MBTA Christens 2 New Ferries. Local Students Proposed the Names

On Tuesday, June 17, the MBTA christened two new ferries that have been added to the MBTA's ferry fleet. Third- and fourth-grade students in Quincy and Winthrop submitted the winning names for the vessels Harbor Gem and Abigail Adams.

In April, the MBTA launched a competition that invited students in Boston, Lynn, Quincy, and Winthrop to suggest names for the new ferries. The boats came to the MBTA from New York and underwent a much-needed revamp at the Fairhaven Shipyard before being integrated into the transit agency's fleet.

“Acquiring these ferries allowed us to split up the existing Winthrop-Quincy route into two separate routes on weekdays, a direct Winthrop-to-Boston route, and a direct Quincy-to-Boston route,” said David Perry, the MBTA's director of ferry operations, during Tuesday's event. “We're excited about these new routes, and we're seeing great ridership on them already.” 

MBTA general manager and CEO Phillip Eng stated that the names for the vessels needed to reflect “that Massachusetts, Boston flavor.”

“We're proud that this contest brought creativity and history together, and we're more proud of these names that came from the minds of our youngest ferry riders,” Eng said in comments recorded by Boston.com. “Thank you to the students, to the teachers, and families who took the time to participate.”

According to a WHDH report, “Harbor Gem” was proposed by Onik Hashani, a student at Arthur T. Cummings Elementary School in Winthrop. “Abigail Adams” was submitted by Hailey Sommers, a student at Atherton Hough Elementary School in Quincy.

Monica Tibbits-Nutt, the secretary and CEO of MassDOT, said on Tuesday that the MBTA's newest ferries will carry on the tradition of ferries serving the “historic waters” of Boston Harbor.