The Duke of Lancaster | National Historic Ships

Registration number 2318

Status Registered

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Details

Function Passenger Vessel

Subfunction Ferry

Location Llanerch-y-Mor

Vessel type Ferry

Current use Private use

Available to hire No

Available for excursions No

Construction

Builder Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast

Built in 1956

Hull material Steel

Rig None

Number of decks 1

Propulsion Motor

Number of engines 2

Primary engine type Steam turbine

Boiler type None

Boilermaker None

Dimensions

Breadth: Beam

55.00 feet (16.78m)

Length: Overall

354.00 feet (107.97m)

Tonnage: Gross

4450.00

History

THE DUKE OF LANCASTER is a passenger ferry built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast in 1956. She is of steel construction with twin steam turbine engines by Babcock and Wilcox. She was designed to operate not only as a passenger ferry but also as a cruise ship. This phase of her life ended in 1970 when she was converted to a car ferry.

She was laid up in Barrow in Furness in 1978. In 1979, THE DUKE OF LANCASTER was privately owned and beached at Llanerch-y-Mor in North Wales. The intention was to turn the vessel into a floating leisure and retail complex. This was relatively short lived and the vessel remains at the same berth pending funding.

Key dates

1956
Built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast as a Passenger Vessel for British Railways for use as a ferry, mainly on the Heysham-Belfast route and as a cruise ship around the Scottish Islands and further afield to Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway and Spain.
C1965
Modified as a car-ferry with the main deck rebuilt to accommodate vehicles via a door at her stern
1970
Returned to service as a car ferry on the Heysham-Belfast route
1975
Service on the Heysham-Belfast route withdrawn
1975-1978
Briefly employed on the Fishguard-Rosslare crossing before becoming the regular relief vessel on the Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire service
1978
Laid up at Barrow in Furness
1979
Sold to Empirewise Ltd who intended to use her as a static Leisure Centre. She was brought into a permanent dock and surrounded by sand for the Dee Estuary and known as the Funship. After a battle with the Local Authority, the owners halted the Funship Business
1985
Used as a warehouse for a Clothing Co with the same address as Empirewise Ltd
2011
Featured in BBC’s 2 Coast
2012
Most of the coin operated machines were purchased from Solitaire Liverpool Ltd
2013
Vessel turned into a large open-air art gallery
2014
Remains at same berth pending funding to turn vessel into floating leisure and retail complex
2015
Vessel is known to be land-locked in North Wales in poor condition and in contention with Flintshire County Council as to its ownership and future use