The Seattle–Bremerton ferry route was once known as the "Navy Yard route". Before ferry service, the route was served by steamships and steamboats, such as the
Inland Flyer. The sternwheeler
Bailey Gatzert, once considered one of the most prestigious vessels to operate on
Puget Sound and the
Columbia River, was converted to an automobile ferry and as such became the first ferry to run on the Seattle-Bremerton route. Another vessel to run on the route was the unique "streamlined" ferry
Kalakala. On December 17, 1973, the route's schedule was reduced from 18 daily sailings to 15, eliminating a previous
clock-face schedule. Ridership from Bremerton declined by approximately 1 million passengers from 1978 to 1988. From 1986 to 2002, Washington State Ferries operated passenger-only service on the Bremerton route using specialized high-speed boats. After the service was cancelled,
Kitsap Transit contracted with private companies to operate a similar service for several years, and later debuted its own service,
Kitsap Fast Ferries, on July 10, 2017. ==Current status==