Cross Sound Ferry
Encyclopedia
Cross Sound Ferry is a passenger and road vehicle ferry
service operating between New London
, Connecticut
and Orient
, Long Island
, New York
. The service is privately owned and operated by Cross Sound Ferry Services, Inc., headquartered in New London. According to the company's website, it serves over one million passengers annually.
in New York City
. Its north shore roughly parallels the southern shore of the State of Connecticut
, separated from the latter first by the East River and then by Long Island Sound
. Though there have been multiple proposals to bridge the sound at various points, there is currently no bridge, nor any active plans for a bridge east of the Throgs Neck Bridge
that extends from the New York City Borough of Queens
to the Borough of The Bronx
. Therefore, Long Island motorists located east of that bridge must first drive west, cross one of the three city bridges to the mainland, and then drive east to reach most New England
destinations. This circuitous route could, at the extreme, add as much as 200 miles to a trip to or from Long Island to New London and points north and east. In addition to the saving in mileage, use of the ferry or the other major Long Island-Connecticut ferry
from Port Jefferson
to Bridgeport, Connecticut
avoids heavy urban traffic in New York City and on Interstate 95 in Connecticut
.
casino
s near New London.
Of the eight vessels, the most notable is the MV Cape Henlopen. At 327 feet and with a capacity of 90 vehicles and 900 passengers, Cape Henlopen is the longest in the fleet. She was originally built as the World War II
tank-landing ship, USS LST 510
, and landed on Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy invasion, for which she has received a battle star. Following her military retirement, she was converted to civilian ferry use. The other ferries are the 'John H' (built 1989), the 'Mary Ellen' (built 1983, previously the Grand Republic of the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry
), the 'Susan Anne' (built 1964), the 'New London' (built 1979), the 'North Star' (built 1968) and the 'Caribbean' (built 1972).
and Olde Mistick Village. The city of Providence and Newport, Rhode Island are within an hour's drive from the New London terminal. Boston and the Cape Cod bridges can be reached in two hours or less. Mohegan Sun
and Foxwoods Resort
casinos are 20 minutes from the ferry terminal in New London.
On the Long Island side, the ferry is located within Long Island Wine Country and its collection of over 30 wineries located on Long Island's North Fork. The maritime village of Greenport
is just 10 minutes away. Montauk
and the Hamptons are within an hour and a half drive of the Orient Point terminal.
Cross Sound is also seeking to improve its terminal facilities at Orient Point by creating additional parking at the terminal to accommodate the demand for its service. Currently, cars park along the shoulders of New York State Route 25
to use the ferry service when the terminal lots are filled. This improvement will accommodate all East End users of the ferry service and will meet the demands of the traveling public.
Another related company to Cross Sound Ferry, Block Island Express, offers seasonal, high-speed passenger service between New London and Block Island
, Rhode Island May through October.
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service operating between New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and Orient
Orient, New York
Orient is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The CDP's population was 709 at the 2000 census.Orient and Orient Point are used almost interchangeably...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The service is privately owned and operated by Cross Sound Ferry Services, Inc., headquartered in New London. According to the company's website, it serves over one million passengers annually.
Geographic imperative for service
Long Island extends more than 110 miles east-northeastward from the East RiverEast River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Its north shore roughly parallels the southern shore of the State of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, separated from the latter first by the East River and then by Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
. Though there have been multiple proposals to bridge the sound at various points, there is currently no bridge, nor any active plans for a bridge east of the Throgs Neck Bridge
Throgs Neck Bridge
The Throgs Neck Bridge is a suspension bridge opened on January 11, 1961, which carries Interstate 295 over the East River where it meets the Long Island Sound. The bridge connects the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx with the Bay Terrace section of Queens...
that extends from the New York City Borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
to the Borough of The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. Therefore, Long Island motorists located east of that bridge must first drive west, cross one of the three city bridges to the mainland, and then drive east to reach most New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
destinations. This circuitous route could, at the extreme, add as much as 200 miles to a trip to or from Long Island to New London and points north and east. In addition to the saving in mileage, use of the ferry or the other major Long Island-Connecticut ferry
Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry
The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry crosses Long Island Sound between the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut and the Long Island village of Port Jefferson, New York.-History:The first ferry service began in 1872 and proved popular....
from Port Jefferson
Port Jefferson, New York
The Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson is located in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2000 United States Census, the village population was 7,837...
to Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
avoids heavy urban traffic in New York City and on Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95 in Connecticut
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, runs in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles in Connecticut from the Rhode Island state line to the New York State line. I-95 Southbound from East Lyme to the New York State...
.
Fleet
The company owns a fleet of seven vehicle-passenger ferries and a single high-speed, passenger-only ferry, the Sea Jet I. The fleet consists of both new build vessels and vessels retrofitted at sister company, Thames Shipyard and Repair in New London. The fleet has been added to and upgraded over the years due to serve a surge in demand for service caused by a number of factors, including the growth of Long Island's population, congestion on all-highway routes and, more recently, the opening of gamblingGambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s near New London.
Of the eight vessels, the most notable is the MV Cape Henlopen. At 327 feet and with a capacity of 90 vehicles and 900 passengers, Cape Henlopen is the longest in the fleet. She was originally built as the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
tank-landing ship, USS LST 510
USS Buncombe County (LST-510)
USS Buncombe County was an built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Buncombe County, North Carolina, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name....
, and landed on Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy invasion, for which she has received a battle star. Following her military retirement, she was converted to civilian ferry use. The other ferries are the 'John H' (built 1989), the 'Mary Ellen' (built 1983, previously the Grand Republic of the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry
Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry
The Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry crosses Long Island Sound between the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut and the Long Island village of Port Jefferson, New York.-History:The first ferry service began in 1872 and proved popular....
), the 'Susan Anne' (built 1964), the 'New London' (built 1979), the 'North Star' (built 1968) and the 'Caribbean' (built 1972).
Collision
On July 9, 1987 nineteen people were injured as the 'Cape Henlopen' and 'North Star' ferries collided in the fog near the Plum Gut Lighthouse about two miles from Orient Point.Tourism
On the New England side, the ferry is located near Mystic and the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration, Mystic SeaportMystic Seaport
Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea, in Mystic, Connecticut, is notable both for its collection of sailing ships and boats, and for the re-creation of crafts and fabric of an entire 19th century seafaring village...
and Olde Mistick Village. The city of Providence and Newport, Rhode Island are within an hour's drive from the New London terminal. Boston and the Cape Cod bridges can be reached in two hours or less. Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
and Foxwoods Resort
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables...
casinos are 20 minutes from the ferry terminal in New London.
On the Long Island side, the ferry is located within Long Island Wine Country and its collection of over 30 wineries located on Long Island's North Fork. The maritime village of Greenport
Greenport, Suffolk County, New York
Greenport is a village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located on the north fork of Long Island. The population was 2,048 at the 2000 census....
is just 10 minutes away. Montauk
Montauk, New York
Montauk [ˈmɒntɒk] is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name located in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 3,851 as of 2000...
and the Hamptons are within an hour and a half drive of the Orient Point terminal.
Attempts to establish a service on Long Island's South Fork
For more than 20 years, Cross Sound Ferry has attempted to establish service between New London and the South Fork of Long Island in East Hampton Town. A local ordinance passed by the Town in 1997 prohibits vehicle ferry service within the Town's borders and places limits on the speeds of passenger vessels. A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit has sent back an earlier decision upholding the anti-ferry law. This decision represents a significant victory for supporters and potential users of a direct service to East Hampton.Cross Sound is also seeking to improve its terminal facilities at Orient Point by creating additional parking at the terminal to accommodate the demand for its service. Currently, cars park along the shoulders of New York State Route 25
New York State Route 25
New York State Route 25 is an east–west state highway in downstate New York in the United States. The route extends for just over from east midtown Manhattan in New York City to the Cross Sound Ferry terminal at Orient Point on the end of Long Island's North Fork...
to use the ferry service when the terminal lots are filled. This improvement will accommodate all East End users of the ferry service and will meet the demands of the traveling public.
Another related company to Cross Sound Ferry, Block Island Express, offers seasonal, high-speed passenger service between New London and Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...
, Rhode Island May through October.
External links
- Cross Sound Ferry official website
- Block Island Express official website