Ferries in this class: By the late 1960s, Washington State Ferries was in need of new vessels to replace its aging fleet that required expensive upkeep.

Instead of just expanding the Super class, the state picked a new design from Phillip Spaulding, that would have a long, low look.

[2] Todd Shipyards in Seattle was awarded the contract to construct two vessels, with plans to order two more if the ferries worked out.

While the agency was pleased with the vessels, the funding for the second set of two ships never materialized.

[2] The Jumbo-class vessels would be assigned to the Seattle–Bainbridge route for more than two decades, before they were displaced by the even larger Jumbo Mark-II-class ferries.