Steamship Authority Chooses Next General Manager

Robert Davis was named to be the next general manager of the Steamship Authority in a unanimous vote at a special meeting Monday.

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Appeal Could Delay New Ferry Terminal in Woods Hole

A group of Woods Hole residents is challenging state approval of the Steamship Authority terminal reconstruction project in the village, a move that could delay the project.

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Steamship General Manager Search Stays Inside

Pleased with the current direction of the Steamship Authority, the board of governors is looking within its own ranks for a new general manager to succeed Wayne Lamson when he retires this summer.

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Nobska Grounded in Heavy Fog Off Oak Bluffs Beach
Vineyard Gazette

Passersby near the Oak Bluffs public beach were startled yesterday morning when, eerily, out of a thick morning fog, crept the bow of a large white steamer heading straight toward shore.

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The Eagle Has Landed
Mark Alan Lovewell

The 233-foot M.V. Eagle, the Steamship Authority’s largest and most extravagant ferry, arrived in Woods Hole 24 hours ahead of schedule on Tuesday. Sailing out of a cold fog bank into the Vineyard Sound beneath a torrent of sleet and rain, the $8-million ferry completed her voyage from Louisiana.

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Islander Ruptures on Rocks Sea Disaster Averted
Joseph B. White

The motor semi Islander struck submerged rocks moments after leaving the Oak Bluffs wharf at 9:15 Wednesday morning and began taking on water through five holes ripped in her hull. But the vessel’s captain, Antone Jardin, wrestled the foundering ship back to port, averting a major disaster and possible sinking of the ship.
The cause of the mishap is under investigation by the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety office in Boston, but Coast Guard officials said yesterday it appears that a previously unplotted rock in the channel may have caused the damage. Earlier reports that a key buoy had drifted out of place were discounted by the Coast Guard and Steamship Authority officials.

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There is Balm in Gilead - Governor Signs Boat Bill
The Vineyard Gazette

Governor [Foster] Furcolo signed the new Steamship Authority bill shortly before 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Under the terms of the new law, the present Authority will be replaced Jan. 1, 1961, by a new Authority of three members, one of Dukes County - who have already persuaded Robert M. Love to accept the appointment - one named by the selectmen of Nantucket, and one by the selectmen of Falmouth. New Bedford will be responsible for 40 per cent of the deficit for 1960, but after the end of this year will have no responsibility, no representation, and no guarantee of service.

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Captains, Kings Go; People Take Over
The Vineyard Gazette

It happened yesterday. One minute before 11 a.m., the Island boat line was administered by the officers and directors of the Massachusetts Steamship Lines Inc., as constituted for some time past; one minute after 11, the management was in the hands of new officers and directors, the responsibility of the New Bedford, Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamboat Authority.

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Bon Voyage to the Steamer Naushon
Mike Kolleth

A chapter in American maritime history will close Tuesday when the last car and passenger-carrying steamboat in North America sails out of Woods Hole harbor.

The retirement of the SS Naushon from the Steamship Authority fleet marks the end of a 170-year era of steam ferry service along the Eastern seaboard.

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Busy Summer: SSA Reports Ferry Traffic on the Rise

Senior managers at the Steamship Authority confirmed this week what many people already knew: there are substantially more cars and people coming to Martha’s Vineyard this summer.

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