Notes from the Larne Ferry Web Archive

Refits on the Larne to Fleetwood service were just coming to a close at the beginning of August 2002 when the European Leader arrived back to take up service on Friday the 2nd of August. The P&O flag on the starboard side of the funnel was missing on her return and it was applied while she was in service, the finishing touches applied by the 19th of August.

European Leader inbound to Larne looking decidedly strange with no P&O logo on the starboard side of her funnel. Photo: LFW

On the return of the European Leader the relief vessel, European Seafarer departed for Dublin to cover the European Envoy's dry docking. She returned to Larne on the 16th of August bringing the Fleetwood route back up to a three ship service.

On the Cairnryan service, the new ship, European Highlander, was officially named by Lady Susan Collins at a ceremony in Cairnryan on the 7th of August. After the ceremony invited guests were taken on a cruise to Larne. The following evening the ship also played host to a reception held for freight customers while berthed at Curran Quay in Larne.

The closing few days of August saw the Larne to Troon freight vessel, European Navigator lose all power on a crossing to Larne in the early hours of the 30th of August. The vessel started taking on water at around 0300 after a leak in the engine coolant system. The problem was fixed after an hour and the ship was able to continue to Larne.

The first purpose built ferry for the Larne to Cairnryan route arrived in Larne for the first time fresh from her builders on the 8th of August 2000. She initially arrived off the port at 0900 after leaving her builders in Japan on the 15th of July. As usual Northern Ireland delivered its best summer weather for the occasion- torrential rain!

Under the command of Captain Jim McMullan the ship made a slow approach and berthed safely bow first in Curran Quay. The ship then underwent trials and a cruise for VIP's before entering service on the 14th of August. In her first few days in service the captains each had a turn at seeing what their new ship could do and some extremely fast crossings were achieved, some in the region of 1 hour 30 minutes!

The naming ceremony of the European Causeway at Larne's Curran Quay, 22nd August 2000. At the lectern is Lady Penelope Harding who dedicated the vessel, seated immediately behind her is the vessel's senior master, Captain Jim McMullan while P&O Ferries chairman Graeme Dunlop is to Captain McMullan's left.

The ship entered service amid chaos on the route. The upper deck of the ramp at Cairnryan was out of action being modified for the new ship so the European Causeway had to use her internal ramp at the Scottish side. She was also sailing in the company of the European Navigator, which was covering on the route as the other freight vessels on the route- European Trader and European Endeavour had no internal ramp and thus no way of loading their upper freight decks. The European Trader was put onto service on the Larne - Fleetwood route, while the European Endeavour was sent to dry dock at Harland and Wolff for refit.

The third conventional ferry on the route at the time was Pride of Rathlin using her main deck only for cargo and sailing in her last few weeks before final withdrawal. She was sorely needed at the time as the route's fast ferry, Superstar Express was recalled to Portsmouth to cover the Portsmouth Express which had broken a crankshaft.

Just prior to the Pride of Rathlin's withdrawal, August 2000 also marked the retirement on medical grounds of one of her captains; Captain Eddie Irvine. Born and bred in Islandmagee Eddie found his career at sea and became one of the finest masters ever to grace the port of Larne. His skill at the helm was matched only by his friendly and generous nature. He always had plenty of time amid the ever growing mountain of paperwork associated with being master of a ferry to share a chat with passengers and shore crew at both ports. Without fail, every time Captain Irvine took the Pride of Rathlin out of port it was followed by his trademark shout and wave of thanks from the bridge wing to the ropemen that had just let his ship go; just one of an endless list of little things that endeared Captain Irvine to so many people he met.

Captain Eddie Irvine on the bridge of the Pride of Ailsa. Photo: Gary Andrews

The new freight ship chartered for the Sealink service between Larne and Stranraer entered service on the 10th of August 1978. The new ship was named Darnia; the name of an Irish tribe that lived in County Antrim around 150AD. The ship was bought by James Fisher of Barrow earlier in the year from Stena Line, for which she was to have been called Stena Topper. Fisher's then agreed a demise charter arrangement with Sealink; although they were paying a charter fee eventually Sealink would actually own the vessel.

Built in Austrian in sections the ship was towed down the River Danube to Galati in Romania for final assembly and fitting out. A Sealink crew collected her new from the Danube and took the vessel to Harland and Wolff's shipyard in Belfast for modifications before being introduced on the Stranraer crossing.

Modifications included the fitting of fin stabilisers in the lower trailer hold; modification of the passenger accommodation for up to 88 passengers to be carried; installation of a lift between the main and upper vehicle decks to supplement the fixed internal ramp and modifying both bow and stern shore access for eventual use by double decked ramps then being planned for both Larne and Stranraer.

The Darnia as she initially appeared going astern from her berth at the Railway Pier, Stranraer.

Once modifications were complete Larne man, Captain William Bamber brought her to Larne for the first time where she replaced Dalriada in the local fleet.


Read the 3 page press release about the Darnia's introduction into service by clicking on the pages above.