The S.S. Cape Intrepid, one of two ships docked along Ruston Way in Tacoma since 1986, has been moved to Texas and is on track to be retired next month.
The Cape Intrepid was managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, also known as MARAD. The ship was part of MARAD’s Ready Reserve Force, a fleet of ships “ready to support the rapid worldwide deployment of U.S. military forces,” according to MARAD’s website. A total of 48 vessels are part of the program, the website states.
The S.S. Cape Island is pictured along Ruston Way on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Tacoma. The S.S. Cape Intrepid, the other of the two ships that have long been docked there, has been moved to Texas and is on track to be retired next month.
The Cape Intrepid has since been relocated to the Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Beaumont, Texas on July 25, and it will be retired from the force on Oct. 1, according to a statement from a spokesperson for MARAD. MARAD is retiring the ship “in preparation for onboarding newer ships to the Ready Reserve Force fleet.”
The Cape Island, a second ship that was typically docked alongside the Intrepid along Ruston Way, remains in Tacoma as part of the Ready Reserve Force in a “Reduced Operating Status” – meaning it can be activated within five to 10 days if needed, the statement read.
