TS Maid of Kent (III)
National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
Steel twin screw turbine steamer, built and engined by Denny’s of Dumbarton (Yard No. 1492) for the British Transport Commission’s cross-Channel car ferry service in 1959
Technical Data
- Length: 113.69m (373 ft) (overall)
- Breadth of Hull: 18.38m (60.2 ft) (extreme)
- Draught: 3.96m (13 ft) (maximum)
- Tonnage: 3,920 gross, 1,335 net, 917 deadweight
- Engines: 2 Pametrada steam turbines, double reduction gearing, connected to two screw shafts
- Power: 11,500 shp
- Speed: 19 knots (service), 20 knots (max)
- Capacity: 1,000 passengers, 180 cars
- Call Sign: GCHJ
- IMO Number: 5217531
- Official Number: 300433
- Registry: Dover/United Kingdom
History
September 1955: Ordered at an initial cost of £1,671,004.
Roy Thornton Collection (Left) and National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library (Right)
November 27th 1958: Launched and given the title “The Pocket Liner” in view of her appearance resembling a large passenger liner. She was a one class vessel and although a drive-on, drive-off stern loading vehicle ferry she was fitted with two turntables to speed loading and unloading of cars. She was also the first British car ferry to be built with a hydraulic stern door.
Roy Thornton Collection (Left) and Sealink News (Right)
May 4th 1959: Sea trials.
May 13th 1959: Delivered to the British Transport Commission, Southern Region, London, England.
Stéphane Poulain Collection (Left) Postcard (Right)
Courtesy of Michael Woodland
May 27th 1959: Inaugural sailing.
Roy Thornton Collection
Stéphane Poulain Collection
May 28th 1959: Commenced service between Dover – Boulogne.
Nigel Thornton Collection
Roy Thornton Collection
March 1962: Dry-docked at Southampton
© William MacDonald
January 1st 1963: British Railways Board succeeded British Transport Commission.
Courtesy of Derrick Packman (© © P Ransome-Wallis)
Roy Thornton Collection (Left) and Stéphane Poulain Collection (Right)
1964: Vessels painted in the new livery of British Railways, (blue hull and red funnels) and the “Double – Arrow”
National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library (Left) and Stéphane Poulain Collection (Right)
© A G Jones
National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
September 1967: In collision with the piling at the southern end of the jetty at the entrance to the Camber (Dover) during severe south-west gales, and holed above the water line.
Roy Thornton Collection
November 1969: It was announced that British Rail’s Shipping and International Services Division (S.I.S.D.) had adopted the new brand name Sealink and as a consequence all vessels were painted in the new house colours.
Roy Thornton Collection
August 5th 1970: Collided with the quayside in Dover, damaged her stern and repaired in Rotterdam.
Roy Thornton Collection
© Ken Larwood (Left) Postcard (Right)
© David Ingham
June 1972: Covered services between Folkestone – Boulogne
© A G Jones (Folkestone June 1972)
1972/1973 (Winter): Laid up in Newhaven
© Derek Longly (Newhaven 01/03/1973)
1973: Throughout the fleet, Sealink trading name painted on hulls
June 12th 1973: Off service this week after crushing in her bows when she rammed the submarine pens at Dover Eastern Docks. The ship was not on service but changing its berth from the Western Docks to the Eastern Docks in thick fog. No one was hurt. A spokesman for British Rail said the ship would probably be off service for several days. Damage was above the waterline so repairs could be carried out while the ship was afloat. Passengers and cars booked on the MAID OF KENT were transferred to the HOLYHEAD FERRY I and the DOVER.
National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library
September 10th 1973: Collided with the quayside in Boulogne. Towed to Dunkerque for remedial repairs before she sailed to Holyhead to be prepared for the new Weymouth – Cherbourg route.
© Chris Thorne (Holyhead, laid up with AVALON)
Roy Thornton Collection
Postcards
March 2nd 1974 – October 12th 1974: Operated between Weymouth – Cherbourg.
Roy Thornton Collection
April 8th 1974 – May 30th 1974: Off service with turbine problems.
March 31st 1975 – April 29th 1975: Operated between Stranraer – Larne.
January 1976: Operated as a freight only ferry for two weeks, shipping trade cars, between Harwich – Zeebrügge.
© Steven Delves (Harwich 1976)
March 1976: Short period of service between Fishguard – Rosslare. Then returned to Weymouth.
October 1976: Relief at Fishguard.
October 19th 1976: Resumed service between Weymouth – Cherbourg.
Courtesy of Jim Ashby
October 1978: Operated as support vessel Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire.
© Chris Thorne (Holyhead)
April 1st 1979: Registered to Sealink U.K. Ltd.
April 6th 1979: Commenced service between Weymouth – Cherbourg.
© Tony Garner (Weymouth 27/6/79)
October 31st 1979: For a short while operated between Holyhead – Dun Laoghaire.
Courtesy of Chris Howell (Weymouth January 1980)
© John Hendy (Weymouth, July 1980)
April 10th 1981: Operated summer season between Weymouth – Cherbourg.
© Brian Fisher (Left) and © Peter Longhurst (Right)
October 2nd 1981: Final day operating between Weymouth – Cherbourg.
October 1981 – October 30th 1981: Operated between Weymouth – Jersey – Guernsey.
© Ken Larwood
November 24th 1981: Laid up in Newhaven.
January 1982: Mini refit at Weymouth.
© Ken Larwood
April 6th 1982: Sold to Desguaces Aviles S.A, San Esteban de Pravia, Spain for £79,756.
© John Hendy (Newhaven, April 1982)
April 10th 1982: Left Newhaven for San Esteban de Pravia, Spain.
April 21st 1982: Arrived at Desguaces Aviles S.A, San Esteban de Pravia, Spain for scrapping.
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 (Faktaomfartyg), Steven Delves, Brian Fisher, Tony Garner, John Hendy, Chris Howell, A G Jones, Ken Larwood, Peter Longhurst, Derek Longly, William MacDonald, Derrick Packman, Stéphane Poulain, Chris Thorne and Michael Woodland for their assistance in compiling this feature.
Special thanks go to Jim Ashby, Ted Ingham and the National Railway Museum/Science & Society Picture Library.
Article © Nigel Thornton and Ray Goodfellow (Dover Ferry Photos Group)
Great Site…. however can you check ‘Maid of Kent III’ information,. We went to France and back on her from Weymouth – Cherbourg – Weymouth in July/Aug of 1976. According to the info she never returned to this route until Oct 19th 1976 and it states she was doing Fishguard – Rosslaire before this.
James,
Thanks for the info’.
As there are a few gaps, I will attempt to update this history over the coming weeks.
On going, as always 😉
Rgds
Nigel T
The Roy Thornton pic of her in heavy seas- did that appear in a book?
Unsure if it appeared in a book or its original origin.
Sorry the print I have has no further information.
Rgds
Nigel T
Thanks for your reply. It was more that I am sure i saw that photo in a book that made some comment about one of the stylish French or Belgium Gare Maritime stations closing as the docks moved and it was a way of checking the comment. It’s been one of those irritations I wanted to resolve. Really like that new photos of the cars inside the ship- so evocative of the era. I lived in Weymouth so remember her well.
Thanks very much for this interesting set of pages. I am trying to redefine my 1981 trip to Europe which I made with a railway colleague. He was into shipping as much as I was into railways, so the trip was mashed together. We journeyed from London to Manningtree, then dow nthe branch to Harwich Town, where we reserved one of the four cabins on Speedlink Vanguard. Had beer and chips in the town before crossing to Zeebrugge. We then journeyed via the Vicinal and then rail to Koln. It was Saturday evening and we booked a non-dining cruise up the Rhein towards Bonn on the “Drachenfels”.
Sunday morning train to Boppard where we waited patiently for the “Rudesheim” to come thrashing round a headland – one of KD’s last two steam paddlers. We journeyed upriver the Mainz, then caught a couchette service into Austria for some trains. After Austria we travelled into Switzerland and had a ride on another steam paddler the “Vierwaldstattersee”. Our journey was then via Geneva and a couchette back to Paris, turbotrain to Cherbourg for our voyage back to Weymouth on ………….. “the Maid of Kent”.
A great trip on May 1981, but sadly cannot pin the date down.
The Maid of Kent can be seen in french movie “Les enquetes du commissaire Maigret”
Season 1, episode 3 “Le chien jaune” from 1968.
At the end, from 1:16:50 to the end credits, it leave Boulogne and take the sea.
I take some screen shots if you need.
Best regards.
Hi,
I will reply via your email.
Please also monitor your “Spam”/”Trash” boxes as, sometimes, mail gets sent there.
Rgds
Nigel Thornton
Hi Nigell,
I upload the pictures here : http://arnaultjl-photo.com/tmp/ts_maid_of_kent_III/ts-mok_III.zip
Here, a complete description and credits of this movie.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chien_jaune_(téléfilm,_1968)
(Unfortunatly only in French)
I was 10 yrs old at the time and travelled on a day trip, with my parents from Weymouth to Cherbourg on 13th August 1979. This was at the time of the Fastnet disaster and just remember the return trip on the Monday evening was terrifying. I’m presuming this Sealink ferry (TS Maid of Kent lll) would have been the ship that got us safely home?