her berth in 30 feet of water. She was partially submerged for six months until a salvage company raised the vessel and patched her hull with concrete. Her hull was still in poor shape and constant pumping was required to keep the vessel afloat. By October 2006, after unsuccessful attempts to sell her on [[eBay]] earlier that year, her owner was planning to sell the vessel for scrap. In November 2009, the vessel was scrapped by Enterprise Marine Company Inc., resulting in the [[Ferryboat Santa Rosa|''Santa Rosa'']] (aka ''Enetai'') being the only remaining Steel Electric-class ferry.<ref name=EvergreenFleet />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{WSF Ferry Classes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willapa, MV}} [[Category:Washington State Ferries vessels]] [[Category:Puget Sound Navigation Company]] [[Category:1927 ships]] [[Category:Ships built in San Francisco]]