Boat launching. Mrs. Robert Sprague of Los Angeles performs the customary duties of ship sponsor as she christens the new all-aluminum ferry, "Avalon," at Martinolich Shipbuilding, on the Port Industrial Waterway, on October 25, 1969. Mrs. Sprague was the wife of one of the ship's owners. The "Avalon" was the largest all-aluminum passenger ferry ever built and would be delivered to Holiday Services in San Pedro, California, two weeks after launching. The ferry, with a 27-foot beam, could carry up to 500 people at once. She would be used to shuttle passengers to Santa Catalina, some 26 miles from Los Angeles. With a maximum speed of 28 knots, the "Avalon" would replace outdated and too expensive steamships. Martinolich built a big new shipshed, with height of 40-feet, to house the ferry while under construction. Photograph ordered by Martinolich Shipbuilding Corp. (TNT 11-20-68, p. 1; TNT 10-12-69, D-12; TNT 10-27-69, p. 6)
Launchings--Tacoma--1960-1970; Boat & ship industry--Tacoma--1960-1970; Ferries--Tacoma--1960-1970; Sprague, Robert--Family;