Ferry service on the Alki Beach–Manchester route was inaugurated on April 12, 1925, by Crosby Direct Line Ferry Co.[1][2] The Crosby Line intended to mount a challenge to the then dominant ferry companies on Puget Sound, which were the Puget Sound Navigation Company (PSN) and Kitsap County Transportation Co. (KCTC).

The Crosby line procured a ferry route certificate from the state of Washington, built a dock at each terminus, and placed the new wooden-hulled double-ended motor ferry Crosline (151 ft (46.02 m) long, 466 tons) on the route.

[3] A rate war ensued between the Crosby Line on one side, and PSN and KCTC on the other.

The Alki–Manchester route was the shortest distance across the Sound, and this gave a competitive advantage to the Crosby Line, which forced sharp cuts in the rates of PSN and KCTC.

[1] The rate war ended in early 1926, when PSN bought the Crosby line.