Steamship Authority


The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, doing business as The Steamship Authority, is the statutory regulatory body for all ferry operations between mainland Massachusetts and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, as well an operator of ferry services between the mainland and the islands. It is the only ferry operator to carry automobiles to and from the islands. The Authority also operates several freight vessels, thus serving as the main link for shipping any commercial goods that are not transported using the airports on Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.

History

Early Nantucket service

The Steamship Authority's roots trace back to the 1833-established Nantucket Steamboat Company.
Demand for regular steamship service between Cape Cod and Nantucket increased following the opening of the Cape Cod Railroad's Hyannisport station in 1854. The same year, the company built a terminal near the rail station and renamed itself the Nantucket and Cape Cod Steamboat Company. The company's two vessels, Telegraph and Massachusetts, now began to only serve Hyannis, rather than making the longer trip to Woods Hole and New Bedford. In 1855, the steamships were replaced by the Island Home, the company's first vessel specifically engineered for the Nantucket Sound.

Early Martha's Vineyard service

Following the opening of the Hyannis terminal, the New Bedford, Vineyard and Nantucket Steamboat Company was formed in 1854 to provide service with the Eagle's Wing between the namesake destinations and Woods Hole. When the competing Island Home service began in 1885, though, Eagle's Wing ceased serving Nantucket due to low ridership.
The railroad station at Woods Hole, which opened in 1872, had a similar effect on steamship demand. Both the railroad and early steamboat services were at one point owned by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.

20th century consolidation

The NYNHH, realizing financial troubles, sold the ferry services known at the time as the New England Steamship Company to Massachusetts Steamship Lines on December 31, 1945. In 1948, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced its intent to consolidate the private ferry services into a state-owned entity. This created the New Bedford, Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, which began in 1949. The Massachusetts legislature dropped "New Bedford" from the company's name in 1960. The last steamship in regular service was the Nobska, which ran the Woods Hole–Nantucket route until 1973.
Several current vessels utilize names that have been a part of Island culture for many years. The "Nantucket" name has existed across four ships: the current , the , the steamboat Nobska, and the original Nantucket, the which saw service from 1886-1910. Similarly, "Martha's Vineyard" has seen service on three vessels: the current , the , as well as the steamship Martha's Vineyard. Additionally the , , and have all seen service on older steamships, the Island Home, the Sankaty, and the Gay Head.

Ferry service

Martha's Vineyard

Frequent passenger and auto ferry service is operated to the Martha's Vineyard towns of Vineyard Haven year round, and to Oak Bluffs from Memorial Day to Labor Day from the mainland terminal in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Sailing time is approximately 45 minutes to both Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs.
In early 2001, the SSA purchased the MV Schamonchi, along with the New Bedford-Martha's Vineyard route. She provided passenger-only service on this route until 2003, generating operating losses of about $800,000 per year. The vessel has since been sold, and a year-round high-speed catamaran service is now operated between New Bedford and Vineyard Haven by the New England Fast Ferry Company.

Nantucket

Year round passenger and auto ferry, as well as freight service is operated to Nantucket from the mainland terminal in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Sailing time to Nantucket takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes. A one-hour, passenger only catamaran service, is operated with the from mid April through late December from Hyannis to Nantucket. From 2000 to 2007, this service was operated with the.

State regulatory body

In addition providing ferry service, the Steamship Authority regulates the many commercial aspects of ferry operations to and from the Islands. All scheduled passenger ferry operations carrying over 40 people to and from the Islands must, by law, be approved by the Steamship Authority. This generally precludes any ferry service that would directly compete with the Steamship Authority, essentially giving it a legal monopoly on all auto ferry service to the Islands.
However, approval has been granted to other companies to operate smaller passenger ferry operations to the islands, including Freedom Cruises, Seastreak, the New England Fast Ferry, the Pied Piper Edgartown Ferry.
Services established prior to May 1973, which include Hy-Line Cruises and the Island Queen, are allowed to provide certain services as grandfathered carriers due to their existence prior to current regulations. However, any additional new services must be licensed by the Authority.

Governance

The Steamship Authority is governed by a five-person board composed of one resident from Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Falmouth, Barnstable, and New Bedford, with each resident confirmed by the appropriate local government entity. The board's current chair is James Malkin of Martha's Vineyard.
The authority also has an advisory board known as the Port Council, composed of one resident from Barnstable, Fairhaven, Falmouth, Nantucket, New Bedford, Oak Bluffs, and Tisbury. The current chair of this board is Edward Anthes-Washburn of New Bedford.

Fleet

The Steamship Authority currently operates ten vessels. Six passenger ferries are predominantly used for transporting passengers and personal cargo, five of which also accept cars and trucks. The remaining four ferries are open-top and primarily used for larger trucks and freight, although ordinary passengers and automobiles are usually allowed, space permitting.
Vessels are maintained at a facility on South Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts.
ImageVesselService beganTypeRoute servedNotes
1974ROPAXHyannis–Nantucket
Woods Hole–Martha's Vineyard 		Built in Jacksonville
MV Eagle1987ROPAXHyannis–NantucketBuilt by McDermott Shipyard
1988FreightWoods Hole–Martha's VineyardSister ship of MV Gay Head
MV Gay Head1989FreightHyannis–NantucketSister ship of MV Katama
MV Martha's Vineyard1993ROPAXWoods Hole–Martha's VineyardBuilt by Atlantic Marine
MV Sankaty1994FreightWoods Hole–Martha's VineyardBuilt in 1981 by Rysco Shipyard
1998FreightWoods Hole–Martha's VineyardBackup passenger vessel, formerly Governor's Island ferry
2007ROPAXWoods Hole–Martha's VineyardBuilt by VT Halter Marine
2007PassengerHyannis–NantucketHigh-speed catamaran, built by Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, named after Hyannis sachem Iyannough
2016ROPAXHyannis–Nantucket and
Woods Hole–Martha's Vineyard		Built by Conrad Shipyard

Historic fleet

This list includes earlier vessels that were operated by private companies, many of which were incorporated into the modern Steamship Authority.
ImageVesselService beganService endedNotes
Eagle18181818First commercial steamboat service to Nantucket, sailed from New Bedford from May to September until being sold due to low ridership
Connecticut18241824Operated for two months
Hamilton18281828Operated for two months, ceased service due to low ridership
Marco Bozzaris18291832
Telegraph18321858Replaced by
Massachusetts18421858Replaced by
Naushon18461848Renamed News Boy after sale
Canonicus18511861
George Law18541854Chartered for one month
Metacomet18541854
Eagle's Wing18541861Destroyed in a fire, engine was salvaged for the
Metacomet18541857
18551890Namesame of the modern, later converted to a coal barge
Jersey Blue 18561857
Sarah Stevens1860
18621902Chartered by the federal government to carry dispatches to U.S. Navy ships in the American Civil War from August 1862 to June 1865
18711910
18711893Purchased from the Newport Steamboat Company, sold to the Mount Vernon & Marshall Hall Steamboat Company
Island Belle 1876Renamed Coskata
18861910Namesake of the modern
18911924Built to replace
19021928Last sidewheeler in service, built to replace
19111924Built to replace, sold to the New England Steamship Company
SS Islander
19231956Built to replace, sold to Rhode Island Steamship Lines

Nantucket 		19251973Whistle installed on the Eagle in 1987, sold to Friends of Nobska in 1988
New Bedford19281942Requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and participated in the Invasion of Normandy
Naushon19291942Requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and participated in the Invasion of Normandy
Mercury
Gay Head 1947
Islander1947c. 1951Built in 1901, originally the Hackensack
19502007First diesel vessel, sold to Governor's Island

Naushon 		19571987Sold to Bay State Cruises
19651993Lengthened by 52 feet in 1971, sold to Casino Miami and renamed Entertainer
Auriga 1973c. 1989
Flying Cloud20002007Catamaran high-speed ferry, sold to Gran Cacique in 2008 and now the in Venezuela
Schamonchi20012003Built in 1978, sold into private ownership in 2005

Accidents and incidents

In 2007, it was reported that Steamship Authority and Hy-Line ferries were dumping sewage into Nantucket Sound. The process was legal as ferries are permitted to release waste once offshore. The authority later announced it would pump sewage off ferries at its terminals, which it did so beginning in 2011.
During the first four months of 2018, 549 ferry trips were cancelled between Martha’s Vineyard and Falmouth due to mechanical problems on the ferry boats. The majority of the mechanical problems occurred on the Woods Hole-Vineyard Haven route. The rate of cancellations in 2018 was approximately 15 times the yearly average of breakdowns and cancellations. A private consultant brought in to find the underlying cause behind the cancellations found mismanagement with "penny wise, pound foolish" investments and competing factions within the organization.
On the night of June 16, 2017, Iyanough crashed into a jetty in Hyannis harbor, injuring fifteen of the fifty-seven people aboard.