Ferry Query
This is where I ask you, dear readers, to solve a mystery for me.
One of my friends spent the weekend in Kingston visiting family. On his way back to this side of the water, he noticed a Coast Guard ship in the water near the ferry. Two Washington State Patrol officers rode their bikes up the passenger ramp and talked to the ferry attendant for a moment before walking the passenger ramp, looking about them. When they asked when the ferry was scheduled to depart, they were told it was already five minutes late for departure. The officers left the boat, which eventually departed the dock. Departure was followed by an overhead announcement informing passengers that the two Coast Guard vessels (at leat one of them was armed, my witness says) were giving the ferry an escort to Edmonds.
Anyone got a clue why?
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That is what they spend the Homeland Security money on. I am not sure it is the best way to spend our money on but there is often Coast Guard escorts of the Bremerton and Bainbridge ferry run but since not every car gets searched it would be easier to blow up a ferry by driving a car on it. I dunno I ride the ferries all the time and I am not worried about it.
What Jake said - USCG escorts the ferries at (sort of) random, and yes, their boats are pretty heavily armed. It’s routine, though it can be somewhat startling if you aren’t used to it (or expecting it).
Thanks–I was really curious. I don’t ride the ferries much myself so I’ve never seen it.
Also, part of it is that the WSF is the largest ferry system in the US and is also one of the top maritime terrorist targets (according to the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office). This has actually become pretty routine in the past year or so.
See more info here.