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<< Previous   of   Next >> Courtesy of the BitterEnd Blog  (click to enlarge) This apparently doctored photograph shows the Steilacoom II listing. The photo was posted on the maritime blog BitterEnd on Thursday and later acknowledged by the blog's author as a fake. The ferry was taken off its Port Townsend-Keystone route Wednesday, but for a mechanical problem, not because it was taking on water. The ferry is due back in service today.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Must have been an iceberg 10/30/09   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, October 30, 2009 Despite photo, ferry not in peril The Steilacoom II ferry appeared to be taking on water Thursday morning, which was then reported in an online blog. By Bill Sheets Herald Writer PORT TOWNSEND — No, the boat wasn't sinking, as a faked photo on a blog showed. The Steilacoom II ferry was taken off its Keystone-to-Port Townsend run for two days because of a problem with the ship's generator, according to the state ferry system. It is scheduled to be back in service early this afternoon. Rumors that the boat was sinking were fueled by a photo posted Thursday morning on the maritime blog BitterEnd. The photo showed what appeared to be the Steilacoom II listing at one end while docked in a place that looks like Keystone. The operator of the blog, Richard J. Rodriguez of Friday Harbor, posted an update later in the day that announced he'd since learned the photo was a fake and that he posted it in error. “I didn't do my homework before I put it up, I 'fessed up to that,” Rodriguez said. “I'm not a reporter. I'm a blogger.” The original post mentioned that the boat's sinking had not been verified, he added. The photo was sent to Rodriguez by a friend. “He was sucked in, too,” he said. “I'd also heard that the boat was down. I leaped before I looked. An invaluable lesson.” Rodriguez works for Vessel Assist, which rescues boaters in trouble in the San Juan Islands, in the summer. In the winter he teaches classes in ship captain certification. The Steilacoom II was moored in Port Townsend on Thursday while new parts were installed, ferry system spokeswoman Marta Coursey said. She said the boat's mechanical problem was not related to conditions in Admiralty Inlet, where the water is generally rougher than in Pierce County, where the boat was originally used. The ferry system, Coursey said, “is aware of this and, as a result, has been extremely vigilant about maintaining the vessel to ensure its integrity and reliability is preserved.” The state leased the 50-car ferry from Pierce County beginning in February 2008 for use on the route. In November 2007, the state pulled from service four Steel Electric class ferries used on the route after finding cracks and corrosion in the boats' hulls. Those boats were built in the 1920s. A 64-car, $66 million ferry is under construction and is pegged to begin service between Port Townsend and Keystone next summer. The ferry system plans to add another boat to the route in the spring of 2011. Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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