Originally built as the MV Mendocino in San Francisco for Northwestern Pacific Railroad, she started out serving Southern Pacific Railways on their Golden Gate Ferries line on San Francisco Bay.

She was purchased by the Puget Sound Navigation Company in 1940, and moved to Puget Sound where she was renamed the MV Nisqually, later being acquired by Washington State Ferries who took over operations in 1951.

[2] On November 20, 2007, the entire Steel Electric class was withdrawn from service due to hull corrosion issues.

Washington State Ferries sold the Nisqually and her sister ferries to Eco Planet Recycling, Inc. of Chula Vista, California for scrap.

[2] One notable accident happened in July 1963 when the Nisqually was working on the Edmonds-Kingston route.