SEAWORTHY

KETCHIKAN — Amid a flurry of pomp and quite a bit of circumstance Friday, the Mat-Su Borough christened its new ice-breaking, fast-moving ferry — the M/V Susitna.

The ferry is due to spend the winter in Ketchikan. During its time in Southeast, the Navy will run sea trials on the ship. The Navy built the Susitna as a scaled-down prototype for a ship it is considering for military use in coastal waters where its ability to land on a beach and offload military vehicles will be useful. Usually those prototypes are scrapped after they’re built. But this one will, instead, serve as a transit link for communities on Cook Inlet.

The borough says it will arrive in Mat-Su next spring. There is still quite a bit of work to be done on this end, building landings at Port MacKenzie and the Port of Anchorage. Borough officials have a lot of funding to secure.

But Friday, in Ketchikan, it was all bunting, speeches and celebration.

“It’s a very tight ship. There’s not a wasted pound, not a wasted inch. A 16th of an inch is the largest error in any dimension,” the borough’s owner’s representative, Lew Madden, says in a borough press release.

A proud Randy Johnson, president of Alaska Ship and Drydock, which built the ship, gave a speech.

“Today I stand before you in front of one of the most unique advanced ships built in our time,” he said, according to a borough press release. “A ship that will revolutionize the way our military and commercial operators will operate in shallow waters around the globe.”

Among the dignitaries present at the christening, according to borough accounts, were Rear Admiral Nevin P. Carr Jr., chief of Naval research; his predecessor, former Rear Admiral Jay Cohen; borough mayor Talis Colberg; former Gov. Frank Murkowski; his daughter, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski; borough manager John Duffy; and Gov. Sean Parnell.

Many of them gave speeches to mark the occasion. But the honor of smashing the champagne bottle on the ship’s bow fell to Sen. Murkowski, who was credited as one of the ship’s sponsors.

“This is truly a first-class vessel,” she said, according to the borough.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.