MV Caedmon
Encyclopedia
MV Caedmon was an Isle of Wight
'C' class ro-ro vehicle and passenger ferry. She operated for ten years on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route before transferring to Wightlink
's route from Lymington
to Yarmouth
. After 37 years of service, she was broken up in 2010.
by Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd
in Dundee
, Scotland
. The ship was named 'Caedmon' after the Anglo-Saxon poet Cædmon
.
Caedmon served on the Portsmouth
to Fishbourne
route, for the first ten years of her life. For several weeks in 1979, she operated as a single-ended vessel after her prow was washed away during a storm.
In 1983, on the arrival of the Saint class vessels, Caedmon transferred to the Lymington
- Yarmouth
route, where she joined her two sister ships, and . All three passed to Wightlink
after the privatisation of Sealink
in 1984.
In 2008-09, on the introduction of three new Wight class ferries on the Lymington to Yarmouth route, all three 'C' class ships were withdrawn from service. They were sold for scrapping and initially stored at Southampton
, before being towed to Esbjerg
, in Denmark. Cenred,Caedmon and then Cenwulf were dismantled at Smedegaarden in May 2010.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qJbl-7z2RA&feature=related
Twin engines powered Voith Schneider propellers.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
'C' class ro-ro vehicle and passenger ferry. She operated for ten years on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route before transferring to Wightlink
Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.Their core routes are car ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth and Portsmouth to Fishbourne...
's route from Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
to Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
Yarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river...
. After 37 years of service, she was broken up in 2010.
History
MV Caedmon was built in 1973 for SealinkSealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland....
by Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd
Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company
The Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company based in Dundee on the east coast of Scotland.-History:...
in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The ship was named 'Caedmon' after the Anglo-Saxon poet Cædmon
Cædmon
Cædmon is the earliest English poet whose name is known. An Anglo-Saxon who cared for the animals and was attached to the double monastery of Streonæshalch during the abbacy of St. Hilda , he was originally ignorant of "the art of song" but learned to compose one night in the course of a dream,...
.
Caedmon served on the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to Fishbourne
Fishbourne, Isle of Wight
for disambiguation.Fishbourne is a small village between Wootton and Ryde, on the Isle of Wight.The name "Fishbourne" might mean "stream of fish" or "fish spring."...
route, for the first ten years of her life. For several weeks in 1979, she operated as a single-ended vessel after her prow was washed away during a storm.
In 1983, on the arrival of the Saint class vessels, Caedmon transferred to the Lymington
Lymington
Lymington is a port on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. It is to the east of the South East Dorset conurbation, and faces Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight which is connected to it by a car ferry, operated by Wightlink. The town...
- Yarmouth
Yarmouth, Isle of Wight
Yarmouth is a port and civil parish in the western part of the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of mainland England. The town is named for its location at the mouth of the small Western Yar river...
route, where she joined her two sister ships, and . All three passed to Wightlink
Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.Their core routes are car ferries from Lymington to Yarmouth and Portsmouth to Fishbourne...
after the privatisation of Sealink
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland....
in 1984.
In 2008-09, on the introduction of three new Wight class ferries on the Lymington to Yarmouth route, all three 'C' class ships were withdrawn from service. They were sold for scrapping and initially stored at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, before being towed to 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...
, in Denmark. Cenred,Caedmon and then Cenwulf were dismantled at Smedegaarden in May 2010.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qJbl-7z2RA&feature=related
Layout
Facilities on board included a lounge with cafe/bar facilities, toilets and open decks. The car deck had a ramp fore and aft, allowing full ro-ro operation. The under car deck passenger accommodation cabins on all three boats, was not used for the last 20 years.Twin engines powered Voith Schneider propellers.
External links
- Wightlink Website - Wightlink.co.uk
- Image gallery prior to breaking