MV Moby Blu
ex Free Enterprise II
© Ted Ingham
Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1965 by N.V. Werf “Gusto”, Schiedam, Rotterdam, (Yard No. CO 502) for Townsend Bros. Ferries Ltd.
Technical Data
- Length: 108.11m (354.7 ft) (overall)
- Breadth of Hull: 17.9m (extreme)
- Draught: 4.00m (13.2 ft) (maximum)
- Tonnage: 4011 – 5956 gross/1576 net/457 – 840t dead weight
- Engines: Two 12-cylinder Smit-M.A.N. RBL 6612 four-stroke single acting diesels.
- Power: 5664 kW/3850 bhp
- Speed: 19.0 knots
- Capacity: 998 passengers, 205 cars (as built), 1,200 passengers, 230 cars (as Moby Blu)
- Number of crew: 79
- Call Sign: GQMA, IBNW, J8B2840
- IMO Number: 6506317
- Official Number: 304770
- Registry: Dover/UK 🇬🇧, Cagliari/Italy 🇮🇹, Kigstown/Saint Vincent and Grenadines 🇻🇨
History
“This vessel was the first British-registered drive-through car ferry”
August 1964: Keel laid
January 29th 1965: Launched by Mrs Bernice Nott (wife of the Chairman of George Nott Industries).
May 9th 1965: Delivered to Townsend European Ferries, Dover, England.
Construction
© Gemeentearchief Schiedam / IHC Gusto BV
May 22nd 1965: Introduced between Dover – Calais.
Courtesy of Philippe Brébant (Association Paquebots & Marine Marchande)
March 17th 1966: Opened the new service from Dover to Zeebrugge.
1967: Commenced services between Dover – Calais/Zeebrügge.
© Fotoflite
Roy Thornton Collection (all)
© A G Jones (Both)
© Ken Larwood
September 12th 1968: Registered to Thoresen Car Ferries A/S, Oslo and chartered for 20 years to Thoresen Car Ferries Ltd., Southampton. Merger of Otto Thoresen Shipping Co, A/S, Oslo and Townsend Car Ferries, Dover. Companies named changed to Townsend Thoresen Car Ferries.
© Fotoflite, Stéphane Poulain Collection
© A G Jones (05/07/1969 @ Calais)
1970: Laid-up in Wellington Dock, Dover before operating the Southampton – Cherbourg service between June 18th and September 1970.
© Ted Ingham
© Michael Woodland
Courtesy of Philippe Brébant (Association Paquebots & Marine Marchande)
September 22nd 1970: Laid-up at Zeebrugge and later towed up the canals to Bruges.
© Marc-Houtekamer
Matt Murtland (HHV Ferry)
April 30th 1971 – September 19th 1971: Operated between Southampton – Cherbourg. On completing her service she sailed to Le Havre where she successfully tested the link-span on the 23rd September. She then left to relieve on the Dover-Zeebrugge link, where she covered for the VIKING IV.
© Fotoflite, Stéphane Poulain Collection
December 31st 1971 – January 9th 1972: Chartered to the London “Evening News” in the Pool of London to act as a venue for a racing car show. Winter lay-up was at Bruges for a third year.
Nigel Thornton Collection
1972: “Townsend Thoresen” was added in small white letters on the hulls and TTF logo appeared on funnels in pale green.
© Richard Parsons (Courtesy of Malcolm Cranfield)(Left) and © D R Longly (Southampton, 1972) (Right)
May 19th 1972 – September 24th 1972: Operated between Southampton – Cherbourg. Then laid up.
May 11th 1973: Re-appeared at Southampton commencing Southampton – Cherbourg from the 18th. This lasted until September.
© Petroc (Spithead, August 1973)
January 5th 1974 – January 20th 1974: She again went to the Pool of London, then to Southampton for a brief lay-up.
April 5th 1974: To Dover
June 27th 1974 – September 15th 1974: Southampton – Cherbourg service.
Courtesy of Philippe Brébant (Association Paquebots & Marine Marchande)
1974: All ships had hulls painted dark green with company name in large white letters.
Nicolas Levy Collection (Left) and Courtesy of Philippe Brébant (Association Paquebots & Marine Marchande) (Right).
1976 – 1977: Thoresen orange hulls were adopted for all ships and funnels eventually became dark green with orange TTF logo although initially they did not have black tops
© Michael Woodland (Left) and © Steve Salter Archives (Camber, Dover 1977) (Right)
Courtesy of Philippe Brébant (Association Paquebots & Marine Marchande)
1977 (Winter): Laid up at Tilbury.
1979 (Summer): Operated between Portsmouth – Cherbourg.
Nigel Thornton Collection
1979 (Autumn): Operating with FREE ENTERPRISE I and FREE ENTERPRISE III on the Calais route.
September 3rd 1979: Laid up at Tilbury.
© Tim Webb (Tilbury, 03/11/1979)
May 21st 1980 – June 11th 1980: Chartered to Sealink UK. Operated Weymouth – Jersey – Guernsey to cover for EARL WILLIAM which was off service with generator trouble.
Steve Salter Archives (1980) (Both)
© Joe Ward
1980 (late summer): Operated between Portsmouth – Cherbourg, then laid up in Newhaven.
© Tim Webb (Portsmouth, 28/07/1980)
June 18th 1981 – July 1981: Chartered to Sealink UK for Weymouth – Jersey – Guernsey services.
1981 (late summer): Operated between Portsmouth – Cherbourg.
September 1981: Laid up in Le Havre.
April 1982: Laid up at Southampton pending sale.
© Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic) (Left) and © Ken Larwood (Right)
October 1982: Sold to Nav. Arcipelago Maddalena Spa, Naples, Italy. (Moby Lines). Renamed MOBY BLU.
October 14th 1982: Left Southampton for Sardinia.
1983: Commenced service between Livorno – Bastia.
© Ken Larwood (Bastia, June 1987)
© Frank Heine (Porto S. Stefano, 21/07/1989)
🆕 © El Maritime (Bastia, August 1991)
🆕© El Maritime (Bastia, August 1991)
1993: Laid up at Cagliari.
During the early 1990s Navarma acquired further used ferries, which replaced the Moby ferries acquired in the 1980s. During the same time “Moby Lines” was adopted as the official company name
199?: Commenced service between Porto S. Stefano – Bastia.
1997: Operated between Piombino – Portoferraio.
© Frank Heine (Piombino, 30/07/1997)
2001: Registered to Moby Lines S.r.l., Cagliari, Italy.
Simplon Postcard Roy Thornton Collection (Left) and © Andreas Wörteler (Right)
July 2001: Laid up at Cagliari. Then services between Piombino – Portoferraio.
© Frank Heine (Piombino, July 2002)
November 10th 2003: Sold to Indian breakers St Vincent/ Grenadines. Renamed MOBY B.
December 15th 2003: Arrived at Alang, India for breaking. The first “Free Enterprise” to go for scrap
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for any errors or omissions found. All items included in this article are subject to © copyright. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking: Micke Asklander, Philippe Brébant (Association Paquebots & Marine Marchande), Malcolm Cranfield, Gary Davies (Maritime Photographic), El Maritime, Brian Fisher, Frank Heine, Marc-Houtekamer, Ted Ingham, A G Jones, Ken Larwood, Nicolas Levy, Derek Longly, Matt Murtland (HHV Ferry), Petroc, Stéphane Poulain, Joe Ward, Tim Webb, Michael Woodland, Andreas Wörteler and Simplon Postcards for their assistance in compiling this feature.
Special thanks go to Fotoflite, Steve R Salter and Dirk H. Allewelt (Gemeentearchief Schiedam / IHC Gusto BV).
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
Hi, interesting to see her again, my uncle was a purser on Free Enterprise 2, living in Deal, and during the summer of 1979 I worked onboard as a member of the catering team in the buffet, 8.00am – 8.00pm day on day off for two weeks, then seven nights 8.00pm – 8.00am, did this for around 3 months I recall. I stayed in Deal with my uncles family as I lived in Warwickshire and commuted daily along the coast road on my trusty Honda CB100. During the last few weeks we were berthed in Dover, which i assume was prior to the move to Sealink, can’t remember myself but did enjoy not having to deal with so many passengers!
I was a rookie steward on that maiden sailing in 1965 from Dover to Calais. As I recall the captain decided it would be a record breaking time, probably in order to illustrate the power and prestige of this brand new, first ever fore and after loading vehicle ferry on that run. However it was quite choppy in the Channel, perhaps as much as Force 7 at times.
All went well until we turned to enter Calais harbour. Perhaps it was lack of practice, who knows, but she plowed into the eastern arm and effectively jammed the bow doors. At the time I and several other rookie members of the crew were positioned at the starboard side of the stern, eager to catch our first glimpse of the port. As she struck the arm she rolled quite violently to starboard and it looked for a second to us rookies that she might capsize.
Fortunately she didn’t but what followed was the ignominious task of the first ever fore and aft loader ferry having to back in and for all vehicles on board to have to turn around and leave via the doors they had entered because the bow doors had jammed!
Being a rookie member of the catering crew I never heard of what happened to those responsible for the navigation ‘error’ thereafter but we were soon back into the routine and onto what turned out to be a very eventful summer of sailings (12 hour watches, two weeks of days followed by one week of nights) until lay-offf in late October when the service went down to one vessel (FE 1) making just 4 sailing per day.
Wonderful memories, even after 60+ years!