HSC Jonathan Swift (aka Dublin Swift) is a high-speed ferry

High-speed craft

A high-speed craft is a high speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry.The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft, but in the 1990s catamaran and even monohull designs have become popular.Most high-speed craft serve as passenger ferries, but the...

 and is currently owned and operated by Irish Ferries on their Dublin

Dublin Port

Dublin Port is Ireland's biggest sea port. It has both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximatively two-thirds of the Republic of Ireland's port traffic goes via Dublin Port...

-Holyhead

Port of Holyhead

The Port of Holyhead is a ferry port in Anglesey, Wales, handling more than 2 million passengers each year. Stena Line and Irish Ferries sail from Holyhead to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire in Ireland, forming the principal link for surface transport from north Wales and central and northern England to...

 service. It is named after the Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...

.

The vessel, a catamaran

Catamaran

A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...

 built by Austal Ships

Austal

Austal is an Australian company that specializes in the design and construction of aluminium vessels. Its main products include passenger and freight ferries, luxury yachts and military vessels....

 in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, was the first high-speed craft operated by Irish Ferries. It entered service in July 1999.

On August 22nd 2011 the HSC Jonathan Swift crossed on a bad day. There was a big storm during the crossing with waves reaching 2.5 metres. Plates were smashing and people were hiding under tables and clinging onto chairs. Irish Ferries said that the Jonathan Swift would only be taken out of service if the waves reach 3.6 metres.

Design and construction

Jonathan Swift was constructed by Austal Ships

Austal

Austal is an Australian company that specializes in the design and construction of aluminium vessels. Its main products include passenger and freight ferries, luxury yachts and military vessels....

 in Henderson

Henderson, Western Australia

Henderson is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn.-History:The suburb of Henderson comprises land resumed by the Commonwealth Government in 1915 for defence purposes. A large naval base was planned by Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, and the was area sometimes...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, at a cost IR£

Irish pound

The Irish pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £...

29million. The vessel was launched in February 1999 and was delivered to Dublin in May 1999, before entering service in July 1999.

The vessel is of a catamaran

Catamaran

A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...

 design.

Power is provided by four Caterpillar 3618 diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

s with a total output of 28,800 kW. The vessel employs four Kamewa

Kamewa Waterjets

Kamewa Karlstad Mekaniska Werkstads Aktiebolag founded in the city of Karlstad in the central of Sweden was a Swedish world famous company in its line of business, which was acquired by the British Vickers group in 1986. Acquiring Vickers in 1999, Rolls-Royce plc now owns the Kamewa portfolio...

 waterjets for propulsion and has a service speed of 40 knots (75 km/h).

The Jonathan Swift was designed to allow quick turnarounds at port. It is equipped with a bow door which allows vehicles to drive on at either end and drive straight off at the end of the journey. The vessel was able to use existing terminal facilities in both ports.

Onboard facilities

The vessel offers a number of catering facilities and seating areas. A "Club Class" lounge is available at an additional cost to the passenger which offers complimentary refreshments and reserved seating. Also available are shopping facilities and a video game arcade.

Career

The introduction of the Jonathan Swift was delayed due to an industrial dispute between Irish Ferries and the trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

 SIPTU, who represented seven officers that had been transferred from the company's conventional ferry operations to man the new high-speed ferry. These officers refused to operate the vessel at lower manning levels which had been proposed by Irish Ferries. Irish Ferries threatened to sell or charter the Jonathan Swift if the issue was not resolved.

On its entry into service in July 1999, the Jonathan Swift increased Irish Ferries' passenger capacity on the Dublin-Holyhead route by 73%, and its car capacity by 50%. The vessel has spent its entire career on this route, operating alongside the company's conventional ferries.