MV ''Hythe Scene'' (formerly MV ''Great Expectations'') is a

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

ferry operating on the Hythe ferry service. This service connects the town of

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...

and the city of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, across

Southampton Water Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed wes ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. MV ''Great Expectations'' was originally introduced in 1992 and was originally used on the Gravesend to Tilbury ferry service across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

between

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

and

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, which was at that time operated by

White Horse Ferries Ltd White Horse Ferries is a company that previously operated a ferry on the English south coast. It is a member of the ''White Horse'' group of sister companies. Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry They operated the Hythe Ferry, pier and pier railway ...

. She was named after the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

novel, ''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'', in which the countryside of Kent and the marshes on the lower regions of the Thames feature heavily. In 1995, White Horse moved ''Great Expectations'' from the Thames to be the front-line vessel on their Hythe service. In 2008, White Horse Ferries spent £50,000 on upgrading the then 16-year-old ''Great Expectations'', including improvements to her main driveshafts. In 2012, ''Great Expectations'' received a new green and white with a black hull livery. On 21 April 2017, ''Great Expectations'' was purchased by the

Blue Funnel Group Blue Funnel Group refers to a related set of companies providing boat charter, cruise and ferry services around the Solent and Isle of Wight in vessels up to 500 passengers. The Blue Funnel Cruises operating out of Southampton Port and the S ...

as part of a takeover of Hythe ferry service. Following a refit and repainting in blue, she returned to service on 26 May 2017 under the new name, ''Hythe Scene''. In March 2023 the ferry was used in a training exercise conducted by the home office and the Nigerian National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

References

External links

Hythe Ferry website
Ferries of England 1992 ships Great Expectations {{ferry-stub