Notes from the Larne Ferry Web Archive

Larne to Fleetwood's fledgling three ship service received a boost after only 1 month of coming on track in October 2000. The third vessel roster was started on the 10th of September by the European Navigator departing Larne at 1600 and Fleetwood at 0300. The Navigator served until the 13th of September when the charter vessel Merchant Venture, originally intended for the route, took over. A month later the traffic had out grown the 55 trailer and 12 driver capacity of the Merchant Venture so the larger European Navigator was once again drafted in from the Cairnryan service to take over.

Always will be a favourite here at LFW, the European Navigator is pictured departing from Fleetwood. Photo: Steven Brown

The European Navigator joined the European Pioneer (1000 ex Larne) and the European Seafarer (2200 ex Larne) on the Fleetwood route, with her first sailing as the permanent third vessel on the route at 1600 on the 11th of October.

Taking the European Navigator's place on the Cairnryan route was the Merchant Venture. She sailed on the European Navigator's old roster of 1330 (Tue - Fri) and 2200 (Mon - Fri) ex Larne with the associated 1730 (Tue - Fri) and 0300 (Tue - Sat) returns out of Cairnryan with a long weekend lay up at Larne from Saturday morning to Monday evening.

Merchant Venture continued providing additional freight capacity at Cairnryan until her initial charter with P&O expired on the 24th December 1999. The Merchant Venture gained a reputation as being a very dirty ship and she brought along her own rat infestation with her during her time at Larne. She was not missed when she did eventually leave on Christmas Eve.

The Merchant Venture pictured laid up in Belfast. Photo: Steven Brown

P&O's new Larne - Cairnryan fast ferry, Jetliner, continued her dismal performance when she collided with the ramp at Cairnyan on the 11th of October 1996. The ship was caught by a strong gust of wind while berthing at the end of her 1615 service from Larne. The stern door was severely damaged in the collision and after discharging the vessel had to be withdrawn from service.

After making the ship safe for a crossing to Larne the Jetliner sailed light ship to Larne for a full damage assessment. With her stern door damage temporarily patched up the ship departed Larne for Birkenhead on the 14th of October for repairs which were to see her out of action for almost a further two weeks. Specialist parts were sent from her builders in Bergen, Norway and the ship re-entered service with the 0915 ex Larne on the 26th of October 1996.

Having only entered service in June 1996 after 5 months the Jetliner's punctuality record already read like a truant school kid's attendance report; scheduling difficulties in June meant delays, engine problems in July - further delays, during August she hit her mark and was excellent, September had further delays due to recurring engine troubles while October was spent off service for repairs to the stern door. It all seemed a shame that the P&O crews ashore and afloat who had worked so hard to bring the fast ferry phenomenon to Larne were getting repaid by such poor reliability by the craft they were using.

The Jetliner laid up at Chaine Quay, Larne. An all too common site for this ship during her time at Larne and several days in October 1996 were spent just like it while she had a damage assessment carried out before going to Birkenhead for repairs to her stern door. Photo: Steven Brown

A ferry that was to become a instrumental part in the development of ferry operations at Larne for almost two decades entered service at the port on the 10th of October 1958.

The ship, the first named Ionic Ferry (I), was a product of William Denny's shipyard in Dumbarton. She was designed to carry 70 lorries of the time on the main deck along with a further 20 containers lifted on to the weather deck by the ship's own electric crane or a shore crane.

Built for the Atlantic Steam Navigation (ASN) Company's service between Larne and Preston there was no expense spared in fitting out the accommodation on board, where almost liner style surroundings could be enjoyed by her crew and up to 55 passengers in two classes.

Ionic Ferry (I)'s official Atlantic Steam Navigation Company postcard. Her livery was: Black hull with white band around it. White superstructure with a blue funnel topped with a white then a black band. Forward on the hull all ships in the fleet carried the ASN blue arrow symbol outlined in white. Photo: LFW Collection

Her first voyage from Larne to Preston was on the evening of Friday the 10th of October 1958. She replaced her older sister, the Bardic Ferry, which transferred to the ASN company's route out of Tibury to Antwerp.

The Ionic Ferry (I) served both Larne and Belfast from Preston along with Landing Ship Tank vessels (LST's) chartered from the Ministry of Defence; the Preston based LST fleet at the time included the Empire Nordic, Empire Cedric, Empire Gaelic and Empire Doric. The purpose built Ionic Ferry and Bardic Ferry were a vast improvement over the LST's. They were so successful that the company later ordered 4 other ships of similar design and by 1967 the final ship in the fleet, the Europic Ferry had entered service.

As if being among the first purpose built ro-ro freight ferries in the world wasn't ground breaking enough, the Ionic Ferry (I) later found further fame when she opened the Larne to Cairnryan route in July 1973. Now firmly established as one of the most reliable routes on the Irish Sea the Cairnryan route moves more freight vehicles between Britain and Ireland than any other ferry route on the Irish Sea. This was all built on the back of the first Ionic Ferry's pioneering service on the route.

The word Ionic has many varied meanings. Its the name that describes the architecture and language of the inhabitants of the Greek island of Ionia. The Ionic script became the ancestor of the modern day Greek alphabet. In science Ionic is the name that describes the bonding between metal and non-metal ions in chemical compounds. Down the years the name Ionic has also become part of the vocabulary of those people who worked at the Port of Larne as the port has been the home for two ferries that have carried the name Ionic Ferry.

The Ionic Ferry (I), as described in the historical rambling from above, was built in 1958 and carried the name Ionic Ferry throughout her time in British waters from 1958 until her sale in 1976 to Greek owners. She served mainly at Larne throughout her time here, firstly for the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company and from 1971 she became part of the Townsend Thoresen fleet when ASN was privatised. Spells away from the Irish Sea were spent at Tilbury and later, Felixstowe.

The second named Ionic Ferry was built in 1967 as the Dragon for Normandy Ferries, part of the P&O group, sailing from Southampton to Le Havre in France. This company was bought in 1985 by Townsend Thoresen but by this time Portsmouth was the English base of the service. The vessel's withdrawal from Portsmouth occurred in 1986 and after modifications to make her suitable for service from Larne to Cairnryan the ship joined the route in July 1986 renamed Ionic Ferry, probably in tribute to the pioneer ship that opened the route 13 years before. She remained here until June 1992 when she was sold to Greek owners upon her replacement by the one and only; the Pride of Rathlin.

If you are not really confused by now, take comfort in the fact that some Larne people are trying to unravel this ionic enigma for years now.