July 1, 1964: The Cape May-Lewes Ferry Opens

Cape May Ferry Terminal

July 1, 1964: The Cape May-Lewes Ferry begins operation, connecting North Cape May in Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey with Lewes, Delaware, across 17 miles of Delaware Bay. Fare: $21 per car, and $8.00 per passenger therein; so, $29.

Ferry service across the Bay had been planned since 1926, when what is now named the Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened, connecting Philadelphia with Camden, New Jersey. But people trying to get from New Jersey to Delaware, or vice versa, had to use that bridge. For people in southernmost New Jersey, or anywhere in Delaware, it was a bit out of the way.

The construction of the original span of the Delaware Memorial Bridge in 1951 helped a little; the opening of the Walt Whitman Bridge in 1957 didn't help at all, since it was further north than the Delaware Memorial. So the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) acted, and bought 5 ferries from Virginia, as their service had been replaced by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel 3 months earlier. They were replaced in the 1970s.

Currently, there are 3 vessels in the fleet: The MV Delaware and the MV New Jersey, both launched in 1974; and the MV Cape Henlopen (named for the Delaware terminus), launched in 1981. The trip takes 1 hour and 25 minutes, and is part of U.S. Route 9. Shuttle bus service is available from the downtowns of Cape May and Lewes to the terminals, and vice versa.

The MV New Jersey

The Ferry made it 45 years without an accident, until December 10, 2009, when the New Jersey ran aground on a sandbar near the mouth of the Cape May Canal during an unusually low tide. The ferry was freed by a rising tide, and did not suffer any structural damage. Nor were there any injuries.

On March 30, 2019, after going 3 miles from Cape May, the ferry lost power with 143 passengers on board. After 2 hours being stuck in the bay, the ferry was towed back to Cape May. And on November 17, 2020, after leaving Cape May in high winds, the Cape Henlopen ran aground off the coast of Cape May. No passengers were harmed, and the vessel was towed back to Cape May shortly after.

Although the 17-mile distance is almost exactly the same as that of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, no bridge has ever been seriously suggested to replace the route. But in DC Comics, Superman's hometown of Metropolis is said to be in Delaware, a bit north of Lewes; while Batman's hometown of Gotham City is said to be in New Jersey, on the opposite side of the Bay, in real-life Cumberland County; and the Metro-Narrows Bridge stands alongside the route of the Ferry, with Cape May renamed Cape Finger, not for its shape (which would be understandable), but in memory of Batman's co-creator, Bill Finger.

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July 1, 1964 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Kansas City Athletics, 5-4 at Yankee Stadium. Reliever Bill Stafford wasted a good start by Whitey Ford, and a home run by Mickey Mantle, and Ralph Terry gave up a home run to Billy Bryan in the top of the 11th inning.

* The New York Mets beat the Houston Astros, 8-6 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Boston Red Sox, 14-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-3 with 3 walks. Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Angels, 4-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-5 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Pete Rose hit a home run to win the game in the bottom of the 10th inning. Frank Robinson went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and an RBI. Ron Santo hit 2 home runs, Billy Williams hit 1, and Ernie Banks went 2-for-5.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 3-1 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 1-for-4.

* The Chicago White Sox swept a doubleheader from the Washington Senators, 8-7 and 2-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Braves, 6-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Hank Aaron went 1-for-4.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Sandy Koufax went the distance for the win.

* And the San Francisco Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Willie Mays hit a home run. Roberto Clemente went 2-for-4 with an RBI.