The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District’s (District) high-speed catamaran, M.V. Mendocino, will return to Golden Gate Ferry’s Larkspur terminal from Washington State by the end of November. The vessel is planned to return to service between Larkspur and San Francisco sometime during the week of December 8, 2003.
Published: December, 2003
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District’s (District) high-speed catamaran, M.V. Mendocino, will return to Golden Gate Ferry’s Larkspur terminal from Washington State by the end of November. The vessel is planned to return to service between Larkspur and San Francisco sometime during the week of December 8, 2003.
The M.V. Mendocino will replace the ferry crossings now provided by the District’s first high-speed catamaran, M.V. Del Norte, which will be taken out of service for routine U.S. Coast Guard inspections. There will be no change to the Larkspur schedule during this time. The dry docking of the M.V. Del Norte is expected to complete in mid-January 2004 to early February 2004 and return to service.
The M.V. Mendocino was taken out of service in December 2002 and returned to the original builder Nichols Brothers, Washington to rebuild the twin hulls and superstructure under warranty at no cost to the District. In spring of 2002, routine inspections of the M.V. Mendocino by U.S. Coast Guard and Golden Gate Ferry determined that substantial warranty work was needed to ensure its long-term viability. Specifically, it was determined that some of the aluminum plating incorporated into the hulls and superstructure was manufactured using a process that did not meet stringent marine engineering requirements.
While the vessel was undergoing reconstruction, the 42 daily ferry trips between Larkspur and San Francisco were maintained by using one of the original three Spaulding vessels for several morning commute trips causing those trips to take 15 minutes longer.
While the M.V. Mendocino was undergoing warranty repairs, the upper deck was modified to add additional seats along with enhanced weather protection. The M.V. Mendocino will have a seating capacity of 450 passengers, up from the original 408. The M.V. Del Norte capacity is 325.
The M.V. Mendocino was originally placed into service in September 2001 and the M.V. Del Norte was placed into service in September 1998.
