Lord Warden

The Lord Warden, England's first purpose-built stern loading car ferry, first appeared at Holyhead in 1971, spending that summer in services to Dun Laoghaire.


In 1978 she operated on a short-lived Fishguard - Dun Laoghaire service.  The service was slow to pick up, but by mid-season traffic levels were showing encouraging signs.  The service was advertised again for the 1979 season, but the decision to charter the large Stena Normandica for the Fishguard - Rosslare service saw the new route shelved.

Instead, the Lord Warden was slotted in as a second seasonal ship on the Rosslare run.  A serious mechanical failure on the Stena Normandica however saw the "Warden" moved back to Holyhead while the Avalon moved back to Fishguard pending repairs to the Swedish ship.

Under the command of Capt John Bakewell her last sailing under the Sealink flag was from Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead on 8 September 1979.

After lay-up at Newhaven she was sold for further service in the Red Sea. She was sold for scrap in 1981.