Displaying items by tag: St Columba

9th January 2022

St. Columba: Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead's Final Conventional Car-Ferry Scrapped in South Asia

St. Columba, custom built for British Rail/Sealink on the historic Irish Sea Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead route from 1977 until replaced by the Stena (HSS) service in 1996, has finally gone to the shipbreakers in Pakistan. For almost 20 years the ferry for many generations was a familiar sight in Dun Laoghaire Harbour (above as Stena Adventurer) with bow-visor partially open when off Carlisle Pier.The ferry was to head to Dover-Calais route, hence renaming but this never materialised. With the closure of the Irish Sea route in 2014, Stena Line were already operating out of Dublin to Holyhead with another Stena Adventurer (built 2003) that continues to serve along with Stena Estrid.

St. Columba, British Rail/Sealink's largest custom-built Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead ferry which served many a generation with fond memories and which left the Irish Sea 25 years ago, has gone for scrapping in Pakistan, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The 44 year-old Massarah, originally of 7,836grt when launched as St. Columba in 1977 at the Aalborg Werft A/S in Denmark to serve the premier Ireland-Wales route, replaced a pair of classic 'mail-boats' Hibernia and Cambria. In addition the £19m ferry displaced Holyhead Ferry I, built in 1965 for the route albeit this smaller car ferry was only stern-loading. St. Columba with 2,400 passengers was the biggest on the Irish Sea and carried 335 cars or 36 lorries or a combination of both.

In December, Afloat referred (see photo-caption) that St. Columba /Massarah had gone to the shipbreakers as the renamed Assarah when beached at Gadani, famously known for shipbreaking. The ferry after its Irish Sea career went to the Mediterranean where in Greek waters served as Express Aphrodite until 2006.

This was followed with a career serving Egyptian based shipowners, Namma Shipping Lines trading in the Red Sea with calls to include Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. This involved Massarah serving the busy annual Islamic pilgrimage when Muslims headed to Mecca where the Haji is held.

For almost 20 years, St. Columba plied the 57 nautical-mile Irish Sea route and after Sealink UK was privatised by the UK Government in 1984, was acquired by Sea Containers and with the altered brand name of Sealink British Ferries. The ship retained its Sealink name, see photo.

This was followed in 1990 by another owner, Stena Line which led to the ship renamed twice. In the following year a major internal refit led to the first renaming as Stena Hibernia, this in hommage to the route's historical mail-boat heritage by the Swedish shipowner.

But in the final years on the Irish Sea, the ferry took on another name, Stena Adventurer until withdrawn from the Irish Sea route in 1996.

In that same year was introduced the Highspeed Sea Service (HSS) Stena Explorer, a craft that marked a significant new era on the link as then the world's largest and fastest vehicle carrying/passenger fast-ferry. The 1,500 passenger craft also handled 375 cars and 50 lorries.

To the ferry purest in particular, the contrast was considerable marked, as the almost 20 knot St. Columba offered a two-class service spread across two main passenger decks. They included lounge/bars named Landsdowne and Cardiff Arms in recongition of rugby travellers! In addition to waiter and self-service buffet restaurents, TV lounges, discoteque, a duty-free shop and nursing mother's room. However, by 1983 the 129m ferry was altered to a single-class passenger service.

Compared to St. Columba, the HSS Stena Explorer (preceded by a trio smaller 'Lynx' fast craft) consisted of just a single football sized passenger deck with open plan seating offering panoramic views through giant lattice windows. Though, despite the craft's much shorter 99-minute link been an advantage, the HSS still offered a Stena Plus / Motorists lounge, located forward and was impressive when underway at 40 knots! In addition to lounges, Duty-Free, MacDonalds and large-screen video panels for information etc.

Yet, despite the revolutionary design of the futuristic craft, the HSS only had a career of just 18 years on the Irish Sea when ceasing in 2014. (See: Ships Monthly, June 2015 for 'Farewell to Stena HSS' feature).

Whereas, St. Columba etc, had served for almost two decades, except for a single yet brief exception in 1982, having strayed to the St. Georges Channel. This was to stand in for chartered-in Stena Normandica while out of service on Sealink's Rosslare-Fishguard route.

St. Columba was named after the 6th century Irish abbot and with the ferry following sea trials was delivered in 1977 as alluded. Receptions were held in the ferry's homeport of Holyhead and then in Dun Laoghaire following an inaugural sailing from Anglesey in April. On board were members of the British Rail Board, tourism and other diginaties and at the Irish port the Taoiseach (prime minister) Liam Cosgrave was invited on board and also a reception was held in the nearby Royal Marine Hotel.

A maiden commercial crossing took place later from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire, a route with origins that can be traced to 1835.

Introduction of St. Columba proved to be an instant success having after just one year in service carried its 1 millionth passenger. As the multi-purpose single ship modernised the link and notably as the Irish Sea's largest ferry with passengers accommodated in 1st and 2nd class quarters.

However, for many generations of Irish people emigrating to Britain and beyond, St. Columba, albeit sadly played a part in the nation's diapora. As the next step for passengers having disembarked in north Wales, was taking onward bus or train connection to UK cities and London to seek work.

Passenger traffic albeit of a happier note saw holidaymakers between the nations and those beyond taking the UK 'landbridge' to / from continental Europe. To those exclusively seeking a bargain with duty-free shopping (see recent comeback) or for some just intending a round-trip excursion.

St. Columba on a personal basis provided childhood memories having observed off the Kish Bank lighthouse, Dublin Bay and within Dun Laoghaire Harbour. In addition to having embarked on family holidays in 1981 and the following year, by taking the aforementioned 'landbridge' routes to France.

Noting some of these English Channel ferries would also serve on the Irish Sea due to a variety of operational reasons. The presence of Sealink's French-flagged counterpart ferries in Dun Laoghaire Harbour then seemed exotic! This was an added bonus and would strenghten my childhood interest with ferries and shipping in general.

When watching the St. Columba arrive in Dun Laoghaire, the somewhat stout-looking ship, when observed looking at certain angles, would berth bow-on at the harbour's linkspan at Carlisle Pier. It was at the adjacent quayside where the 'mail-boat' would occupy and opposite of the East Pier's Victorian bandstand.

This was an advantagous spot for onlookers when St. Columba's stern swung around (see recent Anna G containership story) for departures prior to heading through the harbour mouth.

Also fascinating to see was when the bow-visor opened when approaching the pierside, whereas in Holyhead, operations involved the stern-door when berthing in the port's inner harbour.

The confined harbour in Anglesey was why the ferry was designed with a stern-bridge to enable easier navigation when going astern beyond the Salt Island before swinging around within the harbour to head off the breakwater. See, recent Storm Barra / public access closure story.

Afloat understands that a former fleetmate of Stena Hibernia, the Altair, formerly St. Anselm/ Stena Cambria which served in tandem on the Irish Sea route during the early 90's, was awaiting to be broken up also in Asia.

As according to AIS, last month the ferry was last indicated to be offshore off Chittagong in Bangladesh.

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National Yacht Club Facilities

Facilities include a slipway directly accessing Dun Laoghaire Harbour, over eighty club moorings, platform parking, pontoons, fuelling, watering and crane-lifting ensure that the NYC is excellently equipped to cater for all the needs of the contemporary sailor. Berths with diesel, water, power and overnight facilities are available to cruising yachtsmen with shopping facilities being a short walk away. The club is active throughout the year with full dining and bar facilities and winter activities include bridge, snooker, quiz nights, wine tasting and special events.

National Yacht Club History

Although there are references to an active “club” prior to 1870, history records that the present clubhouse was erected in 1870 at a cost of £4,000 to a design by William Sterling and the Kingstown Royal Harbour Boat Club was registered with Lloyds in the same year. By 1872 the name had been changed to the Kingston Harbour Boat Club and this change was registered at Lloyds.

In 1881. the premises were purchased by a Captain Peacocke and others who formed a proprietary club called the Kingstown Harbour Yacht Club again registered at Lloyds. Some six years later in 1877 the building again changed hands being bought by a Mr Charles Barrington. and between 1877 and 1901 the club was very active and operated for a while as the “Absolute Club” although this change of name was never registered.

In 1901, the lease was purchased by three trustees who registered it as the Edward Yacht Club. In 1930 at a time when the Edward Yacht Club was relatively inactive, a committee including The Earl of Granard approached the trustees with a proposition to form the National Yacht Club. The Earl of Granard had been Commodore of the North Shannon Y.C. and was a senator in the W.T.Cosgrave government. An agreement was reached, the National Yacht Club was registered at Lloyds. The club burgee was created, red cross of Saint George with blue and white quarters being sky cloud, sea and surf. The Earl of Granard became the first Commodore.

In July of 1950, a warrant was issued to the National Yacht Club by the Government under the Merchant Shipping Act authorising members to hoist a club ensign in lieu of the National Flag. The new ensign to include a representation of the harp. This privilege is unique and specific to members of the National Yacht Club. Sterling’s design for the exterior of the club was a hybrid French Chateau and eighteenth century Garden Pavilion and today as a Class A restricted building it continues to provide elegant dining and bar facilities.

An early drawing of the building shows viewing balconies on the roof and the waterfront façade. Subsequent additions of platforms and a new slip to the seaward side and most recently the construction of new changing rooms, offices and boathouse provide state of the art facilities, capable of coping with major international and world championship events. The club provides a wide range of sailing facilities, from Junior training to family cruising, dinghy sailing to offshore racing and caters for most major classes of dinghies, one design keelboats, sports boats and cruiser racers. It provides training facilities within the ISA Youth Sailing Scheme and National Power Boat Schemes.

Past Commodores

1931 – 42 Earl of Granard 1942 – 45 T.J. Hamilton 1945 – 47 P.M. Purcell 1947 – 50 J.J. O’Leary 1950 – 55 A.A. Murphy 1955 – 60 J.J. O’Leary 1960 – 64 F. Lemass 1964 – 69 J.C. McConnell 1969 – 72 P.J. Johnston 1972 – 74 L. Boyd 1974 – 76 F.C. Winkelmann 1976 – 79 P.A. Browne 1979 – 83 W.A. Maguire 1983 – 87 F.J. Cooney 1987 – 88 J.J. Byrne 1988 – 91 M.F. Muldoon 1991 – 94 B.D. Barry 1994 – 97 M.P.B. Horgan 1997 – 00 B. MacNeaney 2000 – 02 I.E. Kiernan 2002 – 05 C.N.I. Moore 2005 – 08 C.J. Murphy 2008 – 11 P.D. Ryan 2011 – P. Barrington 2011-2014 Larry Power 2014-2017 Ronan Beirne 2017 – 2019

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