See Full Seattle Ferry Destroyed After Unexpected Accident

The Cathlamet ferry that moves people between Vashon Island near Seattle and the Southworth Terminals, crashed hard into a dock early Thursday morning according to the WSF. They announced the "hard landing" with a tweet soon after the accident.

There have been no reported injuries, but the images and video from the accident are shocking. They show at least two cars pinned under the corner of the ferry that is smashed in. The WSF says the ferry hit the offshore dolphin, which is a structure to help guide the ferry to the dock. Lots of concerned citizens thought the ship actually struck a dolphin animal, causing them to send a press release explaining what a dolphin the ferry struck is. Basically, it is one of the large upright poles leading into the area where the ferry docks.

In some picture comments, people described that the ferry was able to reverse and finish docking after the strike. That might prove the crash was not because of a mechanical issue. After the accident, a man posted to twitter witnessing the ship of coming in too fast on the Sunday before at the same location.

The ferry service has been canceled until the WSF can review the damage and come up with a plan for repair. They said that the number one ferry is still working but people should be prepared for delays. There are alternate routes available at Point Defiance/Tahlequah and Seattle/Bremerton. Right now there are huge delays reported at Point Defiance sometimes larger then 3 hours. Expect delays to continue until further notice. If you need more information about delays, just click here for the Washington State Department of Transportation Ferry travel alerts.