It’s been 65 years since the first Steamship Authority was created, signed into existence by Massachusetts Gov. Robert Bradford in 1948 as the New Bedford, Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Regular ferry service had existed prior to that date, beginning in the early 1800s. The arrival of the Old Colony Railroad in the 1870s brought train tracks right to the wharf in Woods Hole, spearheading the growth of both the Island summer tourism industry and the boat lines, which were then privately owned.
Expanding transportation services among airlines, ferries, buses and trains have made the Vineyard more accessible than ever this summer.
Four airlines are now operating summer service between the Island and three major metropolitan areas. And two months ago train service began between Boston and the Cape that connects with a shuttle to the Steamship Authority.
The public’s confidence in the Steamship Authority has improved markedly since 1987, according to polls commissioned 25 years apart by the Vineyard Gazette and conducted by a leading national market research firm.
A 19-year-old man fell from a Steamship Authority ferry Thursday night into the water off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, according to the Steamship Authority.
Steamship Authority general manager Wayne Lamson said in a statement that Chris Connelly, 19, of Millers Falls, fell backward off the ferry Martha’s Vineyard at about 8:52 p.m. June 20 as the boat was sailing from Oak Bluffs to Woods Hole.
April Steamship Authority traffic was down slightly from the same period last year, though summer numbers are showing improvement.
At the Steamship Authority board of governors meeting Tuesday in Nantucket, general manager Wayne Lamson said April passenger traffic was down 3.3 per cent from April 2012.
From new ferries to a terminal overhaul in Woods Hole, the Steamship Authority will be embarking on some major capital planning and spending projects in the coming years.
At the monthly boat line meeting in Hyannis this week, the SSA governors took a look at planning for two major projects: the replacement of aging vessels and reconstruction of the terminal at Woods Hole.
