MS Winston Churchill
Encyclopedia
The MS Winston Churchill was built in 1967 by Cantieri Navali del Torrino e Riuniti S.P.A. Riva Trigoso, Genoa, Italy.
The Winston Churchill was built as a car ferry for the Scandinavian Seaways DFDS
service from Esbjerg
to Harwich
, and proved a very successful vessel on the route. As demand for vehicle-carrying services grew, larger vessels were required for the route and the Winston Churchill was transferred to the River Tyne
in 1978, for the twice-weekly service to Gothenburg
, following the arrival of the new DFDS vessel on the Harwich route. She was eventually replaced on the Esbjerg route out of the Tyne by a new vessel, the in 1995, and moved to a new route, also from the Tyne, to IJmuiden, Netherlands
, which she maintained until the following year. She was badly damaged by a fire in her alternator room during a refit at Esbjerg in April 1996, and she was subsequently repaired and sold to Empress Cruise Lines, becoming the Mayan Empress. She was eventually sold for scrap in India in 2004.
The Winston Churchill was built as a car ferry for the Scandinavian Seaways DFDS
DFDS
DFDS is a Danish shipping company. It is one of the world's largest ferry operators. The companies name is an acronym of Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab DFDS is a Danish shipping company. It is one of the world's largest ferry operators. The companies name is an acronym of Det Forenede...
service from Esbjerg
Esbjerg
Esbjerg Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. Its mayor is Johnny Søtrup, from the Venstre political party...
to Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
, and proved a very successful vessel on the route. As demand for vehicle-carrying services grew, larger vessels were required for the route and the Winston Churchill was transferred to the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
in 1978, for the twice-weekly service to Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, following the arrival of the new DFDS vessel on the Harwich route. She was eventually replaced on the Esbjerg route out of the Tyne by a new vessel, the in 1995, and moved to a new route, also from the Tyne, to IJmuiden, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, which she maintained until the following year. She was badly damaged by a fire in her alternator room during a refit at Esbjerg in April 1996, and she was subsequently repaired and sold to Empress Cruise Lines, becoming the Mayan Empress. She was eventually sold for scrap in India in 2004.