The modern day operation of P&O linking the ports of Larne and Cairnryan can trace its history back to 1973 when the predecessors of P&O, the Transport Ferry Service, commenced a freight and passenger service on the 10th of July 1973.  But this wasn't a new idea to the two ports, before that date temporary services between Larne and Cairnryan operated at various times mainly for the shipment of cargo during war time and during periods where the usual Scottish link from Larne to Stranraer became stretched to capacity.

The Milk Run

During the dark days of the Second World War mainland Britain was finding it tough to get supplies of everyday commodities, in particular supplies of milk needed to be increased.  The Ministry of Food and Ministry of War Transport brought their full weight to bear on the problem and decided to transport milk from Northern Ireland to Scotland via Larne and Stranraer.  Beginning in December 1941 milk was transported in churns on the passenger vessel Princess Margaret and her war time back up vessel Duchess of Hamilton.  Later in January 1942 a further vessel Empire Daffodil was added to the trade, but adding the milk traffic to troop and war transport movements Stranraer and its single pier with confined space was finding it difficult to cope with the volume of traffic passing through.

Five miles north of Stranraer the quiet fishing port of Cairnryan was to become markedly changed by war.  In 1941 building work started on two gigantic piers in deep water providing 1½ miles of quayside and 33 feet of water at low tide.  Just in case Glasgow was ever to be crippled by bombing the new secret military port at Cairnryan could take over and new railway lines were laid to link Cairnryan to the rest of the British railway network.  The new harbour was completed in 1943 and in November that same year the cargo vessel Whitstable took up the milk run for the winter between Larne and Cairnryan, easing space constraints in Stranraer.

Whitstable was one of 9 cargo vessels built for the Southern Railway by D & W. Henderson's of Glasgow between 1924 and 1928 for service from Dover, Folkestone and Southampton, the 10th becoming the car ferry Autocarrier.  Whitstable continued on the milk run until March 1944, she was to return again in January 1945 before handing over to sister ship Maidstone.  By December 1948 with the ravages of the war gradually fading as time began to heal the wounds, the Cairnryan milk run also had ran its course and the final vessel Felixstowe completed her last run. 

This wasn't the end of the milk run however.  Still requiring supplies of milk from Northern Ireland the run had to continue but new loading methods were on the way.  The archaic practice of loading and unloading individual milk churns by hand was consigned to history.  Instead, for the milk run over the winter of 1949/1950 the milk was to be transported in road tankers aboard the new Larne - Stranraer ro-ro car ferry Princess Victoria (IV).  The new ferry had entered service in 1947 and prior to running the milk run had her deck strengthened in May 1949 to allow the milk tankers to be carried on her car deck in addition, a new spray door was fitted at the stern to augment the 5 foot high stern doors already in place.  Her first season carrying milk to Stranraer began in July 1949 and for the following years she gave extra sailings overnight for transporting the milk tankers usually between August and December but this varied from year to year depending on demand.  Her final milk run was the 25th of November 1952 by then special sailings were no longer necessary as mainland Britain got back on its feet after the war.

Milk Run Ships and dates (from The Short Sea Route by Fraser MacHaffie):

Irwell used Belfast as her Irish base in winter 1945/46 this incurred higher harbour dues and labour costs and the service returned to Larne the following year.
During the winter 1947 - 1948 milk was transported by air but this was found to be too costly, the sea service returned the next year. 
Felixstowe's milk service in 1948 was augmented by additional runs by aircraft between Belfast and Liverpool.
Princess Victoria was the only ro-ro ship employed in the trade with milk carried in road tankers.  For all the other vessels milk was handled in individual churns.

Princess Margaret a Stranraer regular for years commenced running milk in churns between Larne and Stranraer in 1941.  William Agnew Collection	Southern Region cargo vessel Whitstable completed the first ever commercial voyage between Larne and Cairnryan with milk in 1943.  Roy Thornton Collection
Whitstable's sister ship Maidstone also was engaged on North Channel milk runs.  Photo: Roy Thornton Collection	Larne second sea going car ferry Princess Victoria (IV) brought the ro-ro concept to the milk run ferrying milk in road tankers.  Dougie McIntyre Collection

Other Stranraer ships at Cairnryan

After the war Cairnryan was to see very little activity, apart from some very limited naval traffic mainly with obsolete ammunition for dumping in the North Channel there was nothing much happening at the place.  The naval piers that were built gradually decayed and the northern one is now gone, however on the southern pier a scrap business was started which flourished breaking up redundant naval tonnage.  Notable vessels to pass through the yard included aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and Ark Royal broken up in 1978 and 1983.

On a little pier further south past the breakers yard is where the current Larne - Cairnryan service had its foundations.  A ro-ro linkspan was installed for use by their service started by Ionic Ferry (I) in July 1973.  This ramp wasn't in action for long before it started seeing strangers visiting.  In December 1974 Stranraer's single loading ramp was put out of action when the Larne - Stranraer freight vessel Dalriada collided with it after a hydraulic problem prevented the vessel's controllable pitch propellers changing from ahead to astern in time to slow her forward motion towards the berth.  The Stranraer ramp was out of action for 4 days and during that time the Sealink freighter Preseli sailed from Larne to Cairnryan with freight while Ailsa Princess sailed with passengers and cars from Larne to Ardrossan.  Holyhead Ferry I, on the route to cover for the dry docked Antrim Princess, sailed with foot passengers and mail only between Larne and Stranraer.

It was to be 1992 before further Stranraer vessels would visit Cairnryan and again this was the result of Stranraer harbour being closed by an accident.  The accident in this case occurred on Friday 17th December 1992 when a crane toppled from the Ross Pier across the harbour entrance blocking both car ferry ramps.  Two workmen operating the crane were killed in the accident which closed Stranraer harbour for two days.  The sailings of Stena Antrim, Stena Caledonia and Stena Galloway were cancelled for 24 hours until berthing for them could be arranged in between P&O's own ferry movements at Cairnryan.  The huge backlog of traffic that had accumulated in the meantime gradually began to clear and sailings into Stranraer finally resumed on the 19th of December.

Bringing the story up to date a joint announcement by Stena Line and P&O in May 2003 proposes the complete closure of Stranraer harbour to ferry traffic with a new port development being constructed at Cairnryan to accommodate both companies.  In anticipation of the transfer of services on completion of the new port, Stena's single conventional ferry based at Stranraer, Stena Caledonia, once again visited the Cairnryan, undertaking berthing trials there on the 24th January 2004.

Updated: 16/11/04

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