Philip Spaulding, 92; Naval Architect Designed Large Ferries

Philip Spaulding, 92, a naval architect who designed some of the world’s largest ferryboats, some of which are still in use after nearly half a century, died May 5.

Spaulding was the designer of the first Boeing Co. hydroplane test vessel, various oceangoing ships and ferries for Alaska, British Columbia and Washington state.

He was best known for the 440-foot jumbo-class Washington state ferries Walla Walla and Spokane. Built in 1972 with a capacity of 2,000 passengers and 188 vehicles, they were the world’s largest double-ended ferries at the time and the largest in the fleet until the advent of the 460-foot super-jumbo Mark II class of vessels in 1997.

Spaulding designed the 341-foot vehicle-and-passenger ferry Coho, built in 1959 and still used between Port Angeles and Victoria, British Columbia.

Other vessels he designed include seven ferries for the Alaska Marine Highway, three aluminum high-speed San Francisco Bay ferries and 14 British Columbia ferries.

He also designed bulk carriers, tankers, tugboats, barges, fishing boats and yachts.