LeConte Reenters Service
The Alaska Marine Highway System's M/V LeConte was expected to depart Bellingham, WA last night, enroute to Ketchikan following emergency repairs to its propulsion shafts at Todd Shipyard in Seattle. LeConte will resume its published schedule from Juneau on Sunday morning, sailing for Haines and Skagway at 9:00.“We are especially pleased that the work in Seattle has been completed in a timely manner, which has allowed us to get the LeConte back on schedule on January 1,” said Captain John Falvey, AMHS General Manager. “The repairs to the shaft couplings were expertly done, approved by the American Bureau of Shipping, and the vessel was certified for passenger service by the Coast Guard in Bellingham today.”
Falvey said the shaft repairs were in line with AMHS engineering estimates after the vessel was taken out of service in Sitka on December 5. The shipyard also made permanent repairs to damage done to the hull on November 30, when the LeConte grazed the metal top of a piling in Petersburg. This “allision” put a 10-12 inch gash in the forepeak of the vessel, about 13-15 feet above the waterline. A temporary repair was made in Juneau the next day.