TSMV ''Shanklin'' was a passenger ferry that operated between

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

between 1951 and 1980. Renamed ''Prince Ivanhoe'' she went on to become a pleasure cruiser in the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

but in 1981 sank off the Welsh coast on her first season.

Background and construction

Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Southern Railway, that provided passenger and vehicle ferry services to the

, decided to supplement and replace the existing coal burning paddle steamers that operated on the

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

route with modern twin screw diesel powered vessels (TSMV). Initial plans, incorrectly based on a predicted downward trend in passenger numbers, were to order the construction of two such vessels. These were to be the identical ships and built by

William Denny & Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being built ...

in Dumbarton on

Clydeside Greater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area (or conurbation). It does not relate to municipal government ...

. They were launched in 1948 and went into service with the now nationalised

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

ways. One of the existing paddle steamers, , was replaced (two having been sunk during World War II) and four were retained. Increasing numbers of passengers quickly led to the order for a third similar ship. ''Shanklin'', designed to replace the paddle steamer . Again built by William Denny & Brothers, the new ''Shanklin'' was launched on 22 February 1951. The ceremony was performed by Mrs V. M Barrington-Ward whose husband was a member of the British Railways executive. As a result of experience gained from building and operating ''Brading'' and ''Southsea'', ''Shanklin'' was designed slightly differently from her sisters. She had a taller funnel, raised lifeboats and increased passenger deck space.

Ferry service

''Shanklin'' went into service with British Railways on 18 June 1951. At this time there were three main activities for the passenger ferry fleet *The regular ferry route from Portsmouth to Ryde Pier head. *The summer only ferry route from Southsea (South parade pier) to Ryde pier head. *Summer only Solent cruises and excursions. In addition to ''Shanklin'' the five other vessels undertaking these tasks at this time were: * * * * * The withdrawal of the paddle steamers in 1970 resulted in the two ferry routes being combined as a three stage Portsmouth to Southsea (Clarence Pier) to Ryde route for some sailings. ''Shanklin'' underwent a major refit over the winter of 1966/67. This resulted in an extended bridge deck and modernised lounge and saloon. ''Shanklin''s career was punctuated by a number of accidents. She collided with Ryde Pier on three occasions – on Saturday 5 June 1954, 9 March 1973, and 12 June 1979. The 1973 accident was the most serious. At 12:35 in the morning, in heavy fog, she struck the pier's roadway destroying of its length. A taxi being driven up the pier fell into the gap and sank. Fortunately the driver escaped. In 1978 it was decided that only two vessels were needed on regular services. As ''Shanklin'' was by then regularly suffering engine problems it was decided to place her in reserve. She was finally withdrawn on 7 March 1980 and put up for sale.

''Prince Ivanhoe''

In October 1980 ''Shanklin'' was bought by the Firth of Clyde Steam Packet Company, who already ran the paddle steamer on coastal excursions, and renamed ''Prince Ivanhoe''. After renovations on Clydeside over the winter of 1980/81 she began public and private pleasure sailings in the

starting in May 1981.

Sinking

On 3 August 1981 ''Prince Ivanhoe'' began a pleasure trip starting at

Penarth Penarth (, ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg), Wales, exactly south of Cardiff city centre on the west shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay. Penarth is a weal ...

with stops at

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National P ...

and Mumbles and then a cruise along the Gower coast. By the time she left Mumbles she had 450 passengers on board. She navigated close to the shore around

Oxwich Oxwich is a village on the Gower Peninsula, in the city and county of Swansea in south Wales. Oxwich is part of the small community of Penrice which extends from the village of Horton to Oxwich Bay, and as of 2001 recorded a population of 454 i ...

Point into

Port Eynon Port Eynon (also spelt Port Einon, Porth Einon in Welsh) is a village and Community (Wales), community within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, located on the far south tip of the Gower Peninsula within the designated Area of Outstanding Natu ...

Bay at 15:35. Whilst emerging from this bay she hit a submerged object, probably rocks or a wreck, tearing a gash in her hull. Realising that she was sinking her captain, David Neill, sailed her about one mile (1.6 km) to Horton, Swansea where she was beached. An RAF air-sea rescue helicopter and

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

life boats from Horton, Port Eynon and Mumbles went to her assistance and all of the passengers were saved, mainly by being ferried to the shore in life boats. One passenger died from a heart attack on the beach after being rescued. The wrecked ship remained where it had come to rest. There were several salvage attempts, which had varying degrees of success, until the hull was finally removed in July and August 1984.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanklin Ferry transport on the Isle of Wight Transport in Portsmouth Transport in Hampshire Ships built on the River Clyde 1951 ships Ships sunk with no fatalities Maritime incidents in 1981 Ships of British Rail

Background and construction

Ferry service

''Prince Ivanhoe''

Sinking

See also

Notes