Stena Sealink 94/95

The_Wrecker

Maybe not everyones cup of green tea. Im digging out my old shipping photos and uploading for the public to view ~ sure no use in the attic hidden. I will scan more as time allows.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25178109@N03/ :pac:.......

Heisenberg1

The_Wrecker wrote: »

Maybe not everyones cup of green tea. Im digging out my old shipping photos and uploading for the public to view ~ sure no use in the attic hidden. I will scan more as time allows.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25178109@N03/ :pac:.......

Nice photos only a matter of time until Stena ends its operations in Dun laoghaire.

BenShermin

Thanks for those, it's amazing how much ferry travel has come on over the last 15 years. In 1997 when I first took the Stena HSS from Dún Laoghaire I honestly thought that was the end for ro-ro conventional ferries. Then came the likes of MV Ulysses and the tables turned, HSS is now the oldest passenger ferry on the Dún L/Dublin to Holyhead service.

LXFlyer

Lovely shots of the iconic Stena Hibernia (neé St Columba) - thanks Wrecker!

The_Wrecker

BenShermin wrote: »

Thanks for those, it's amazing how much ferry travel has come on over the last 15 years. In 1997 when I first took the Stena HSS from Dún Laoghaire I honestly thought that was the end for ro-ro conventional ferries. Then came the likes of MV Ulysses and the tables turned, HSS is now the oldest passenger ferry on the Dún L/Dublin to Holyhead service.

Fast ferries were the way to go till fuel became gold. Look up the iconic Finnjet, a rocket built in 1977. Fuel went up, Finnjet went to Alang beach for Wrecking!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GTS_Finnjet

Hilly Bill

I miss the Hibernia the party boat .

LXFlyer

The St Columba / Stena Hibernia for me will always be iconic as it was (and remains to this day) the ship with the largest passenger carrying capacity of the Sealink and Irish sea fleets at 2,400. Yes it carried more passengers than the Ulysses! A reflection of the large foot passenger traffic of the time.

Plus she was a beautiful vessel to watch arriving or departing Dun Laoghaire.

Terrontress

I am always reminded of the Concorde when I hear about the fate of the HSS. Something more technologically advanced, quicker, enjoyable than the other means of crossing but is incompatible with modern economics so is consigned to the scrap heap. Even though it is still running, they are not running at full speed to save money on the fuel.

I remember getting on a HSS for the first time. Even the look of it fascinated me. So futuristic, even the deck where we parked the car like a shiny stainless steel container. And that huge front window to take in the view.

While the Irish Ferries Swift is great in terms of speed and getting the job done, it doesn't have a quarter of the factor of enjoyment which the HSS has.

Unfortunately I never got to take the Cú na Mara Boeing Jetfoil. That would have been great but not the same comfort as the HSS

I have a ticket to travel on the 1.15 HSS tomorrow to Holyhead. I hope it is not my last time.

Heisenberg1

Hilly Bill wrote: »

I miss the Hibernia the party boat .

Some lovely shots of it here.

http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/sealink/ships/st_columba_sealink/home.html

http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/stena/ships/adventurer_i/home.html

SimonMaher

The_Wrecker wrote: »

Maybe not everyones cup of green tea. Im digging out my old shipping photos and uploading for the public to view ~ sure no use in the attic hidden. I will scan more as time allows.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25178109@N03/ :pac:.......

Excellent photos Mr Wrecker, both of HSS and the Hibernia/Columba. I spent many hours being walked down the East Pier and being allowed to stay out late with my Dad to watch her leave at 8.45pm (I think!).

Also, Terontress I remember my first HSS journey too. First day, because I was/am a nerd. It really was a different world on board, and I still love travelling on her. Hibernia had become a bit scruffy at that stage and the initial fast ferries like the first Stena Lynx were fast but not exactly comfortable on the Irish sea! Let us know how you get on tomorrow and how busy she looks.

Amazing really that HSS has survived this far and is running for yet another season with pretty decent loads. Still a lot of people prefer to travel to Dun Laoghaire rather than Dublin Port and crucially a lot of people are also willing to pay the HSS premium too. Really leaves Stena with a quandry (given the duopoly on the Dub/DL-Holyhead route) and thats why she is still there and you never know, she might well survive into 2013. I suspect in the end the route will survive in its seasonal form perhaps with HSS' little sister doing the honours.

Wrecker, good to see a photo of RA181 too. Myself and another poster on this board own that bus now and the repair is good. Leaks a bit, but runs beautifully!

Simon

Terrontress

The crossing itself was great Simon although it was so quiet, I couldn't believe how few people were on board. We sat on the starboard ramps down from the door in, in front of the tv. We had the whole area to ourselves. Maybe 6 rows of 6 or 8 seats. 35 - 50 empty seats.

I could tell that they weren't operating at full speed. It doesn't have the same sensation of speed before.

The catering and retail on board was no better or worse than Irish Ferries' offering although it does have a kids' play area which the Jonathan Swift does not have.

I was most impressed by docking and disembarkation. We just reversed up to the linkspan, I presume we were held on by electro-magnet, and then a steward operated the walkway by remote control. The whole Irish Ferries option of getting on to a decrepid bus is a pain although I suppose on SailRail it's all about getting to your train connection on time.

There is just a great space on the HSS that you don't get anywhere else. Long, wide corridors up either side. And having the front window makes a massive difference if you like to get a look out.

I love it, to be honest, but fear it is not long for this route.

zagmund

I think I was booked on the first HSS crossing, or at least one of the first. We did it as a day trip with a couple of friends with a couple of hours scheduled in lively Holyhead.

Unfortunately on the day there was a problem with the HSS and we were stuck on the regular ferry. Imagine our 'delight' when part of the way across we saw the HSS coming up fast behind us, overtake us and dock in Holyhead before us.

My main recollection of Holyhead is getting as far as customs and then finding that we now had to turn around and get back on the boat for the return trip because of the extra time spent on the ferry.

Given that technically the fun part was supposed to be the boat and not Holyhead this may not have been such a bad thing.

My other memory of the boats in the old days was a cards table in the bar with a dealer/croupier. Am I imagining things ?

z

Terrontress

zagmund wrote: »

I think I was booked on the first HSS crossing, or at least one of the first. We did it as a day trip with a couple of friends with a couple of hours scheduled in lively Holyhead.

Unfortunately on the day there was a problem with the HSS and we were stuck on the regular ferry. Imagine our 'delight' when part of the way across we saw the HSS coming up fast behind us, overtake us and dock in Holyhead before us.

My main recollection of Holyhead is getting as far as customs and then finding that we now had to turn around and get back on the boat for the return trip because of the extra time spent on the ferry.

Given that technically the fun part was supposed to be the boat and not Holyhead this may not have been such a bad thing.

My other memory of the boats in the old days was a cards table in the bar with a dealer/croupier. Am I imagining things ?

z

Irish Ferries have that at present on the Ulysses.

Rock of Gibraltar

My personal favourite from the Dublin/Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead route.



The 1949 incarnation of the Cambria, what a beaut.

http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/railway/ships/cambria49/home.html

LordSutch

Ah yes, happy memories of the Columba back in the late 70s, which from memory was truly massive (for a ferry), and it had a cinema too! Since then I have been on most of the current crop, and my favourite is still the HSS since it took over from the Columba on the Dun Laoghaire route, and as has already been said, that Port is sadly living on borrowed time which I think is an awful shame.

PS: anyone else old enough to remember the train that used to pull up along side the ferry on the Carlisle Pier?

BenShermin

It's stories like this that make me wish I wasn't only a young fella. I grew up in the time the Isle of Inishfree was stepping aside for new supergirls like Isle of Inishmore and HSS. They revolutionised ferry travel for sure, but they took away the charm of a few creamy pints on roller coasters in a force 8 haha.

Heisenberg1

LordSutch wrote: »

Ah yes, happy memories of the Columba back in the late 70s, which from memory was truly massive (for a ferry), and it had a cinema too! Since then I have been on most of the current crop, and my favourite is still the HSS since it took over from the Columba on the Dun Laoghaire route, and as has already been said, that Port is sadly living on borrowed time which I think is an awful shame.

PS: anyone else old enough to remember the train that used to pull up along side the ferry on the Carlisle Pier?

I don't remember the train at the pier but i have seen pictures.

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/Railway%20Stations%20C/Carlisle%20Pier/slides/Carlisle%20Pier_20100111_002_CC_JA.html

LordSutch

Yep, that's it^ the remains of the 'spur line' to the pier can still be seen in the tunnel > Southbound as you are pulling out of Dun Laoghaire . . .

end of the road

my understanding is that the carlisle pier line was shut and lifted in preparation for the dart? they didn't want to electrify it? anyone know? it would have probably closed eventually anyway.

stomprockin

I worked on the Hibernia/Cambria out of dun laoghaire around 94/95. Nice pic's folks. Thay where great times.Last i heard the Cambria was weakened during the fire when she was a Sealink ferry. she's not seaworthy now.I think the St Columba is bound for the Scrap beaches of India or Turkey?

Louche Lad

zagmund wrote: »

I think I was booked on the first HSS crossing, or at least one of the first. We did it as a day trip with a couple of friends with a couple of hours scheduled in lively Holyhead.

Unfortunately on the day there was a problem with the HSS and we were stuck on the regular ferry. Imagine our 'delight' when part of the way across we saw the HSS coming up fast behind us, overtake us and dock in Holyhead before us.

My main recollection of Holyhead is getting as far as customs and then finding that we now had to turn around and get back on the boat for the return trip because of the extra time spent on the ferry.

Given that technically the fun part was supposed to be the boat and not Holyhead this may not have been such a bad thing.

My other memory of the boats in the old days was a cards table in the bar with a dealer/croupier. Am I imagining things ?

z

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about that!

The_Wrecker

stomprockin wrote: »

I worked on the Hibernia/Cambria out of dun laoghaire around 94/95. Nice pic's folks. Thay where great times.Last i heard the Cambria was weakened during the fire when she was a Sealink ferry. she's not seaworthy now.I think the St Columba is bound for the Scrap beaches of India or Turkey?

The old Cambria is doing well as 'Bari' (ventouri ferries) out of the same named port in Italy. The Columba/Hibernia was last known to be abandoned in Dhiba/Duba port after Namma lines just stopped operating. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10956681
Cambria http://www.shipfriends.gr/forum/gallery/image/48513-bari-with-ventouris-ferries-livery/

Millem

end of the road wrote: »

my understanding is that the carlisle pier line was shut and lifted in preparation for the dart? they didn't want to electrify it? anyone know? it would have probably closed eventually anyway.

I think their argument was that the curvature of the line wouldnt suit dart trains and also OHLE wouldn't work for the spur. (prob would need to have lowered trackbed) Shame really, but a moot argument now as what's left of the ferry operation runs from st michaels pier rather than Carlisle.

Only found out recently that there used to be a spur at the south end of the station (beside where Irish lights is) to the coal pier for goods

The_Wrecker

Millem wrote: »

I think their argument was that the curvature of the line wouldnt suit dart trains and also OHLE wouldn't work for the spur. (prob would need to have lowered trackbed) Shame really, but a moot argument now as what's left of the ferry operation runs from st michaels pier rather than Carlisle.

Only found out recently that there used to be a spur at the south end of the station (beside where Irish lights is) to the coal pier for goods

The days of the train were numbered. As a skanger myself coming over, those that didnt fill the two KD's waiting ~ went over to the new Dart'y thing at the station.