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But in the final years on the Irish Sea, the ferry took on another name, Stena Adventurer until withdrawn from the Irish Sea route in 1996.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