''Suffolk Ferry'' was a

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ...

built for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1947. She was subsequently operated by British Railways and

Sealink Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland. Ports served by the company included: Dover, Folkesto ...

before being withdrawn in 1980 and scrapped in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in 1981.

Description

''Suffolk Ferry'' was built by John Brown & Co, Ltd, Clydebank,

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Pe ...

. She was yard number 638. ''Suffolk Ferry'' was long, with a beam of , with a draught of . Registered at , , She was powered by two 6-cylinder Sulzer single action

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

s with cylinders of stroke by bore, rated at 2,680

bhp BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...

. They could propel the ship at . She could carry 35 railway wagons and twelve passengers.

Service

''Suffolk Ferry'' was the first

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

powered ship built for the London and North Eastern Railway. Registered at Harwich, she usually operated on the Harwich –

Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zee ...

route, the crossing taking nine hours. ''Suffolk Ferry'' entered service in August 1947. With the nationalisation of the railways in the United Kingdom in 1948, ownership of ''Suffolk Ferry'' passed to the

British Transport Commission The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...

. On 2 January 1956, the Liberian tanker ''Melody'' ran aground off

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river ...

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

, Netherlands. ''Suffolk Ferry'' was one of three vessels which went to the assistance of ''Melody''. On 6 May 1961, ''Suffolk Ferry'' rescued all four people from the British

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

''Sugar Creek'' in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

off the '' Cork Lightship''. On 16 December 1962, ''Suffolk Ferry'' reported to Ostend Radio that the

Offshore radio Offshore radio is radio broadcasting from ships or fixed maritime structures. Offshore broadcasters are usually unlicensed but transmissions are legal in international waters. This is in contrast to unlicensed broadcasting on land or within a na ...

ship ''Uilenspiegel'', home of Radio Antwerpen, was adrift and sinking. ''Suffolk Ferry'' remained alongside ''Uilenspiegel'' until a lifeboat arrived. ''Uilenspiegel'' subsequently beached at

Cadzand Cadzand is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is located in the municipality of Sluis, about 8 km northwest of Oostburg. The village contains 790 inhabitants (2010). Better known to many visitors is the nearby beach at Cadzand- ...

. In 1963, ownership passed to the

British Railways Board British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. On 8 October 1965, ''Suffolk Ferry'' rescued nine of the thirteen crew of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

coastal tanker ''Unkas'', which had collided with the Swedish cargo ship ''Marieholm'' in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands. ''Unkas'' was later towed in to

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

. With the introduction of

IMO number The IMO number of the International Maritime Organization is a generic term covering two distinct meanings. The IMO ship identification number, is a type of hull number used as a unique ship identifier, and the IMO company and registered owne ...

s in the late 1960s, ''Suffolk Ferry'' was allocated the IMO Number 5343160. Ownership passed to the British Rail subsidiary

in 1979. She was withdrawn from service in September 1980. ''Suffolk Ferry'' was towed to Antwerp, Belgium on 25 November 1980. She was scrapped at Burcht, Antwerp in April 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suffolk Ferry 1947 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Train ferries Ferries of the United Kingdom Ships of the London and North Eastern Railway Ships of British Rail