The MV ''Cardiff Castle'' is a twin

screw A screw and a bolt (see '' Differentiation between bolt and screw'' below) are similar types of fastener typically made of metal and characterized by a helical ridge, called a ''male thread'' (external thread). Screws and bolts are used to fa ...

passenger vessel, operating on the

River Dart The River Dart is a river in Devon, England, that rises high on Dartmoor and flows for to the sea at Dartmouth. Name Most hydronyms in England derive from the Brythonic language (from which the river's subsequent names ultimately derive fr ...

South Devon South Devon is the southern part of Devon, England. Because Devon has its major population centres on its two coasts, the county is divided informally into North Devon and South Devon.For exampleNorth DevonanSouth Devonnews sites. In a narrower se ...

, UK, mainly on the

cruise A cruise is any travel on a cruise ship. Cruise or Cruises may also refer to: Tourism * Booze cruise * Music cruise * River cruise Aeronautics and aircraft * Cruise (aeronautics), a distinct stage of an aircraft's flight * Aviasouz Cruise, a R ...

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 ...

route between Dartmouth and

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-so ...

, but also on circular cruises from Dartmouth, for Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd.

History

''MV Cardiff Castle'' was built in 1964 for the

River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd The River Dart Steamboat Co Ltd (RDSC) and its predecessors, the Dartmouth Steam Packet Company and the Dartmouth and Torbay Steam Packet Company, were the major ferry and excursion boat operators on the River Dart in South Devon for 120 years, u ...

(RDSC) by Bolson's of

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

. She was a near sister of ''Conway Castle'' and was built to replace ''Totnes Castle''. She was originally fitted with ''Totnes Castle''s wheelhouse on a flying bridge structure above her main (open) passenger deck. She also had a lounge on the lower deck. She operated passenger services on the Dart until 1977; by this time she was the last passenger vessel owned by RDSC.Clammer, R & Kittrage, A. ''Passenger Steamers of the River Dart & Kingsbridge Estuary'', Twelveheads Press, 1987 In 1977 she was sold to Millbrook Steamboat & Trading Co Ltd, which at that time was the largest operator of cruises from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. They rebuilt her to her current condition, with a large deckhouse on the main deck, and open deck seating above, behind a new wheelhouse. The bar is still located on the lower deck. In 1980 the Millbrook Company, and all of its vessels were bought by Dart Free Houses Ltd, parent company of Dart Pleasure Craft Ltd. In 1985 the Millbrook operation was wound up and there were various transfers of vessels between the fleets of different south Devon companies.Kittridge,A. ''Steamers & Ferries of the River Tamar & Three Towns District'', Twelveheads Press, 2003 ''Cardiff Castle'' returned to the Dart, and can now be seen operating regularly on her original route from Dartmouth to Totnes.

External links

Dart Pleasure Craft Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardiff Castle 1964 ships Ferries of South West England River Dart passenger vessels