Mosquito Fleet

The History of the Mosquito Fleet in the Puget Sound

From the 1850s to the 1930s privately owned steamships and sternwheelers buzzed from port to port, transporting passengers and cargo along the major water route of the Puget Sound and many adjacent waterways. In time, the number of these ships grew to thousands and some residents remarked that they resembled a “swarm of mosquitoes” on the Sound, hence the name Mosquito Fleet. Prior to the days of bridges and railroads in the area, the Mosquito Fleet was the link settlers had to other parts of the Sound and supplies.

Clipper Vacations and the Mosquito Fleet

In an extension of the history of the Mosquito Fleet, Clipper Vacations operates its own modern fleet of passenger vessels dispatching from Seattle to areas throughout the Puget Sound. In addition to daily year round service to Victoria, BC and daily service from Seattle to Friday Harbor from May-September, Clipper’s vessels make excursions to many locations along Washington State’s waters. These include Langley, La Conner, Coupeville and more. Not unlike the great Mosquito Fleet, the Clipper partakes in linking Seattle to many of the Sound's great towns.