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RMS ''St Helena'' is a
cargo liner A cargo liner, also known as a passenger-cargo ship or passenger-cargoman, is a type of merchant ship which carries general cargo and often passengers. They became common just after the middle of the 19th century, and eventually gave way to conta ...
(carrying cargo and passengers) that served the
British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...
of
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...
. She sailed between
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
and Saint Helena with regular shuttles continuing to
Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of ...
. Some voyages also served
Walvis Bay Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The ci ...
en route to and from, or occasionally instead of, Cape Town. She visited Portland, Dorset twice a year with normal calls in the Spanish ports of
Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...
(northbound) and
Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the Archipelago, archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitant ...
(southbound) until 14 October 2011, when she set sail on her final voyage from the English port. On 10 February 2018 she departed for her last trip from St Helena to Cape Town. At the time of her retirement from St Helena service she was one of only four ships in the world still carrying the status of
Royal Mail Ship Royal Mail Ship (sometimes Steam-ship or Steamer), usually seen in its abbreviated form RMS, is the ship prefix used for seagoing vessels that carry mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. The designation dates back to 1840. Any vessel de ...
. Locals including local press have usually called her ''the RMS'' rather than ''the St. Helena'', in order not to confuse her with the island itself. In April 2018 she was purchased by MNG Maritime and renamed ''MNG Tahiti'' to act as a
vessel-based armoury Floating armouries are vessels used to store military grade weapons. Being in possession of military-grade weapons in most jurisdictions is highly controlled. In the early twenty-first century, piracy in international waters became a serious issue ...
(VBA) licensed by the UK
Department for International Trade The Department for International Trade (DIT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for striking and extending trade agreements between the United Kingdom and foreign countries, as well as for encouraging foreign investment and ...
(DIT) in the
Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...
. In October 2018 MNG sold the ship and she returned to the UK renamed ''St Helena'' once more.


Background

Formerly, Saint Helena island was occasionally served by ships of the
Union-Castle Line The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line. It merged with ...
, which ran between the UK and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
. By the 1970s the number of ships taking this route had declined significantly and Union-Castle withdrew from the route completely at the end of 1977. As Saint Helena lacked an airfield, the British government had to purchase a ship to service the remote island and its dependencies from Cape Town. The British government purchased the part passenger, part cargo ship ''Northland Prince'' to fulfil the role of servicing Saint Helena, and after being refitted and renamed this became the first RMS ''St Helena''. Originally built in 1963, this converted 3,150-ton ship had room to carry 76 passengers and supplies. The ship was used by the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...
during the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial ...
as a minesweeper support ship. By the 1980s it was becoming apparent that the ship was too small for the island's needs, resulting in the new ''St Helena'', built in 1989. The island lacks a port suitable for large ships, so the RMS anchored near the island, and loaded and unloaded cargo to and from
lighters A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or c ...
.


Characteristics

The new RMS ''St Helena'', the last ship built in
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...
, was launched by
Hall, Russell & Company Hall, Russell & Company, Limited was a shipbuilder based in Aberdeen, Scotland. History Brothers James and William Hall, Thomas Russell, a Glasgow engineer, and James Cardno Couper founded the company in 1864 to build steam engines and boile ...
in 1989. ''St Helena'' was a British registered Class 1 passenger/cargo ship, and operated with 56 officers and crew. ''St Helena'' was equipped to carry a wide range of cargo, including liquids, to meet the needs of the population of Saint Helena. She also had berths for 155 passengers and associated facilities including a swimming pool, shop, and lounges. She also had well-equipped medical facilities and an on-board doctor. The ship's capacity was extended in 2012 by the addition of 24 extra cabin berths, and a new gym was installed. Some sources state that she had the nickname "Betty Blue Bucket". AW Ship Management had a package deal where passengers could travel in one direction on the RMS and in the other by taking
British Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
flights to or from RAF Ascension Island and
RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the village of Brize Norton, and the towns of Carterton and Witney. The statio ...
in Brize Norton,
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 ...
. By the 2010s many construction workers building the airport and South African tourists were passengers. The shipboard culture had been inherited from previous Union Castle lines although formality became relaxed in response to changes in the customer base. When she converted to a
vessel-based armoury Floating armouries are vessels used to store military grade weapons. Being in possession of military-grade weapons in most jurisdictions is highly controlled. In the early twenty-first century, piracy in international waters became a serious issue ...
in May 2018, a
rigid inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are i ...
davit Boat suspended from radial davits; the boat is mechanically lowered Gravity multi-pivot on Scandinavia'' file:Bossoir a gravité.jpg, Gravity Roller Davit file:Davits-starbrd.png, Gravity multi-pivot davit holding rescue vessel on North Sea ferr ...
was fitted on the port side, and additional bunks installed, taking the capacity to 30 crew and 250 passengers.


Incidents

In November 1999, ''St Helena'' broke down en route to the island and was forced into the French port of Brest to undergo repairs. Many people were left stranded on the island with no way in or out whilst the ship was being repaired. Panic-buying ensued as islanders became concerned about the non-delivery of vital supplies. This incident intensified calls for the island to be provided with an
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...
. On 25 August 2000, ''St Helena'' suffered a minor
engine room On a ship, the engine room (ER) is the compartment where the machinery for marine propulsion is located. To increase a vessel's safety and chances of surviving damage, the machinery necessary for the ship's operation may be segregated into var ...
fire while sailing from
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
to Tenerife on the first leg of her journey to the island. No one was injured and there was no significant damage. In March and April 2017 a number of Cape Town – Saint Helena voyages were cancelled because of technical problems with the propellers, making the island isolated as the airport was still not operational.


Recent history

In 2005 the British government announced plans to construct an airport on Saint Helena, which would lead to the withdrawal from service of the RMS ''St Helena''. The airport was initially expected to be operational by 2010. However, it was not approved until October 2011, with work commencing in 2012. The estimated cost on the project is £240 million and the airport was due to open in the first quarter of 2016. However, due to concerns about
wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizont ...
, on 26 April 2016 the St. Helena Government announced an indefinite postponement to the opening of Saint Helena Airport. RMS ''St Helena'' had been placed for disposal via London shipbrokers CW Kellock, but was subsequently restored to service. The voyage originally intended as her final one began on 14 June 2016 from the UK and ended on 15 July in Cape Town, calling at Tenerife, Ascension Island and St Helena. As part of its farewell voyage, Royal Mail organised a letter exchange with pupils from Cardiff and St Helena. However, due to the postponed opening of the airport, the schedule of RMS ''St Helena'' was extended as an interim measure. The ship was initially scheduled to run until July 2017, and then February 2018. After the opening of Saint Helena Airport to scheduled passenger flights on 14 October 2017, RMS ''St Helena'' was withdrawn from service, and her last sailing from St Helena Island was on 10 February 2018. Freight services for the Saint Helena island have been taken over by the MV ''Helena'' cargo ship, which does carry a limited number of passengers, and mail and other express freight by the passenger aircraft. The first passenger on the MV ''Helena'' stated that unlike the RMS ''St Helena'', the new ship, with a lower capacity, is strictly geared towards cargo although some former RMS employees had become crew on the new ship. In April 2018, ''St Helena'' was purchased by
MNG Maritime Mark Nicholas Gray MBE is a former colonel in the British Royal Marines, running a floating armoury company in the ocean area subject to piracy based in Somalia and nearby countries. As a UN observer he prevented a disaster at the Peruća hydr ...
and entered service as a vessel-based armoury in the
Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا� ...
named ''MNG Tahiti'' to supply weaponry to ships travelling through the High Risk Area of heightened pirate activity in the Indian Ocean. In October 2018 the vessel was resold to St Helena LLC,
Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...
and in 2019 the ship was refitted to act as a mobile hub for the race events of the
Extreme E Extreme E is an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that uses spec silhouette electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Saudi Arabian desert or the Arctic. All racing locations are chosen to raise awarenes ...
electric SUV racing series. She is used to carry all equipment, including the cars, to the race locations. File:RMS St Helena.jpg, Anchored James Bay, Island of St. Helena File:RMS St Helena - onboard.jpg, Aft Deck of RMS ''St Helena'' File:RMS St Helena London (16358540002).jpg, Life ring


References


Notes


Bibliography

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External links


RMS ''St. Helena'' homepage
** *

an
brochure

MV Helena homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Helena (1989), RMS Transport in Saint Helena Transport in Ascension Island Transport in Tristan da Cunha Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Cargo liners Ships built in Aberdeen 1989 ships Mine warfare vessels of the Royal Navy Ships built by Hall, Russell & Company Extreme E