Category: The pioneer car ferries

Blast from the past: Appia

The Appia of 1961 was the first car ferry of the Italian state-controlled operator Adriatica. She joined the equally new Greek (Hellenic Mediterranean Lines)-owned Egnatia on a ground-breaking joint service…

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Blast from the past: Antrim Princess

The Stranraer-Larne route was always at the forefront of the story of car ferries around the British Isles, with the very first drive on/drive off ship to serve open waters…

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Blast from the past: SNCF’s Compiegne

Most of the ships coming under the category on this blog of ‘the pioneer car ferries’ date back to the 1960s. Although this is 30+ years after the appearance of…

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Blast from the past: Southern Ferries’ Eagle

She served for so briefly and it seems so long ago now that (P&O) Southern Ferries’ Eagle of 1971 has almost been forgotten when reviewing the history of the British…

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Blast from the past: Townsend Car Ferries

Having looked at the Viking I (the first drive-through ferry to serve Britain) and the Norwind/Norwave (essentially the first ‘ro-paxes’), our attention now turns to Townsend’s Free Enterprise of 1962….

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Blast from the past: B+I Motorway

Continuing our look at Britain’s pioneering 1960s car ferries, in this ‘Blast from the past’, attention falls on the B&I Line and their new ‘Motorway’ service between Liverpool and Dublin,…

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Blast from the Past: Norwave & Norwind

Norwind & Norwave, “grandmother and grandfather to today’s ferries”, especially for Timo Selkala. The early and mid-1960s saw a series of very notable, independently owned car ferries introduced on services…

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Blast from the Past: Thoresen Car Ferries, 1964

1964 saw the arrival on the Western English Channel of the Viking I and Viking II of newcomer Thoresen Car Ferries. British Railways had closed their loss-making services in advance,…

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