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Cross Sound Ferry

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Coordinates: 41°13′59″N 72°08′31″W / 41.233°N 72.142°W / 41.233; -72.142
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Cross Sound Ferry
Block Island Express
MV John H offloading at Orient Point
MV John H offloading at Orient Point
Overview
OwnerJohn P. Wronowski, Adam Wronowski[1]
Area servedLong Island North Fork, Southeastern Connecticut, Block Island
LocaleLong Island Sound
Block Island Sound
Transit typeFerry
HeadquartersNew London, Connecticut
Websitewww.longislandferry.com
www.goblockisland.com
Operation
Began operation1975 (Cross Sound)
2004 (Block Island)[2]
Operator(s)Cross Sound Ferry Services
Block Island Ferry Services[3]
Number of vehicles10 ferry vessels[4]
System map

New London
Block Island
Orient

Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry service operating between New London, Connecticut and Orient, New York on Long Island.

The service is privately owned and operated by Cross Sound Ferry Services, headquartered in New London and run by the Wronowski family, which also owns and operates the Block Island Express ferry service and the Thames Shipyard and Repair Company.[1]

Overview

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Though there have been multiple proposals to bridge the Long Island Sound at various locations, none have ever come to fruition. Therefore, Long Island motorists located east of the Throgs Neck Bridge heading toward Connecticut must first drive west into Queens, cross one of the three city bridges to the Bronx, and then drive east to reach New England destinations. This circuitous route could, at the extreme, add as many as 200 miles (320 km) to a trip between Long Island and New London, points north, or points east.[5] In addition to the saving in mileage, use of Cross Sound avoids heavy urban traffic in New York City and on Interstate 95 in Connecticut.[6]

The ferry serves over one million passengers annually,[7] about half of whom live on Long Island.[8]

New London ferry terminal
Interior of the John H.

Cross Sound Ferry previously attempted to establish service between New London and East Hampton, on the South Fork of Long Island. A local ordinance passed by the Town of East Hampton in 1997 prohibits vehicle ferry service within the Town's borders and places limits on the speeds of both passenger vessels and road vehicles. Cross Sound Ferry filed a lawsuit against the town in 2004 to overturn the ruling, which was eventually dismissed.[9]

Cross Sound Ferry operates year-round with up to 32 daily departures with the lone exception of no service on December 25, Christmas Day.[10]

Sister companies

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The Block Island Express, a high-speed passenger ferry service, operates out of the same New London ferry terminal and services Block Island (New Shoreham, Rhode Island).[11] The Thames Shipyard and Repair Company services both Cross Sound Ferry and Block Island Express vessels.[12] All three organizations share the 2 Ferry Street office at the New London terminal.

The three companies, as well as the Thames Towboat Company, are owned by John P. Wronowski and son, Adam Wronowski.[1]

Fleet

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Cross Sound Ferry Services owns a fleet of seven traditional vehicle-passenger ferries, one high-speed passenger-only ferry, and two additional ferries cruises and charters. Vessels are retrofitted at Cross Sound's sister company, Thames Shipyard and Repair.[13] Block Island Ferry Services has one vessel, serviced at the same shipyard.[2]

Image Vessel Year built[4] Service began[4] Auto capacity[4] Passenger capacity

[4]

Length

[4]

Type

[4]

Notes
Caribbean ferry 1972 1977 22 130 128 ft Freight/ROPAX Built in 1972 by Blount Marine (Warren), formerly used for service in the West Indies[4]
New London 1979 1979 60 300 260 ft Freight/ROPAX Built by Thames Shipyard (New London), first new-build vessel of the Cross Sound Ferry[4]
Cape Henlopen 1943 1983 84 900 328 ft ROPAX Acquired from Delaware River and Bay Authority,[4] built in 1943 as USS LST-510 to serve in D-Day
North Star 1968 1984 ROPAX Built in 1968 (Morgan City) as an offshore supply vessel, now used for charter services[4]
John H. 1989 1989 120 1000 240 ft ROPAX Largest vessel of the fleet, built 1989 by Eastern Marine Shipyard (Panama City)[4]
Sea Jet I 1989 1995 - 400 High-speed Built by Nichols Brothers Shipyard (Freeland), formerly operated in Hawaii and Catalina Island[4]
Susan Anne 1964 1998 80 840 250 ft ROPAX Built 1964 by Northumberland Ferries Limited as Prince Nova, originally sailed between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island[4]
Mary Ellen 1983 2003 85 675 260 ft ROPAX Built in 1983 by Offshore Shipbuilding in Palatka Florida as Grand Republic for the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry. She operated as Grand Republic until she was sold to Cross Sound Ferry in 2003 and was renamed Mary Ellen.[14]
Jessica W 1990 2004[2] - 530 160 ft High-speed passenger Operated by Block Island Ferry Services, built in 1990 as Condor 9 acquired from Condor Ferries in 2003[11]
Jennifer C. 1965 2016 50 300 ROPAX Built by New Bern Shipyard (New Bern) in 1965 as MV Pamlico, acquired in 2015 from North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division[4]
Cecilia Ann 2003 2017 - 600 143 ft Passenger Built by Austal Shipyard (Mobile) in 2003 as Zephyr, acquired from Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, primarily used for lighthouse cruises[4]

Controversy and Incidents

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Local officials on Long Island's North Fork have criticized Cross Sound Ferry for causing increased vehicle traffic on New York State Route 25 (NY 25), particularly following the addition of its Sea Jet service. The Orient terminal is located at the eastern terminus of NY 25, and all traffic must use NY 25 to get to and from the ferry terminal; travelers coming from points further west must travel through several towns, including Riverhead and Southold in the process. In an attempt to verify this, the Town of Southold commissioned a corridor study in 2007. However, the results of the study found that "the section of [NY 25] in the vicinity of the Cross Sound Ferry currently operates with a Vehicle to Capacity (v/c) ratio of .18. This means that the roadway is currently running at 18% of its total capacity. This also means that the roadway can handle approximately five times the current traffic."[15]

On November 19, 2002, semi-truck driver Michael Zuber was killed by drowning after his semi-truck rolled off the back deck of the Susan Anne while he was asleep behind the wheel after crew members neglected to place wheel chocks behind the back wheels of Zuber's semi-truck. No criminal charges were filed against Cross Sound Ferry or any of its employees, but Zuber's family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the ferry company, alleging negligence. The two sides agreed to an out-of-court settlement for $3.2 million in 2008, some six years after the accident.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Gauvin, Brian (May 27, 2016). "At New London, a tugboat company gives new life to older equipment". Professional Mariner. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Gauvin, Brian (November 24, 2008). "Ferries find new life on Long Island Sound". Professional Mariner. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "High-speed ferry from New London begins May 27". The Block Island Times. April 25, 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Fleet Info". Cross Sound Ferry. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Dodd, Christopher (October 30, 1997). "Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions: The Cross Sound Ferry Service Act of 1997" (PDF). Congressional Record. Vol. 143, no. 149 (Daily ed.). p. S11462. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Finn, Lisa (September 3, 2016). "New Ferry Added to Cross Sound Ferry Fleet". Patch. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  7. ^ "U.S. Department of Transportation Awards $123.5 Million to Improve Passenger Ferry Services, Ferry Boats and Terminals" (Press release). United States Department of Transportation. June 2, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Bruzzone, Anthony (2012). Guidelines for Ferry Transportation Services. Transportation Research Board. p. 25.
  9. ^ Rather, John (September 12, 2004). "IN BRIEF; Southold and Shelter Island Sue Over Ferry Traffic". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "CSF - Cross Sound Ferry". www.longislandferry.com.
  11. ^ a b "About Jessica W". Block Island Express. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  12. ^ "About Us". Thames Shipyard. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Benson, Judy (December 22, 2010). "Cross Sound Ferry lands $1M federal grant". The Day. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Offshore Shipbuilding St. John's Shipbuilding". shipbuildinghistory.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  15. ^ Schneider Engineering (February 13, 2007). Town of Southold Corridor Study Final Report. Town of Southold.
  16. ^ Florin, Karen (February 2, 2008). "Family Of Ferry Accident Victim Settles For $3.2M". The Day – via Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder.
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41°13′59″N 72°08′31″W / 41.233°N 72.142°W / 41.233; -72.142

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