STEAMER VIRGINIA V FOUNDATION
PO Box 9566, Seattle, WA 98109 www.virginiav.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: Restoration, preservation, operation, and interpretation of the National Historic Landmark vessel Steamer VIRGINIA V, the largest operational wooden steamboat in the United States. The vessel is used for public events, education programs, and private charters.

Restoration/Preservation: Routine engineering maintenance was conducted off season: Boiler inspection and hydrostatic testing; bilge cleaning; inspection of major engine components. Unsatisfactory conditions remedied: Broken high pressure piston rings and the boiler ignitor power pack replaced; engine main bearings resurfaced as needed; oil content monitor for the oily water separator replaced; main throttle valve components resurfaced. A skilled volunteer has been systematically inspecting the ship's electrical systems and correcting deficiencies found. Seattle Maritime Academy students did several maintenance projects while the ship was moored at the school as an instructional platform. With operations reduced during the pandemic, staff and volunteers caulked topside seams and repainted weather decks and accessible trim during dry weather. Director of Engineering, with contractor and volunteer help, completed installation of the electric tankless water heaters for the ship's space heating system. By year-end, only minor modifications and final USCG approval remained to be completed. With designated grant funding, a top-end overhaul was completed on the diesel engine for the ship's 36kW generator. Design of a shore-tie isolation transformer installation was begun and mostly completed to permanently eliminate stray electrical currents that posed safety and preservation issues for the ship. Costs noted do not include $11.4K in capitalized purchases for the heating project.

Operation: The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions severely diminished operations in 2020. Several annual public cruises were cancelled outright, charter clients cancelled or deferred several private cruises, and the ship was closed to the public April, May, and October-December. VIRGINIA V nonetheless made 16 trips during the year: A training cruise and a highly successful USCG Certificate of Inspection cruise; two private charters for small parties; ten public cruises; and a round trip to Seattle Maritime Academy, a unit of Seattle College. The ship remained at SMA for ten days as a platform for students' hands-on learning, with focus on their completing competencies required for the Qualified Member of the Engineering Department (QMED) rating. Social distancing mandates reduced the ship's capacity to less than one third of normal, and a total of only 236 passengers rode the ship on the charters and public cruises. The ship hosted four public dockside events in January and February, which were attended by a total of 496 visitors. The ship also hosted two private dockside events for small groups. A total of 36 individual volunteers crewed the ship. Revenues noted are from charter fees and ticket sales.

Interpretation/education: Crew/staff engaged visitors about the history/significance of the ship and the Puget Sound mosquito fleet, as well as operation of the ship's triple expansion steam engine, in full view and one of only a few still in operation in the US. Paper "Skeeter News" letters were mailed to about 500 recipients three times, and 11 editions of our e-News were sent to about 1,000 recipients, both with news & illustrated historical/interpretive content; average following of our Facebook page exceeded 1,600. Staff docent opened the ship for free guided tours every Thu-Sun until COVID restrictions necessitated closing in March, and again on a limited basis in Aug and Sep, welcoming aboard 1,386 people on such walk-by visits. While the ship was closed, our docent produced nine short videos about the ship and other mosquito fleet vessels which accumulated 750+ views on our YouTube channel, and conducted two live online presentations about the ship and the mosquito fleet, attended by about 50 people each. The pandemic necessitated suspension of all youth educational programming, student field trips/cruises, and the summer internship program. Resumption is planned when restrictions permit. The ship hosted SMA engineering students for hands-on exposure to steam systems in Jan, in addition to visiting the Academy in Jul as noted above. A grand total of approximately 2,370 people visited or rode VIRGINIA V in 2020.

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Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202131479349300328_public.xml