Spirit of Portsmouth is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd and built by VT Halmatic Ltd

VT Group

VT Group plc was a British defence and services company, formerly known as Vosper Thornycroft. The Company had diversified from shipbuilding into various engineering and support services, becoming involved in many areas of provision through five main operating groups: VT Communications, VT...

 of Portchester

Portchester

Portchester is a locality and suburb 10km northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton, on the A27 main thoroughfare...

. It is the company's newest vessel.

History

The vessel was built in 2005 to replace the similar Spirit of Gosport

Spirit of Gosport

Spirit of Gosport is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd and built by Abels Shipbuilders in Bristol. -History:Spirit of Gosport was built in 2001 to replace the Portsmouth Queen on ferry duties. However, the company also wanted to replace the Solent Enterprise, which operated cruise...

, primarily for cruising

Cruising (maritime)

Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...

 Portsmouth Harbour

Portsmouth Harbour

Portsmouth Harbour is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it is a ria: formerly it was the valley of a stream flowing from Portsdown into the Solent River. The city of Portsmouth lies to the east on Portsea Island, and Gosport to the west on the mainland...

 and the Solent

Solent

The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...

. This enabled the Spirit of Gosport

Spirit of Gosport

Spirit of Gosport is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd and built by Abels Shipbuilders in Bristol. -History:Spirit of Gosport was built in 2001 to replace the Portsmouth Queen on ferry duties. However, the company also wanted to replace the Solent Enterprise, which operated cruise...

to replace the Portsmouth Queen

Portsmouth Queen

The Portsmouth Queen was a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd. It was built by Thornycroft of Woolston, Hampshire.-History:The vessel was built in 1966 to the exact design to the Gosport Queen and was delivered in a green and white livery. Later, it was repainted into the now standard...

on the Gosport

Gosport

Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...

 to 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...

 ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 route. The main difference between the two Spirit vessels is the covered roof and bar on the Spirit of Portsmouth, making her more suited to cruising

Cruising (maritime)

Cruising by boat is a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a boat while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising generally refers to trips of a few days or more, and can extend to round-the-world voyages.- History :...

. Spirit of Portsmouth will, however, service the ferry route when either the Spirit of Gosport or the other ferry Gosport Queen are out of service.

Upon the introduction of the Spirit of Portsmouth, the 1966 built Portsmouth Queen

Portsmouth Queen

The Portsmouth Queen was a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd. It was built by Thornycroft of Woolston, Hampshire.-History:The vessel was built in 1966 to the exact design to the Gosport Queen and was delivered in a green and white livery. Later, it was repainted into the now standard...

was withdrawn from service. The previous vessel that was dedicated to cruise duty was the Solent Enterprise. Spirit of Portsmouth is currently the Gosport Ferries flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

.