MV Malaspina
![The MV Malaspina sailing past the Eldred Rock Lighthouse in North Lynn Canal © Frank Flavin Photography](/amhs/img/travel/fleet/mal/01.jpg)
![The forward lounge is one place passengers can sit and relax © Alaska Marine Highway System](/amhs/img/travel/fleet/mal/03.jpg)
![Stateooms are available on board © Lands End Outfitters / Alaska Marine Highway System](/amhs/img/travel/fleet/mal/04.jpg)
![The solarium is a covered heated area that passengers can sit, relax, and even sleep © Frank Flavin Photography](/amhs/img/travel/fleet/mal/05.jpg)
![© Brian Adams / Alaska Marine Highway System](/amhs/img/travel/fleet/mal/06.jpg)
The MV Malaspina is named after the Malaspina Glacier, located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, the largest piedmont glacier in the world. The vessel was designed by Phillip F. Spaulding and Associates of Seattle, Washington and constructed at the Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock in Seattle. The MV Malaspina was one of three sister ships that made up the original AMHS fleet in 1963. After nine years in operation, the ship underwent lengthening and renovation at the Willamette Iron and Steel Company in Portland, Oregon. Today, the vessel is 408 feet long and 74 feet wide, with a domestic gross tonnage of 2,928 and a service speed of 16.5 knots.