MV Winston Churchill

© Fotoflite

Steel twin screw motor vessel built in 1967 by Cantieri Navali del Torrino e Riuniti S.P.A. Riva Trigoso, Genoa, Italy (Yard No 277) as a Passenger RoRo Cargo Ferry.

Technical Data 

• Length: 140.67 m (overall) 125 m (between perpendiculars)
• Breadth: 20.54 m
• Depth: 19.11 m
• Draught: 5.49 m
• Tonnage: 8658 gross/4488 net/1755t deadweight
• Engines: 2 x Oil 2SA B&W 1050-VT2BF-110 10-cylinder diesels.
• Power: 10444 kW/15500 bHP
• Speed: 21.0 knots
• Capacity: 450/590 – 750 passengers/ 180 cars
• Call Sign: OVOD, OVOD2, J8QZ3
• IMO Number: 6718233
• Official Number: A287
• Port of Registry: Esbjerg/Denmark 🇩🇰, Kingstown/Saint Vincent and Grenadines 🇻🇨

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History

July 14^th 1965: Ordered.

January 15^th 1966:  Keel laid.

April 22^nd 1966: Launch postponed owing to poor tidal conditions.

May 25^th 1966:  Launched as WINSTON CHURCHILL and towed to Genoa for fitting out.

May 19^th 1967: Delivered to DFDS A/S, Esbjerg, Denmark.

May 20^th 1967: Left Genoa for Esbjerg.

May 26^th 1967: Arrived Esbjerg.

May 28^th 1967: Christened in Greenwich, UK by Lady Churchill

© Fotoflite (Harwich, 01/06/1967)

June 2^nd 1967: Services Esbjerg – Harwich.

© A G Jones (Harwich, 03/08/1969)

1971: Passenger accommodation rebuilt in Helsingör.

© Derek Longly  (Esbjerg, 11/10/1973)

© Wolfgang Fricke (Harwich, 01/05/1974)

© Derek Sands (Harwich, 1976)

June 4^th 1978: In service between Esbjerg – Newcastle. Summer, Gothenburg – Newcastle.

© Ken Lubi  (Tyne, 05/06/1978)

August 26^th 1979: En-route to Newcastle an electrical blackout caused her to run aground at Vinga. Passengers had to be evacuated by helicopter. 

Internet Source

August 29^th 1979: Pulled free and towed to the Lindholmen shipyard dock for examination. 

September 1979: Repaired at Frederikshavns Værft A/S, Frederikshavn, Denmark.

March 1980: Returned to service.

© Fotoflite

1981: Services Esbjerg – Torshavn, Faroe Islands.

© Brian Fisher (Newcastle, August 1982)

July 25^th 1984: Suffered engine failure.

August 1985: Chartered to Haarh Bunker Oil AS for a voyage between Esbjerg – Vejle to Copenhagen.

© Brian Fisher

December 26^th 1985: Sold to Mols-Linjen A/S, Esbjerg, Denmark.

August 27^th 1986:  Sold to DFDS A/S, Denmark.

October 1^st 1986: Used as a refugee centre in Copenhagen.

1987 – 1991: Used as a cruise ship around Scandinavia during May – June, and August – October.

© Brian Fisher (April 1987)

1988: The name Scandinavian Seaways was introduced for DFDS’s passenger services. 

© Ken Lubi  (Tyne, 22/06/1988)

1987 – 1992: July – August, services Esbjerg – Newcastle – Torshavn.

September 1^st 1988: Registered in DIS (Danish International Shipping Register).

January 6^th 1989: Rebuilt at Rendsburger Nobiskrugwerft GmbH, Rendsburg, Germany.

October 15^th 1989 – May 15^th 1991: Chartered to Malmö Municipality, Malmö and used as a refugee centre.

© Gordon Dalzell  (Tyne, 01/04/1992)

November 5^th 1992  – December 30^th 1992: Chartered to TR Line, Rostock. Services Rostock – Trelleborg.

© Andreas Wörteler  (Rostock, 30/12/1992)

April 2^nd 1993:  Services Hamburg – Newcastle – Esbjerg.

© Frank Foerst (Hamburg, 11/05/1993)

© Joerg Seyler  (Hamburg, 20/06/1993)

© Ken Smith  (South Shields, 17/08/1994)

May 18^th 1995  – September 11^th 1995: Services Amsterdam – Newcastle

© Willem Oldenburg  (Ijmuiden)

© Simonwp (Ijmuiden, 18/05/1995) (Left) © Ken Lubi  (Tyne, 09/06/1995) (Right)

April 3^rd 1996: During bunkering, the ship caught fire in one of the auxiliary engines. After the fire was extinguished, it was decided that she was a constructive loss and would be sold. She was supposed to be used on services Ijmuiden – Kristiansand during the summer.

July 8^th 1996: Sold to Emerald Empress Holding Ltd, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and renamed MAYAN EMPRESS .

July 21^st 1996: Arrived, under tow, at Westcon Shipyard, Vikebygd, Norway for repairs.

1997: New owners go bankrupt.

December 2000: Discussions concerning the possibility of using her as an apartment ship in Oslo. The shipyard wanted removal.

February 2002: Offered for sale.

2002: Moved to Westcon Shipyard, Ølen, Norway.

November 2003: Sold to Veesham Shipping, Dubai.

December 19^th 2003: Left Ølen–Skudefjord for India.

January 2004: Sold to Indian breakers.

January 21^st 2004: Arrived Alang, India.

January 24^th 2004: Beached.

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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: Gordon Dalzell, Brian Fisher, Frank Foerst, Fotoflite, Wolfgang Fricke, A G Jones, Derek Longly, Ken Lubi, Willem Oldenburg, Derek Sands, Joerg Seyler, Simonwp, Ken Smith and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature.

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