The ''MV Dittisham Princess'' 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 ...

, England. She is mainly used for the Western Lady Ferry in

Torbay Torbay is a borough and unitary authority in Devon, south west England. It is governed by Torbay Council and consists of of land, including the resort towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, located on east-facing Tor Bay, part of Lyme ...

, as well as charters, winter services and as a relief vessel, on the cruise/

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 ...

, and on circular cruises from Dartmouth, for

Dart Pleasure Craft River Link is a ferry, cruise boat, and bus operator, based in Devon, England. The company is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, who also own and operate the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Services River Link operates the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, ...

.Boyle, I, http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Dart_Pleasure_Craft.html, Referred 2009

Design

MV Dittisham Princess is a steel twin-deck passenger vessel. The

main deck The main deck of a ship is the uppermost complete deck extending from bow to stern. A steel ship's hull may be considered a structural beam with the main deck forming the upper flange of a box girder and the keel forming the lower strength memb ...

flush Flush may refer to: Places * Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States Architecture, construction and manufacturing * Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers * Flush deck, in naval architecture * Flu ...

, with a short raised foredeck to provide additional seaworthiness. There is a fully enclosed saloon with bar and toilets on the main deck, with a large open deck on the upper deck along with the wheelhouse, accessed by external stairways both forward and

aft "Aft", in nautical terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning towards the stern (rear) of the ship, aircraft or spacecraft, when the frame of reference is within the ship, headed at the fore. For example, "Able Seaman Smith; lie aft!" or "Wh ...

. There are further open passenger decks forward and aft on the main deck. Her twin Gardner engines are located in the hull underneath the bar area of the passenger accommodation

History

Se was built for GH Riddalls & Sons in 1995 to replace the MV ''Dartmothian''. In 2000 the Riddalls fleet was bought by

and she was transferred to their fleet, with her former red hull painted blue. She is the newest vessel in the Dartmouth Riverboats fleet, and primarily works the Western Lady ferry service in Torbay. In the winter months, she typically works winter Harbour Cruises in Dartmouth, due to her fully enclosed saloon area.

Livery

When built the MV ''Diitisham Princess'' appeared in 'Red Cruisers' Livery, of red hull, white boot topping, green anti-fouling and white superstructure. She now is painted in 'Dartmouth Riverboats' Livery of dark blue hull, white boot topping, red antifouling, white superstructure with the words 'Western Lady Ferry' in yellow. Riddalls tried various combinations of red and white for the raised bow section, it is now mainly white, with the blue paint raised slightly from the level of the main deck.

External links

Dart Pleasure Craft Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dittisham Princess 1995 ships Ferries of South West England River Dart passenger vessels