As of April 1, 2024, the Selden III is celebrating its 75th year of operation as the Chester-Hadlyme ferry!
(click to enlarge image)
Fun Facts about the Selden III:
- The Selden III was commissioned by the State of Connecticut in 1941, but due to shortage of steel due to World War II, was not built and launched until 1949. The ferry did not begin operating on its current route until the Spring of 1950. The delay was caused by the slips and gantries not being completed.
- Selden III was designed by naval architect Winthrop Loring "Wink" Warner and built for $109,000 at the Luders Shipyard in Stamford, CT.
- Selden III is 87 gross tons, 64' 8" in length, 30' wide, has a draft of 7', and can carry 8-9 cars and up to 49 passengers at a time.
- Selden III is a double-ended ferry, which means there is a diesel engine, propeller and rudder on both ends of the boat, so it can go back and forth without turning around.
- Approximately 12-14 gallons of paint are applied to dress the boat each year. A gallon of paint weighs approximately 10 pounds, which means that over the vessels 75 years of operation, approximately 9,750 pounds of paint, or 5 tons of paint have been applied to the boat.
Fun Facts about the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry:
- Route started by Jonathan Warner in 1769. Known as Warner's Ferry through 1877, when the towns of Chester and Lyme took it over. Officially became known as Chester-Hadlyme Ferry in 1882. The State Highway Department took over the remaining Connecticut River ferries—Chester-Hadlyme, Rocky Hill-Glastonbury and Bissell's ferries—in 1917. (Bissell's ferry was shut down in 1925 due to very low use.)
- There have been various means of crossing the river at the Chester-Hadlyme location over the years:
- Poled barges
- Sail-powered barges
- Horse-powered barges (two horses powering treadmills that turned small sidewheels)
- Steam-powered sidewheelers (three, in sequence: Emily A. Wright, Middlesex, and Cheslyme)
- Gas-powered tug and barges (tugs in sequence: Selden, Pattaconk, and Selden II)
- And the current diesel-powered Selden III.
- The Chester-Hadlyme ferry is a great way to get to Gillette Castle State Park, located on the hill just above it on the Hadlyme side.
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