Roy Thornton Collection

Steel twin screw motor vessel, built by Swan, Hunter & Tynes Shipbuilders (Yard No.10) at their Wallsend-on-Tyne yard for the British Railways Board in 1969 as a multi-purpose passenger and roll-on roll-off ferry for cars, lorries and railway vehicles. Launched March 5^th 1969.

Technical Data

IMO Number - 6910960

Length on deck - 114.61m (376 ft) (overall)

107.90m (354 ft) (between perpendiculars)

Breadth of hull - 19.23m (63 ft) (overall)

Depth - 11.55m (37.9 ft) (to upper deck)

6.19m (20.3 ft) (to main deck)

Draught - 4.1m (13.6 ft) (loaded/maximum)

Tonnage - 4,371 gross

1,595 net

900 (deadweight (car ferry)

1,200 (train ferry)

Engines - Two 16-cylinder Crossley/Pielstick PC2V 450 four stroke single acting

diesels, single reduction geared driving twin controllable pitch propellers through two gearboxes.

Power - 10,710 kW (14,560 bhp)

Maximum BHP - 7,280 for each engine

Service speed - 19.5 knots (car ferry), 15.5 knots (train ferry)

Capacity - 1,000 passengers (48 in cabins), Garage 40 cars, gallery decks 80 cars,

Main deck 120 cars, main deck galleries raised 40 x 30’ lorries or 30 x 35’

rail wagons or 10 sleeping cars and 11 x 35’ wagons or 24 x 40’ wagons

Generators - Three 560 kw Alternators 415 volts 50 c.p.s.

Manoeuvring aids - twin spade rudders aft, bow lateral thrusters unit

Stabilisers - Fin type

History

March 5^th 1969: Launched by Lady Celia McKenna, wife of the Chairman of British Rail‘s Shipping Division.

Roy Thornton Collection

July 9^th 1969: Sea trials. As designed, she did not fit any of the local ramps and became the first ferry fitted with a “cow catcher”. This modification was fitted to her bows by Dover Engineering Department.

July 18^th 1969: Delivered to British Railways Board as their first diesel-driven vessel in the Dover Strait. Also the first at Dover to have a bow visor and be fitted with variable-pitch propellers.

Roy Thornton Collection

July 26^th 1969: Arrived at Dover. She replaced the car ferry DOVER, which in turn was transfered to the Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire route.

July 31^st 1969: Commenced regular summer service, with the 16.00 sailing to Boulogne. The vessel could function either as a conventional train ferry between Dover and Dunkirk, or as a car ferry to and from Boulogne, and she was generally used for the former service in the winter months and for the latter in the summer seasons. One main deck held road and rail vehicles and two auxiliary decks carried cars.

In her early career she suffered from blowing cylinder head joints a problem which was later rectified by Pielstick.

September 18^th 1969: Made her inaugural run to Dunkirk as a train ferry.

October 6^th 1969: Commenced winter “Night Ferry” schedule between Dover - Dunkerque, the first new ship to do so for 18years.

June 1970: Struck and holed by an identified submerged object in the Channel. Sent to Southampton for dry-dock repairs which took several weeks. The third pair of lifeboats was replaced by a deck of life rafts.

1970: Damaged her stern at the French port and was off service from October 22^nd to 29^th

Roy Thornton Collection

May 22^nd 1971: Chartered to for an International Railway Congress in London, making a short trip between Southend Pier - Greenwich.

July 1^st 1972: Made her first appearance at Folkestone

1973: Sealink trading name painted on the hull.

1975: Saw her fitted with the first radar with an automatic plotting aid.

1978: Annual refit at Middlesborough included the £200,000 conversion of her after boat deck garage (in use when the ship operated as a train ferry) to a passenger lounge. The ship’s passenger corticated was raised from 1,000 to 1,350. Her "A" deck garage space (capable of carrying 40 cars mainly when the ship acts as a train ferry) has been converted into a new passenger lounge with 342 seats. This reflected her more usual passenger-car ferry role these days and her certificate has been "upped" to 1,350 passengers with car capacity down to 200. Other, minor changes took place --- the main one probably being the modification of her hull belting to allow a better fit at Folkestone.

January 1^st 1979: Registered to Sealink U.K. Ltd. Commenced service between Folkestone - Boulogne.

October 28^th 1979: Sailed for dry-docking at Holyhead and it was understood that officials at the Welsh port were anxious to put her on the Dun Laoghaire run in place of the failed ST COLUMBA but Dover protested and the spare MAID OF KENT was called in from Weymouth.

October 29^th 1979: Arrived at Holyhead at 22.00 hrs and entered the dry dock on November 6^th after the AVALON had vacated it.

January 16^th 1981: Suffered an engine-room fire, resulting in much damage to her electrical installation. Repairs at Wallsend took four weeks.

June 1981: Grounded when going astern out of Boulogne.

March 4^th 1982: Ran aground on a stone groyne 21degrees 2.2 cables from Ostend West Pier light, whilst operating 00.10 Folkestone/Ostend service.

March 6^th 1982: Cleared the obstruction (10.39 hrs) with the aid of tugs and proceeded into Ostend (No.3) for discharge of vehicles, then on to lay-by (deep water quay) awaiting entry into the floating Dry Dock (occupied by PRINCE LAURENT on overhaul) for inspection.

March 12^th 1982: Entered the Dry Dock for survey subsequently re-floating and sailing to Amsterdam for repairs on 24th March, 1982.

March 12^th 1982: Arrived Ijmunder Lock at 22.35 hrs she underwent repairs finally sailing 09.00 hrs arriving at Folkestone 18.00 hrs, 21st April 1982.

April 23^rd 1982: Resumed service.

July 3^rd 1982: While operating 20.10 Calais/Folkestone service the vessel struck the pier at Folkestone, damaging her Port Quarter. She was despatched to Zeiglen Yard at Dunkirk Dry Dock 4 th July 1982, returning to service after repair, to Folkestone 15.00 10th July. (British Railways Board , Shipping Services).

1983: Relief ship Dover - Calais for COMPIEGNE and ST ELOI

March 1984: Visited Thames Ship-Repair Services, Chatham Dockyard for a two day visit to undergo repairs to a damaged propeller seal.

July 18^th 1984: Sale of Sealink U.K. to Sea Containers Ltd, Bermuda. Company changed name to Sealink British Ferries U.K.

July 27^th 1984: Registered to Sea Containers Ltd, London.

© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic)

March 1985: Commenced service between Dover Western Docks and Dunkerque West.

March 1986: With the delays of the refit to ST CHRISTOPHER the VORTIGERN was back on the Dover-Calais service. During October, plans were drawn up to jumboize the ST ANSELM and ST CHRISTPHER by inserting either a 50 ft. or 100 ft. section amidships and in the same month again saw the VORTIGERN on the route.

1986 - September 27^th 1986: Operated between Folkestone - Boulogne.

November 12^th 1986: Arrested by the Admiralty Marshall on behalf of the National Union of Seamen over unpaid redundancy cheques at Portsmouth.

November 13^th 1986: Released when the cheques were promptly issued.

November 17^th 1986: Due to finish service in the Straits but was later about to be transferred to Weymouth. As it was she remained in the Dover Strait to cover winter refits of the HENGIST and HORSA.

January 10^th 1987: Called to operate the Fishguard - Rosslare route while the ST BRENDAN was on overhaul before completing her service on 4th February (1987), then returned to Dover to lay up.

April 1^st 1987: Following the tragedy off Zeebrugge, Townsend Thoresen chartered the vessel for £250,000 over a period of 60 days for use on their Dover-Boulogne link.

1987 (Easter): Missed a couple of sailings following a small electrical fire.

June 1^st 1987: Completed charter.

June 1987: Laid up in the Fal.

August 6^th 1987 - September 1987: Operated Newhaven - Dieppe for the broken down VERSAILLES.

October 1987 - January 1988: Operated between Folkestone - Boulogne replacing HENGIST .

January 1988: Suffered a bow door defect and continued as a stern loader only until the fault was rectified.

January 31^st 1988: Suffered a bow thrust fault and was unable to enter Folkestone in a SW gale and diverted to Dover where she is thought to have been the first ferry to use the new Number One link-span on the Eastern Arm.

March 7^th 1988: Having been laid-up at Chatham re-activated on the Dun Laoghaire freight service

March 10^th 1988: Ended her career on the inward bound Dun Laoghaire sailing before sailing to Holyhead in ballast.

April 1^st 1988: Sold to Lindos Line SA, Piraeus, Greece. Renamed MILOS EXPRESS. Departed Holyhead for Piraeus.

1988: Commenced service between Piraeus - Kynthnos - Serifos - Sifnos - Milos, sometimes Between Sikinos - Kimolos - Folegrandros.

November 12^th 1999: Sold to Minoan Flying Dolphins, Piraeus, Greece.

Justin Merrigan (Sealink-Holyhead)

January 2000: Renamed EXPRESS MILOS. Commenced operations with Hellas Ferries.

Andreas Wörteler

May 2003: Sold to Saos Shipping Company, Greece. Renamed NISOS LIMNOS serving the Dodecanese Islands, including Samothrace.

Dieter Pots

September 2004: Sold to Indian breakers for scrapping in October.

December 2004: Renamed LIMON, (St Vincent flag, registered Kingstown) and sailed for India.

January 13^th 2005: Reported arriving at Alang anchorage for scrapping.

All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions. We would like to thank: Micke Asklander (Faktaomfartyg), Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic), Justin Merrigan (Sealink-Holyhead), Dieter Pots, Andreas Wörteler. A special thanks also goes to Matt Murtland (HHV Ferry) and Arne Pyson.