FerriesPast and PresentSociété Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF)

TS Lisieux – Past and Present

IMO Number: 5209601

TS Apollon

ex Lisieux

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

Steel twin screw steam turbine vessel built in 1951 by Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranee, Le Havre, France, (Yard No ?) for French Railways as a passenger and cargo vessel.

Technical Data

  • Length: 95.49m (overall)
  • Breadth of hull: 13.05m
  • Depth: 10.14m
  • Draught: 3.23m
  • Tonnage: 2,943 gross/797 net/356 deadweight
  • Engines: 2 x Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines
  • Power: 22,000shp
  • Speed: 24 knots (22.5 knots in service on one boiler),
  • Capacity: 1,450 passengers
  • Call Sign: SVRJ (Apollon)
  • IMO Number: 5209601
  • Registry: Dieppe/France 🇫🇷, Piraeus/Greece 🇬🇷

History

February 26th 1952: Launched.

1952: Trials averaging 25 knots.

March 1952: Entered in service between Dieppe – Newhaven.

Nigel Thornton Collection  John Hendy Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection (Left) John Hendy Collection (Right)

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection  Nigel Thornton Collection 

🆕 Nigel Thornton Collection 

© Fotoflite Ref BW9834 © Fotoflite Ref BW9833

🆕 © Fotoflite (both)

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection 

© Derek Longly

© Derek Longly

Nigel Thornton Collection  Nigel Thornton Collection 

Postcards

© Ken Smith  © Ken Smith

© Ken Smith

October 1958: Her winter schedule was suspended, owing to a reduction in winter traffic. She subsequently operated only from March to October of each year.

© Ken Larwood

© Ken Larwood

June 26th 1965: She was withdrawn and made her final sailing.

June 1965: For the remainder of that season she was chartered to Compagnie Generale Transatlantique for a 12 week period operating a five-day weekly one sailing between St Malo and Jersey, but with extra day excursions to Guernsey from Torquay on Wednesdays and a sailing from Weymouth on Thursday nights. Such were the financial losses that she was laid up over the winter months.

John Hendy Collection

John Hendy Collection

February 1966: Sold to Petros Nomikos Ferries Greece for about £267,000.

April 1966: After refitting at Le Havre she left for Piraeus, renamed APOLLON entered service between Piraeus – Cyclades Islands.

© A Scrimali, Roy Thornton Collection  Courtesy of Chris Howell

© A Scrimali, Roy Thornton Collection (Left) Courtesy of Chris Howell (Right)

Nigel Thornton Collection  Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection (both)

1976: Petros Nomikos withdrew from passenger business and she was sold to Agapitos Bros., where she entered service from Tinos to Mykonos.

1980: Laid up in Perama with engine problems.

October 12th 1982: Sold to Nikolaou Sava Shipyard.

1983: Scrapped at Eleusis.

Nigel Thornton Collection

Nigel Thornton Collection

 


We would like to thank: Fotoflite, Chris Howell, Ken Larwood and Derek Longly for their assistance in producing this feature. All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions.

In memory of Ken Smith

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

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