|
The Mersey Ferry is a ferry operating on the River Mersey in England. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
Ferry across the Mersey, June 2005 The River Mersey is a river in north-western England. ...
Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification - by Athelstan 967 Area...
History The first known ferry began in the 1150s when the monks of the priory at Birkenhead started a small ferry crossing. They used to charge a small fare and row passengers across the River Mersey. At this time, the Mersey was considerably wider with sand dunes and marshes to the north leading up to Ainsdale beach and sandstone cliffs and shorelines to the south near Otterspool. The only suitable landing point for the ferry was in the Pool, near the site of the present Merseyside Police HQ. Weather often stopped crossings and passengers were delayed for days during bad weather, taking shelter at the priory. The monks operated the service up until the priory's destruction by Henry VIII's troops. The ferry rights were then passed to private owners who resorted to the use of fully rigged sailing ships. The use of sailing ships meant that bigger vessels could be employed, but in reality these boats were even more at the bidding of the weather. The Mersey is famed for its thick fogs, and during these times during winter there was little wind and ferries could not operate. Centuries: 11th century - 12th century - 13th century Decades: 1100s 1110s 1120s 1130s 1140s - 1150s - 1160s 1170s 1180s 1190s 1200s Years: 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 Events and Trends Peter Lombard writes his Sentences Eric the Saint, king of Sweden led the first Christian crusade to...
Map sources for Birkenhead at grid reference SJ3088 Birkenhead is a town on The Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, on the left bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. ...
Ferry across the Mersey, June 2005 The River Mersey is a river in north-western England. ...
Ainsdale is a village in Sefton, Merseyside, England, situated three miles south of Southport. ...
Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...
Woodside Pier, Birkenhead. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 276 KB) View of Woodside Pier, Birkenhead, viewed from the shore. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 276 KB) View of Woodside Pier, Birkenhead, viewed from the shore. ...
Development Of The Ferry By the 1800s there were many ferry routes criss-crossing the Mersey, these included on the Wirral: Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ...
Wirral is a metropolitan borough in Merseyside, North West England, which occupies part of the Wirral peninsula, more commonly known locally as The Wirral. ...
Liverpool had terminals at: Eastham is a small town, located on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ...
New Ferry is a village on Wirral, Merseyside,England. ...
Rock Ferry is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England. ...
Tranmere is an area in Birkenhead on the Wirral. ...
Map sources for Birkenhead at grid reference SJ3088 Birkenhead is a town on The Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, on the left bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. ...
Woodside is a locality in Birkenhead, Wirral in England. ...
Seacombe is a village on Wirral, Merseyside,England Categories: UK geography stubs | Wirral, Villages and Towns ...
Egremont is an area of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula in England. ...
The New Palace amusement arcade in New Brighton. ...
Liverpool skyline. ...
At this time, the ferries were the only means of crossing the river, and so all of the routes were heavily used. Up until the mid 1800s all of the ferry routes were owned by private interests. Then two companies were formed: Birkenhead Corporation and Wallasey Corporation. These two large companies bought out most of the terminals on the Mersey, with Birkenhead Corporation getting all those south of Woodside, and Wallasey north to New Brighton. The Pier Head is a riverside location in the city-centre of Liverpool, England. ...
Garston could refere to several places, Garston, Hertfordshire Garston, Merseyside This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1805 - 1815). ...
Wallasey is a large town on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral. ...
At this time there was still some considerable debate as to the best way of boarding a ferry vessel. The first steam ferry, Etna, was shortly to enter service, so they came up first with the idea of extension stages. These were long piers that were mounted on wheels and, by using a steam engine, could be wheeled in and out depending on the level of the tide. These proved to be unsuccessful and instead they were replaced with the current floating pontoons which were designed to rise and fall with the tide.
Due to financial losses incurred from a gradual reduction in patronage, Birkenhead Corporation gradually closed its southern terminals; New Ferry in 1927, Eastham in 1929 and Rock Ferry in 1939. The closure of Eastham marked the last use of ferry paddle steamers on the river. Wallasey were always trying to close Egremont, but faced stiff opposition from locals who got petitions to keep the ferry open. The chance came to close Egremont during World War II for economical reasons after the pier was damaged in a collision. It never reopened. 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar). ...
1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full year calendar). ...
A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship driven by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ...
Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...
In the boats themselves, there was quick development, the early incarnations of today's modern vessels can be seen in some of the early propeller driven ships, mainly the 1906 pair, Royal Iris and Royal Daffodil. The Wallasey twin screw vessels all had flying bridges with an enclosed wheel house and open navigation boxes. They were all fitted with ahead and astern reciprocating engines and most vessels could achieve a speed of around 12 knots. Birkenhead did not use flying bridges, instead having a central wheel house and two outer navigation boxes. Wallasey ferries employed a funnel livery of white and black and Birkenhead red and black. After World War II, this was changed to an orange red and in 1960 to full orange when Mountwood and Woodchurch were introduced. When the railway tunnels were introduced, the ferry service did suffer somewhat but it always remained popular. It was really the advent of the road tunnels that caused trouble. Both ferry companies earned a substantial amount from luggage boats, which carried vehicles across the river. When the Queensway road tunnel opened between Birkenhead and Liverpool, the percentage of traffic dropped by 80%! By the 1940s, luggage boat services from both Woodside and Seacombe to Liverpool had ceased. 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
A twin screw steamer (TSS) is a steam-powered vessel propelled by two screws, one on either side of the plane of the keel. ...
A flying bridge is an open area on top of a ships pilothouse that serves as an operating station for the officers in good weather. ...
Some knots: 1. ...
1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...
Entrance to Queensway from St Johns Gardens The Queensway Tunnel is a road tunnel under the River Mersey, in the north west of England, between Liverpool and Birkenhead. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
Both ferry companies operated until 1968, when the decision was taken to merge under the single control of the Passenger Transport Executive. By this time, New Brighton had declined as a tourist destination and coupled with silting problems near the landing stage, the ferry service was withdrawn in 1971, with the stage and pier subsequently demolished. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...
In the United Kingdom, Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) are local government bodies which are responsible for public transport within large urban areas. ...
1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ...
The Boats There have been hundreds of ferry boats used on the Mersey. The Birkenhead boats Claughton, Bidston, Thurstaston and Upton were viewed as the fastest ferries on the river. The Wallasey ferries included a number of three deckers such as the Marlowe, which were used for both ferry duties and cruising. The first diesel ferry to enter service was the Royal Iris in 1951. The current flagship of the Mersey Ferry service is the Royal Daffodil. 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...
A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ...
MV Royal Daffodil Is currently the flagship vessel of the three Mersey Ferries. ...
The Royal Family The "Royal" prefix was granted to the ferries Iris and Daffodil for their service during World War I where they were instrumental at the Mole in Zeebrugge. Both ferries were badly damaged by returned home to a triumphant greeting. Since the original duo's withdrawal, there have been other Royals. The Royal Daffodil 2 was arguably the most luxurious ferry ever built, but tragedy struck. She was hit by a bomb and sunk at her berth in World War II, she was raised and then returned to service but with little of her pre-war splendour. Perhaps the most famous Royal is the Royal Iris of 1951. She was the best loved of all the Mersey ferries. She was the first diesel powered vessel of the Wallasey fleet. She had four diesel generators connected to two Metrovick marine propulsion units. She differed to all the other ferries as she had super smooth lines and a dummy funnel in place. She played host to hundreds of party cruises and bands such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, The Beatles and also Elvis Costello. She received a major refit in the 1970s and her popular fish and chip cafe - which earned her the name "the fish and chip boat" - was removed and replaced with a steak bar. The Royal Iris remained in service for nearly 40 years before being sold in 1993 - 2 years after withdrawal - for use as a floating nightclub. She is now berthed at Woolwich, London and is currently being refitted. “The Great War †redirects here. ...
The church of Zeebrugge Zeebrugge (French: Zeebruges) is a harbour-town at the coast of Belgium, a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. ...
Gerry & the Pacemakers was a British rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to challenge the Beatles in popularity. ...
The Searchers may refer to: The Searchers – a 1956 epic Western movie The Searchers – a 1960s British rock band This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. ...
Declan Patrick MacManus (born August 25, 1954, in London), better known by his stage name, Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter of Irish ancestry. ...
The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ...
1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...
Woolwich is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River Thames, though the tiny exclave of North Woolwich (which is now part of the London Borough of Newham) is on the north side of the river. ...
This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...
Leasowe, Egremont and Royal Daffodil 2 The Leasowe and Egremont were built by Philip and Co. in Dartmouth, Devon and entered service in 1951 and 1952 respectively. They were of a traditional design but boasted ultra modern equipment including Crossley multi-speed engines for versatile control. The only had one single boarding gangway and their forward saloons extended to the whole width of the ship. The forward saloons also had a bar area and dance floor, which meant the vessels could be used for cruising. Unfortunately, the lack of a forward gangway made these vessels less suitable in their primary roles as ferries, as it was necessary to embark and disembark passengers in two stages. Map sources for Dartmouth, Devon at grid reference SX877514 The town seen from the River Dart Dartmouth is a town in Devon in the south-west of England. ...
1952 (MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Crossley Motors, based in Manchester, England, produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945. ...
Egremont differed externally to Leasowe in that she had a canvas awning fitted around her funnel. Early photographs of Leasowe and Egremont show them carrying what look like binnacle shrouds (the brass lids that sit atop of a binnacle) on the roof of their wheelhouses and wing cabs. It is not understood what these where. Some people have said that they were in fact ventilation devices. Upon the bridge there were numerous modern devices. Chadburn synchrostep telegraphs and rudder angle indicatiors, hydraulic steering telemotor and an automatic whistle control could be found in both the wheelhouse and the navigation boxes. There was also an internal communication system, a ship to shore radio and PA system and three binnacles on the bridge. Similar types of navigation equipment and deck fittings used on these vessels are extant on the Edmund Gardner Pilot Boat at Merseyside Maritime Museum. A typical kitchen funnel. ...
Liverpool’s seafaring heritage brought to life in the historic Albert Dock. ...
The Royal Daffodil 2 was constructed by James Lamont and Co. at Greenock and entered service in 1959. She was a large and bulky ship compared with the other vessels of the Wallasey fleet, as she had three decks and was designed for the dual role of ferry and cruise service. The gross tonnage of Royal Daffodil 2 was 609, but despite her size she only had the same engines as the smaller Mountwood, Woodchurch and Overchurch. This meant she was somewhat slower and extremely hard to handle in heavy seas. View west over Greenock with the Golden Princess at Clydeport Ocean Terminal. ...
1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
With the merger of the Wallasey and Birkenhead fleets in the 1970s, these vessels were deemed surplus to requirements. Leasowe and Royal Daffodil 2 were sold to Greek owners and have been heavily modified since. Egremont is now used as a floating headquarters for the Island Cruising Club in Salcombe, Devon, not far from her original birthplace. The view from Salcombe waterfront Salcombe is a town in the South Hams district of Devon, England on the Kingsbridge Estuary. ...
“Devonshire†redirects here. ...
Mountwood, Woodchurch and Overchurch The current Mersey Ferries fleet comprises three vessels, all based on a similar design by naval architects Graham and Woolnough of Liverpool.
Mountwood and Woodchurch were built at Dartmouth by Philip and Sons. The Mountwood was launched on the 31st July, 1959 and the Woodchurch on the 28th October of the same year. They were based on designs of the Leasowe and Egremont of the Wallasey fleet, although they both weighed considerably less at 464 tonnes, compared with 511 tonnes for the earlier vessels. Interestingly they are also larger, being approximately 19 feet longer, 6 feet broader and over a foot taller. Both vessels were externally identical in almost every way, apart from shrouds protecting their funnel aft vent. Mountwood had a round shroud whilst Woodchurch was fitted with a square one.
Compared to the earlier Wallasey twins, the Mountwood and Woodchurch were highly advanced. They benefited from an injection of cash from both Birkenhead Corporation and the Joint Tunnel Committee. They were given special Crossley eight cylinder engines which were fitted with gears and automatic air brakes. New style telegraphs by Chadburns were designed which had a facility for braking the engines for rapid reversal, the telegraphs were part of a brand known as "Synchrostep" and were all originally painted blue with shiny brass rimming. They entered service in 1960 and were an instant hit with ferry passengers. They were light, modern and boasted the latest in marine navigation equipment. They were given an orange and black funnel livery. In their early years of service both the ferries carried rope fenders to protect their rubbing strakes.
The Mountwood was used in the film "Ferry Cross The Mersey" and also in the subsequent hit song by Gerry and the Pacemakers. In her early years Mountwood was an unreliable ship. She broke down three times whilst crossing the river and had to anchor. Her passengers were rescued by Woodchurch. she also collided with Bidston whilst berthing due to a communications error. It is uncler what happened, but the known course of events is as follows. The new Mountwood had two options of engine control. The first was direct control, where the bridge telegraphs controlled the engines directly, without the assistance of an engineer at the control board. The second option was the traditional system of telegraph orders bettween the engineers and the engines. On this day, the Mountwood was operating in the traditional way. The captain gave an order for full astern on the starboard engine to pull the vessel's bow away from the landing stage in preparation for her departure for Liverpool. He then stopped the starboard engine, switching the telegraph to the " run " position (a position where the propellor turns at a very slow rate and most often used to keep the vessel against a langing stage during a strong swell). He then placed the port telegraph to half ahead to push the stern of the vessel clear from the landing stage. What actually happened is unclear, but it seems that the engineer carried out the reverse of the telegraph orders which sent the Mountwood's bow into the stern of the nearby steamer Bidston. Fortunately no further collision occurred. Gerry & the Pacemakers was a British rock and roll group during the 1960s, and one of the few groups to challenge the Beatles in popularity. ...
They were joined in 1962 by Overchurch. Built at the Birkenhead shipyard of Cammell Laird and Co., Overchurch was of all welded construction and also had a bridge was completely enclosed rather than a wheel house and navigation boxes like Mountwood and Woodchurch. Overchurch had a high funnel immediately behind the bridge and also a small bridge deck, giving the appearance of a somewhat top-heavy look, as a result. She was also very popular and was fitted with the same navigation equipment as her near sisters. The Overchurch differed slightly from her earlier sisters in that she was a few tonnes heavier and a few inches longer. The trio of ferries all remained in near constant operation up until the early 1980s when cost cutting measures saw Woodchurch withdrawn for almost three years. It was rumoured that she was cannibalised to help keep her sisters running. Whilst in lay up at Clarence dry docks, she was offered for sale and one investor was hoping to use her to operate cruises around the Isle of Man! She was not sold and after main engine repairs and a full repaint Woodchurch returned to service in 1983, freeing up Overchurch to work the new Otterspool service, set up for the 1984 International Garden Festival. The ferries all operated on a normal 20 minute route throughout this. 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ...
Cammell Laird logo Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. ...
1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Commemorative coffee mug from the festival, showing a cartoon Liver bird. ...
In 1989, Mountwood and Woodchurch were withdrawn and extensively refurbished internally which resulted in complete rewiring and main engine repairs. They were given new modern interiors and their separate bridge wings and wheel houses were plated over to form one large bridge, although none of the original equipment was removed from the new bridge. They entered service by July 1990 in time for the QE2's first visit to the Mersey and also operated the new "heritage cruises". They also were given a new black and red livery replacing the red white and blue given for the Garden Festival season of 1984. The Overchurch was withdrawn from regular service and subsequently moved to Bootle, were she was internally refurbished and rewired. The Overchurch was given her major refit in 1998 at Lengthline Ship Repairers in Manchester, which resulted in a major rebuilding of all decks and fitting of new engines and navigation equipment. She was renamed Royal Daffodil and returned to service in 1999. Mountwood and Woodchurch were also refitted and renamed Royal Iris of the Mersey and Snowdrop, respectively. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...
QE2 may refer to: RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, the former flagship of the Cunard Steamship Lines QE2 (album), a 1980 music album by Mike Oldfield, named after the ship above Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom A freeway, the Queen Elizabeth II Highway between Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada...
Rather unusually, these Angels wear white hart (deer) badges, with the personal livery of King Richard II of England, who commissioned this, the Wilton diptych, about 1400 A livery is a uniform or other sign worn in a non-military context on a person or object (such as an airplane...
Bootle is a town in Sefton, Merseyside, North West England, within the traditional borders of Lancashire. ...
1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean by UNESCO. [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ...
This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ...
MV Royal Daffodil Is currently the flagship vessel of the three Mersey Ferries Overchurch The MV Royal Daffodil was formerly MV Overchurch. ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
All three boats now share the busy workload of cross-river ferrying, charter cruises and the ever-popular Manchester Ship Canal cruise, and will be doing so for many years to come.
Trivia - Mountwood, Woodchurch and Overchurch were named after overspill housing developments of Birkenhead and were commissioned into service by Birkenhead Corporation.
- Leasowe and Egremont are suburbs of Wallasey and the ferries that bore these names were commissioned by Wallasey Corporation.
- In spite of the close proximity of Wallasey and Birkenhead and their respective ferry landing stages, both Corporations used different gangway spacing on their vessels. This meant that a Wallasey ferry could not utilise both landing stages at Birkenhead's terminal at Woodside, and that a Birkenhead boat would be similarly disadvantaged at Seacombe and New Brighton. The Pier Head at Liverpool was obliged to have gangways to suit both sets of ships. When the combined ferry fleet was rationalised, Seacombe Ferry landing stage required the construction of an additional gangway to cater for the Birkenhead boats.
- When all of the three current vessels were refitted, their original helm and binnacles with compasses were placed back on the refurbished bridges. The other equipment such as the telegraphs is currently in storage in Mersey Ferries' archives.
- Mountwood's nameplate now reads "Royal Iris of the Mersey". It cannot be shortened to "Royal Iris", as the previous vessel of that name is still listed on Lloyd's Register of Shipping in the same class.
- The ferries' masts now carry four red, one white and one green light at various points. Prior to refit, they had only a forward facing white light. This is because all the ferries have been upgraded to a class 3 certificate, enabling them to sail much further and to various other locations such as Llandudno and Barrow. The extra lights are only used in this situation. Briefly, the Royal Daffodil carried a white half mast light which was suspended within the rigging. This was due to an electric failure in her main mast head lamp and an auxiliary light had to be used.
- Each ferry carries two 600ppsi compressed air Klaxons. The Royal Iris and the Snowdrop are each in the E major key and the Royal Daffodil's is in the F major key.
- The former ferry Egremont still has her bridge intact including all the telegraphs and navigation equipment from the period. It is now used as an observation area.
- On the 29th of October 2002, a tremendous storm hit the Mersey, with windspeeds measured at force 10 - 11. The round the world clipper race start was cancelled and tugs were called to ships in the Mersey to keep them at port, battling against the raging waves. The Royal Iris of the Mersey was in service that Sunday, and she was tied up at the Liverpool stage when her mast rigging was blown down and her mainmast had to be lowered for safety. Ferry services were cancelled and severe damage was caused to many properties along the waterfront.
Princess Alexandra may refer to: Princess Alexandra von Furstenberg - the Sister of Marie_Chantal Crown Princess of Greece Princess of Denmark Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy - a granddaughter of George V of the United Kingdom Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife - a granddaughter of Edward VII of the United Kingdom Princess...
U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision with a fishing boat. ...
The Lloyds Register Group is an independent risk management organisation providing risk assessment and risk mitigation solutions and management systems certification. ...
Llandudno South Parade (on the north shore) viewed from the Great Orme, with the twin mounds of Deganwy Castle in the distance Llandudno Bay and the Little Orme viewed from the Great Orme Llandudno Pier viewed from the Happy Valley gardens A sunny corner in the Happy Valley gardens Llandudno...
Look up Barrow in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Audio sample: Klaxon ( file info) — A sample of a submarine dive klaxon used by United States Navy submarines during World War II Problems listening to the file? See media help. ...
E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D# and E. Its key signature consists of four sharps. ...
F major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, Bâ™, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature consists of one flat. ...
For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...
External links - Mersey Ferries Website
- Photographs of Mersey Ferries
- Film of the Mersey Ferries
|
Feeds |
Contact