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Our ferries are the lifeblood of Block Island. They bring people to all parts of the island and keep it alive. They work hard all day and night, carrying both young and old people, just like their now-retired ancestors, the Quonset and the Yankee. They do this for us, and you may not know everything about their pasts. Each of our Ferries has a story to tell and some fun and interesting facts about how it was made and how it got here.
In this part of the History of the Block Island Ferry Fleet, let’s look at one of the first boats of her time: Carol Jean Carol Jean
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From Drawing Board to Reality
In the early 1980s, Block Island became more popular and more people went there. People from all over the world found out about the things you all now know and love. There was a big need for ships with more space, and we were happy to give it to them.
$2 hotel rooms. Windmills. Wool bathing suits?! Find out what a 1909 vacation on Block Island was like in our latest blog post! https://t.co/RUjzMN1jbV#RIHistory #RhodeIslandHistory #Rhody #BlockIslandFerry #BlockIsland #SailAway pic.twitter.com/p3Tjui88xi
— Block Island Ferry (@BlockIsleFerry) August 8, 2022
John H. Wronowski came up with the idea for the Carol Jean and then drew it. The ship, which he named after his daughter, was supposed to be a combination of the Nelseco and the Manistee. It would take the good parts of each ship and fix the bad ones. In Panama City, FL, building work began in the fall of 1983.
She was sent to Narragansett in the spring of 1984, and by June of that year, she was ready to make her first official trip. At that time, the Carol Jean was the biggest ship we had. It could hold up to 1,300 people, two tractor-trailers, and 32 cars. When she told people about herself, both the Quonset and the Yankee went out of style.
Sibling Rivalry
Carol Jean was on the show for two years before she got her ship. Anna C. was created for the same reason that her sister set sail a few years earlier: to fix all of Carol Jean’s flaws.
Carol Jean had to be in our summer fleet most of the time, but her sister Anna C. was able to stay in rotation all year. We made sure that her cabins are heated and insulated so that people can travel in comfort during the colder winter months. She had more horsepower, could hold more cars, and moved at 16.5 knots, making the trip faster and smoother.
Anything She Can Do…
Not to be outdone, in 2004, after an impressive 20 years of service, the Carol Jean was brought back down to Florida and given a full overhaul that lived up to her name. So that she could go as fast as her sister, her 6-cylinder engine was changed to a 12-cylinder engine.
This upgrade more than doubled her horsepower to 3600, which gave her the speed of 16.5 knots, which is what everyone wants. Her outside was cleaned with sand and painted again. All rusty plates were taken off and replaced with new ones made of steel.
On top of that, we redecorated her cabins from top to bottom, giving them the heat and insulation they needed to sail smoothly in the winter as well as the summer. She went back home in the spring of 2005 and was stronger than ever.
Still Sailing Strong
Carol Jean is 33 years old now, but she is still as graceful as she was back then. She now takes the winter off and works on her schedule from May to October. But that doesn’t mean she can’t come in and help out if one of the other ships in our fleet needs a break.
Carol Jean spends her off-months in our Montville Yard, but the rest of her schedule is spent on the Island. This is why she is called “The Island Boat.” A title she will proudly keep when she comes back for another season this summer or next week.
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