MV Lady Caribe I

ex Hull 209, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Stena Danica (I)

Nigel Thornton Collection

Steel twin screw motor vessel, built in 1965 by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Seine-Maritime, LeTrait, France (Yard No. 172), for Stena Ab, Göteborg as a passenger and vehicle ferry.

Technical Data

Length: 79.83m (261.10 ft)(overall)/ 72.02m (236.3 ft)(between perpendiculars)
Breadth of hull: 16.21m (53.185 ft)(extreme)
Depth: 3.99m (12.80 ft)
Draught: 10.14m (33.28 ft)
Tonnage: 2,612 gross (@ 1967), 2,690/1, 160 net (@ 1967) 2,482 net (1969 – 1999), 1,270/615 (@ 1967) deadweight 640
Engines: Two 12-cylinder Klockner – Humboldt – Deutz SBV12M350 diesels
Power: 6,000 kW
Speed: 17.5 knots
Capacity: 1,000 passengers, 129 cars or 28 lorries (main deck) 40 cars (side galleries)
Call Sign: SDFG (Stena Danica), VYSM (Lucy Maud Montgomery)
IMO Number: 6516532
Registry: Gothenburg/Sweden, Charlottetown, Canada (1969 – 1999)/Honduras (1999 – )
Sister Ship: Stena Nordica

History

September 14th 1964: Keel laid.

May 3rd 1965: Launched.

June 19th 1965: Delivered to Stena Ab, Göteborg.

June 24th 1965: Commenced service between Gothenburg/Stenpiren – Frederikshavn. With her arrival the emphasis was shifted from more purchasing-oriented trips to Skagen over to rapid and comfortable passenger and car transport.

December 2nd 1967 – April 1968: Chartered to Townsend Car Ferries. Operated between Dover – Zeebrugge.

Nigel Thornton Collection (both)

March 17th – March 20th 1968: Deputised for the FREE ENTERPRISE I between Dover – Calais

March 1969: Sold to Canadian National Railway Co, Ottawa, Canada.

June 1969: Renamed LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY. Commenced services between Cape Tormentine – Port Borden.

1971: Commenced services between North Sydney – Port aux Basques.

1975: Chartered to Cooperative de Transport et Aeriens (C.T.M.A.), Canada. Commenced services between Magdalen Islands – Souris, Prince Edward Island.

1977: Taken over by the Ministry of Transport, Ottawa, Canada. Re-classed as 300 passengers and 90 cars.

May 15th 1998: Laid up in Sydney (Nova Scotia). Renamed HULL 209.

March 1999: Sold to Robbie Shipping & Port Service Inc, San Lorenzo, Honduras. Renamed LADY CARIBE I.

1999: Supposed plans to convert her into a floating casino in Key West did not materialise.

1999: Laid up in Key West

April 2004: Chartered to an unknown company in the Dominican Republic.

October 23rd 2005: This ship is not currently active. She is tied up to a wharf in Florida and hasn’t sailed since 1999 since arriving from Canada. Her new owners haven’t used her yet.

We would like to thank: Frank Heine and Andreas Wörteler for their assistance in producing this feature. All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions.