British Railways Board (BRB)British Transport Commission (BTC)FerriesPast and PresentSealinkSouthern Region

MV Shanklin – Past and Present

MV Prince Ivanhoe

Ex Shanklin

Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1951 at Wm. Denny & Bros., Dumbarton, Scotland (Yard No 1452) for The British Transport Commission (Southern Region) as a short sea passenger vessel.

Nigel Thornton Collection

Technical Data

  • Length: 61.04 m (overall) 55.35 m (between perpendiculars)
    Breadth: 14.53 m
    Depth: 3.20 m
    Draught: 2.134 m
    Tonnage: 986 – 965 gross/531 net/201 deadweight
    Engines: 2 Oil SA 8-cylinder 8-MG-32 Sulzer reversing diesels
    Power: 1417 kW/1900 bHP
    Speed: 14.0 knots
    Capacity: 1,131 – 1,377 passengers (Summer) 1112 – 1,151 (Winter)
    Crew: 33
    Call Sign: GNJZ
    IMO Number: 5321772
    Official Number: 184782
    Port of Registry: Portsmouth/IK
    Sister-Ship: Brading, Southsea

History

“Built as a one class ship. She was the ideal and preferred excursion ship – her raised lifeboats being an added advantage in this role.”.

February 22nd 1951: Launched.

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

May 12th 1951: Left Dumbarton for Portsmouth.

May 15th 1951: Delivered to The British Transport Commission (Southern Region) for their Portsmouth – Ryde service.

Nigel Thornton Collection  Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

Courtesy of Jim Ashby Courtesy of Jim Ashby

New” Courtesy of Jim Ashby

Courtesy of Chris Howell  Nigel Thornton Collection

Courtesy of Chris Howell (Portsmouth, 6/1977)(Left) Nigel Thornton Collection (Right)

©Tony Garner

©Tony Garner (Portsmouth, 06/07/1975)

October 18th 1977: Suffered an arson attack, the third, which destroyed the saloon. A 17 year old barman was charged. Continued in service, with the lounge sealed off, until overhaul.

January 1st 1979: To Sealink UK Ltd., London.

February 1980: Final sailing. Reserve at Portsmouth.

November 7th 1980: Sold to Terry Sylvester (Waverley Steam Navigation Co., Portsmouth) and others (owners of WAVERLEY).

November 21st 1980: Arrived on the Clyde.

1981: Sold for £25,000. Renamed PRINCE IVANHOE by the Firth of Clyde S P Co.

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

© Tony Garner

© Tony Garner ( Barry, 10/05/1981)

Courtesy of Chris Howell

Courtesy of Chris Howell (Watchett, 16/5/1981)

August 2nd 1981: Made a Penarth – Lundy excursion with 300 passengers.

August 3rd 1981: Struck a rock off Port Eynon, South Wales, on a Swansea – Mumbles excursion with 400 passengers aboard. Made for the shore with a 60 ft/18.23m gash in her hull but sank before beaching. One person died and the vessel was lost.

Courtesy of Chris Howell  Courtesy of Chris Howell

Courtesy of Chris Howell

Courtesy of Chris Howell


All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Jim Ashby, Tony Garner, Chris Howell and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button