P&O Stena European Ferries (Irish Sea) was formed in 1998 by the merger of the
Cairnryan-based service of P&O European (Felixstowe) Ltd. and Pandoro Ltd. who
operated the routes from Ardrossan - Larne, Fleetwood - Larne, Liverpool - Dublin and
Rosslare - Cherbourg.
The Atlantic Steam Navigation company commenced operations with the chartered tank landing
craft Empire Cedric between the Lancashire port of Preston and Larne in May 1948. Her
success saw the further charters of the Empire Doric, Empire Gaelic and Empire Cymric and
the opening of a second link to Belfast by the 'Gaelic' in 1950. During 1956 the entire
fleet of LSTs (Landing Ship (Tank)) was requisitioned by the Government during the Suez
Crisis and chartered German ships were hastily introduced to keep the services going while
in the following year the company acquired their first purpose-built ships. A product of
the Wm. Denny & Bros. yard at Dumbarton the Bardic Ferry and Ionic Ferry were the
World's first commercial roll on - roll off vessels and carried not just lorries but had
sufficient headroom of their vehicle decks to accommodate a double decker bus. Government
requirements meant that the vehicle decks were strengthened to carry tanks in case of
future emergencies and up to twenty containers could be carried on their upper decks.
First and Second Class accommodation for 55 passengers was provided, each with their own
dining rooms and lounges.
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First car ferries
The traditional cross-channel traveller had always been a foot passenger, arriving at the
port by first horse-drawn stage-coach, then steam-train - and embarking on the ferry with
all their luggage.
With the growing popularity of motoring, Captain Townsend bought and converted an old
minesweeper to cater for the new market of people who wanted to take their car with them
on a Continental motoring holiday . Like other cross-channel travel, most of the demand
was from the UK side.
Cars were loaded onto the Dover-Calais car ferry by crane: 6,000 in the first year, rising
to 31,000 in 1939 before the Second World War interupted services.
After the war, new "drive on" ferry terminals were built in Dover and Calais.
Opened in 1953,they had moveable loading bridges, so cars could drive on whatever the
state of the tide.
Train Ferry
In 1936, the Southern Railway company and the new SNCF invested in new train ferry docks
at Dover and Dunkerque. These ships had rails on the cargo deck to carry railway carriages
and wagons. At each end, the ship ran into a dock where the water level could be adjusted
so that the trains could run off the ship onto the tracks. The famous "Golden
Arrow" luxury express used this route between London and Paris.
Hovercraft
In 1959, a one-man hovercraft successfully crossed the channel, landing on the beach
inside Dover harbour. This experimental British invention promised to revolutionise
cross-channel travel - offering a speedy crossing without the huge initial investment in
building a tunnel which would be required for high-speed trains.
The craft were successfully scaled up so they could carry hundreds of passengers and cars
- though they could not cope with rough weather. "Hoverpads" were built at
Calais, Boulogne, Pegwell Bay near Ramsgate, and in Dover harbour. British Rail, SNCF, and
Hoverspeed a private company all competed to develop the new craft.
Unfortunately, they were made less economic by the rise in fuel prices in the 1970's,
because they used fuel heavily just to stay up as well as to move. The last services were
withdrawn in 2000.
The Channel Tunnel
Schemes were talked about as early as the 18th century, and serious construction work
started on both sides in 1881 - only to be halted by political rather than engineering
difficulties. Work re-commenced in earnest a century later in the 1980s, and the Channel
Tunnel was finally opened in 1994. The train ferry was ended at this time.
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Crossing the channel by sailing ship
Crossing the channel by sailing ship was at the mercy of tides and weather. Until the late
19th century, landing was often a problem - harbours on both sides were rather shallow and
not well protected against storms.Ships often had to wait offshore at Dover or Calais
until the tide was high enough to enter the harbour - or else cross to the beach in a
small rowing boat. Travel to the coast was equally perilous. On an 18th century
horse-drawn stagecoach, you could travel from Paris to Calais or Dover to London within a
long, dusty day - highwaymen and the state of the roads permitting.
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BC Ferries started out with two ships, two terminals, and around 200 employees.
Today, BC Ferries has 38 vessels, and up to 46 destinations.
Schedules include frequent, year-round sailings to some of the most fun, fascinating and
often remote corners of the coast. The staff complement now exceeds 4700 in the summer
months, and their commitment to customer safety and service has never been stronger.
These web pages give you a quick look at our history. You'll read
about why BC Ferries was established, and how, with plenty of hard work and a pioneering
spirit, our people have met the challenge of an ever-increasing demand for service.
We hope you'll enjoy this story of how one of the largest, most sophisticated ferry
systems in the world came to be. Please contact us if you have anything you think we
should add. We'd particularly like to hear from you with stories of your first experience
with BC Ferries.
In the meantime, read on and enjoy a ride through 40 years of coastal service!
Before BC Ferries
Ferry service on the west coast of British Columbia has a long and proud maritime history.
A spirit of free enterprise was present at the start, with the Hudson's Bay Company as the
early pioneer of regular passenger and freight service between Vancouver Island and the
Lower Mainland in the mid 1800's. By 1901, Canadian Pacific Railway had taken over ferry
service across the Strait of Georgia and continued transporting passengers and vehicles on
a five-hour journey between downtown Vancouver and downtown Victoria until the 1960's.
Further north, the Black Ball Line had arrived on the scene in the
early 1950's to offer service between Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and Departure Bay in
Nanaimo, as well as to the Sunshine Coast and Jervis Inlet south of Powell River. The
company had been established by Captain Alexander Marshall Peabody, whose family's Puget
Sound Navigation Company was a key player in the development of British Columbia shipping.
Recognizing the need for continued reliable ferry service on the West Coast in the late
1950's, Premier W.A.C. Bennett announced on July 18, 1958, that the British Columbia Ferry
Authority would take over service under mandate from the provincial government.
Discount ferry fares and online ticket sales for Condor Ferries, P&O Ferries, Stenna Line, Brittany Ferries, Irish Ferries, Sea France, Hoverspeed, Eurotunel, Scandanavian Ferries and all other cross channel ferries to and from the Channel Islands, France, Ireland, Holland, England, Scotland, Spain, Greece and Italy. Book a ferry crossing to anywhere in Europe online and save!