Tustumena

Cabins & Passengers

Crew Capacity:
38
Passenger Capacity:
160
Staterooms- 4 berth:
6
Staterooms- 3 berth:
0
Staterooms- 2 berth:
17
ADA Staterooms- 4b:
0
ADA Staterooms- 2b:
1
 
Total Staterooms:
24
Total Berths:
60
 

Vehicles & Crew

Vehicle Capacity (ft.):
680
Vehicle Quantity:
34
Elevator Length (ft):
40
Van Quantity:
12

The Tustumena is equipped with a dining room offering sit down food service, observation lounges, a covered heated solarium, a movie lounge, and showers.
 

Statistics

Year Built: 1964
Length (ft.):
296
Beam (ft.):
59
Displacement (LT):
3,067
Loaded Draft:
14'-4.5"
Service HP:
5100
Service Speed (kn):
13.8
Domestic Tons:
2,174
International Tons:
4,259
 
 

Here we sit upon the Spit
Awaiting the "Blue Canoe"
From in our car home seems so far
But soon we'll be with you.

Poem By: Phil Morris

 

Through the many years of service to Alaskans and visitors, the Tustumena has picked up many nicknames. Blue Canoe, Trusty Tusty just to name a few. Whatever you call her, she has been a faithful and an appreciated addition to life in South Central Alaska and The Chain. This vessel connects remote Alaskan communities and without her it would make life extremely difficult. The Tustumena services the Aleutian Islands twice a month during the summer months departing from Homer and from Kodiak.

The Solarium Deck makes it very convenient for those who want to pitch a small pup tent instead of renting a cabin.

Like the Kennicott, the Tustumena has a vehicle elevator which is essential for loading and offloading in Homer and Kodiak. The Tusty''s elevator can take a maximum length vehicle of 40 feet. If your vehicle is longer than 40 feet, and you are sailing to or from Kodiak or Homer, then you would be required to do a "double shuffle". To do this procedure requires a driver and car up on the dock and a driver and car on deck below. The top car and driver backs the trailer on the elevator and disconnects, and the bottom car and driver below connects to it and pulls it off. It's that simple. The Alaska Marine Highway does NOT provide this service. It is up to you to arrange for this in advance.

The Tustumena was constructed in 1963. It principally runs between Kodiak, Seldovia, Port Lions, Ouzinkie and Homer. The only interruptions in this schedule occur when making a voyage out to Dutch Harbor.

The Tustumena is the smallest AMHS vessel to have cabins.

The Tustumena is replaced by the M/V Kennicott when it goes out for annual maintenance.

Because of it's exposed and volatile parts of Alaska it plies, the Tustumena is an accredited ocean-going vessel. a quality it shares exclusively with the Kennicott.

The large black structure on the aft portion of the vessel is the car elevator. It is used in all communities where there is not a dedicated ramp loading directly into the car deck. While the car elevator for the Tustumena is exposed on the exterior, the Kennicott car elevator is located inside the vessel.

There is no elevator access to Sun & Solarium Decks.

Named after the Tustumena Glacier which is a Tanaina Indian name. No translation is known.

12/20/23