MV ''Kenilworth'' is a historic passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

built in 1936 as MV ''Hotspur II''. She was used on the

Hythe Ferry Hythe Pier, the Hythe Pier Railway and the Hythe Ferry provide a link between the English port city of Southampton and the Hampshire village of Hythe, Hampshire, Hythe on the west side of Southampton Water. It is used both by commuters and tour ...

service 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 ...

until 1978, and then on the

Kilcreggan Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cille Chreagain'') is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach o ...

ferry on the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

until 2007.

History

MV ''Hotspur II'' was built in 1936 by

Rowhedge Ironworks Rowhedge Ironworks was a shipyard situated on the River Colne, and in the village of Rowhedge, in the English county of Essex. It existed from 1904 to 1964, and built a number of coastal vessels, including VIC type Clyde puffers and ferries for ...

as a passenger

for the

service across

. One of the ''Kenilworths half-sisters, , remained operational with the Hythe Ferry service until 2014. The use of the name ''Hotspur'' for several generations of Hythe ferries derives from the involvement, and later ownership, of the ferry service by the

Percy family The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...

, whose member Hotspur was immortalised by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. In 1978, ''Hotspur II'' was bought by Clyde Marine Motoring to operate the

Gourock Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a r ...

–

service. Arriving on the Clyde on 22 March, she was modified before entering service on 2 April 1979. Renamed ''Kenilworth'', after the novel

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a ...

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

, she provided the main ferry service, initially on subcontract to

Caledonian MacBrayne Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...

and after 1983, on behalf of

Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the are ...

. Other company vessels (Clyde Marine Services Ltd. from 2003), including and CalMac vessels provided relief. Along with , ''Kenilworth'' was listed in the UK Historic Ship Register from 2001. Replaced by the purpose-built in 2007, she continued to provide morning and afternoon cruises. In 2009, she was reported to be sold to a new owner in Inverness and was reportedly sold again in 2018 for conversion into a houseboat. Kenilworth is berthed in Hartlepool undergoing restoration

2006 Incident

At 9.40 am BST on 23 October 2006, a

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

warship taking part in the '' Neptune Warrior'' training exercise radioed the ''Kenilworth'' to warn "Unidentified vessel approaching on my starboard side, please identify yourself. If you fail to do so, we will open fire on you with live ammunition." The message caused alarm as it was broadcast on VHF channel 16, the international calling and distress frequency. A spokeswoman at

Faslane His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

indicated that channel 16 had been correctly used to request identification, but should not have been used for the warning which should have been on an exercise frequency. She stated that the ferry had not been in any danger, and advised that the organiser of the exercise, Commander Don Chalmers, deputy director of the Joint Maritime Operational Training Staff, had apologised to the skipper.

Layout

There is covered passenger accommodation on two decks forward, with a bar in the lower saloon. She was re-engined in 2000.

Service

service across

–

– service on the Firth of Clyde. She also crossed

Gare Loch The Gare Loch or Gareloch ( gd, An Gearr Loch) is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland and bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for sailing, recreational boating, list of w ...

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local governm ...

and provided cruises and charters in summer.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kenilworth Ferries of Scotland Ships of Scotland 1936 ships