Roy Thornton Collection Steel twin screw motor vessel built at the Arsenal de Brest , (Yard No. CF 3), for British Railways Board in 1973. Launched December 1st 1972.
 Technical Data
Registry - London (1973), Piraeus (2005), Kingstown (2007) IMO Number - 7235915 (2005) Length on deck - 118.09m (387.3ft) (overall) 361.5 ft (between perpendiculars) Breadth of hull - 19.84m (65 ft) (extreme) 63.2 ft (moulded) Depth - 36.8 ft (moulded) Draught - 4.50m (13.5 ft) (maximum) Tonnage - 5,590 gross 2,008 net 1030 deadweight Engines - two 16-cylinder Pielstick 16PC2-V400 four-stroke single-acting diesels Power - 11050 kW Speed - 21.0 knots Capacity - 1,400 passengers and 210 cars (or 38 lorries and 80 cars) Call Sign - GQAX (1972 - ), SYSQ (2005), J8B3637 (2007)
History December 1st 1972: Launched. March 3rd 1973: Christened. April 1973: Delivered to Sealink UK Ltd, London, England. April 3rd 1973: Arrived in Newhaven. May 2nd 1973: Commenced service between Newhaven - Dieppe. December 31st 1975 - January 14th 1976: Operated between Dover - Boulogne - Folkestone. June 28th 1977: Took part in a floating parade to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee.
 
Roy Thornton Collection (left) and © Fotoflite, Stéphane Poulain Collection (right)
June 13th 1980: A fire in the ships alternator room while alongside at Dieppe caused the immediate evacuation of almost 1,000 passengers. The ships internal sprinkler system extinguished the flames, but she had to be withdrawn from service and sent to Avonmouth for repairs.
 
Roy Thornton Collection (left) and Stéphane Poulain Collection (right)
August 1980: Also operated to and from Cherbourg. October 4th 1981: Link-span collapsed in Dieppe throwing a Spanish lorry into the harbour and killing its driver. The service was immediately suspended.
  
© Brian Fisher (left) and Stéphane Poulain Collection (middle and right)
January 4th 1982:Following the inability of the Anglo-French partners to negotiate the joint service agreement, Sealink UK Ltd announced that they would withdrawing from the service and would leave it solely to the French. SENLAC would be sold. Her crew promptly responded by occupying the ship and blocking the ramp at Newhaven. The dispute quickly spread and the officers refused to move the vessel. The town of Newhaven supported their ferry with food and other essentials necessary for the ‘occupation’. Large banners stating “Save our Senlac” and “Thanks Newhaven” were draped across the ship’s funnel and side.
© Peter Longhurst
February 1983: Refitted at Holyhead. Also had extensive work carried out on her passenger accommodation. July 27th 1984: Registered to Sea Containers Ltd., Sealink British Ferries. January 31st 1985: Sailed for the last time under the British flag then de-stored and sailed to Le Havre for dry-docking and repainting with her new funnel colours and registered in Dieppe. January 31st 1985: Sold to Overseas Equipment Co Ltd (Societe Nationale Des Chemins de fer Francaise.) S.N.C.F, Dieppe, France. Commenced service between Newhaven - Dieppe.
Roy Thornton Collection
1986 (late Spring): SNCF formed a subsidiary company Dieppe Ferries to manage the future of their Newhaven service.
Roy Thornton Collection
January 13th 1986: Damaged her stern in Dieppe. Repairs took a month. June 19th 1987 - September 1987: Chartered to B+I Line, Dublin, Ireland operating between Fishguard - Rosslare. September 1987: Laid up in Dunkerque. November 21st 1987 - November 24th 1987: Operated between Newhaven - Dieppe. November 25th 1987: Sold to Ventouris Sons Shipping Co, Piraeus, Greece. Renamed APOLLO EXPRESS. Left Dunkerque for Greece.
© Bernd Crause
1988: Commenced service between Piraeus - Paros - Naxos - Ios - Santorini. 1993: Renamed APOLLO EXPRESS I. October 1995: Her owners suffered financial difficulties and the vessel was laid up in Piraeus. August 1996: Sold to Agapitos Express Lines, Piraeus, Greece. Renamed EXPRESS APOLLON.
© Ton Grootenboer
November 8th 1999: Sold to Minoan Flying Dolphins, Piraeus, Greece. Operating for Hellas Ferries services.
© Ton Grootenboer
June 13th 2003: Commenced service between Piraeus - Kythnos - Serifos - Sifnos - Milos - Folegandros - Sikinos - Ios - Santorini.
 
© Andreas Wörteler
December 28th 2003: Collided with a cutter in Serifos harbour whilst carrying 266 passengers. September 2004: Laid up in Drapetsona, Greece. January 2005: Company adopted the new name of Hellenic Seaways, Greece. The fleet were re-liveried with blue hulls.
© Andreas Wörteler
June 2005: Introduced between Piraeus - Paros - Naxos - Ios- Santorini. November 14th 2005: Some 206 ferry passengers were delayed for nearly 24 hours on a trip from the eastern Aegean island of Samos to Athens when the vessel encountered technical problems. About 100 travellers on the ship refused to get off the boat after being informed that it needed to return to Athens for repair work without passengers. The passengers left the island for Athens aboard another ferry.
© Andreas Wörteler
January 12th 2006: Final day in service. January 13th 2006: Laid up in Piraeus.
© Sebastiaan Toufekoulas (http://shipping.sh.funpic.de)
November 14th 2006: She was sold for further service to either the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf. November 27th 2006: Information that she was sold to Arkoumanis (former owner of European Seaways in the late 80's) who intend to use her between Italy and Albania. January 31st 2007: Taken over by her new owner and registered in the St Vincent & Grenadines, home port Kingstown. Renamed APOLLON.
 © Benoit Donne
August 2007: Registered Owner: APOLLONAS MARITIME SA, Ship Manager: EUROPEAN SEAWAYS INC, In Service.
  
© Matt Murtland (HHV Ferry)
August 2007: In service between Brindisi-Corfu-Igoumenitsa for European Seaways, with twice-a-week trips further down to Zante.
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