The Dover

A fine view of the Dover in home waters on the Dover Strait. © Don Smith Pictureships

The last turbine steamer ordered by British Rail (but not the last to enter service that honour falling to near sister the Holyhead Ferry 1), the Dover was in fact something of an afterthought for her owners. Having ordered the Holyhead Ferry 1 for the Irish Sea from Hawthorn Leslie on the Tyne it soon became apparent that an additional sailing slot was to become available at Dover. Hawthorn Leslie was approached for a sister but unable to meet the required delivery date the order went to Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson instead.

After a press voyage between Dover and Boulogne on 13 June 1965 the Dover was on show in the Pool of London four days later. She entered service at Dover on 24 June, the first new-build British Rail ship to appear in the new livery of monastral blue hull and black-topped red funnel. However, like her Irish Sea fleetmate, the Dover was hopelessly out of date from the start being fitted only with a stern door and steam propulsion, while elsewhere on the English Thoresen Car Ferries had introduced drive through diesel powered tonnage (one of which was later to become the Earl William) complete with bridge control.

Released from the Dover-Boulogne route by the new Vortigern on 31 July 1969 the Dover moved to the Irish Sea, joining her near sister at Holyhead, the Holyhead Ferry 1.  The partnership was a success, the Dover having a larger car deck capacity, and in 1970 she once again ran from Holyhead, this time for the entire summer season. Throughout the first half of the 1970s the Dover was to find herself spending more time at Holyhead while the Holyhead Ferry 1 spent much time at Dover, the latter's capacity for 153 cars being insufficient for the Welsh port's peak seasons. 

Like the Holyhead Ferry 1 the Dover also underwent major surgery from which she emerged in 1977 as a drive through ship renamed the Earl Siward. As such, she was to enjoy one final spell of service at Holyhead operating the additional 'second ship' summer sailings from 22 June 1981. She operated for just 17 days before being replaced by the chartered Prinsessan Desirée. When the Earl Siward quietly departed Dun Laoghaire under a cloud of black smoke on 8 July the few onlookers on the piers were not just witnessing the ship's final departure, but the end of an era as the last Railway-owned turbine steamer to operate on the Irish Sea disappeared over the horizon. The ship was sold four months later, moving to Cyprus as the Sol Express. 

The Earl Siward enters Dover's Eastern Docks. © Don Smith Collection / Pictureships.

In 1993 she returned to the UK having been purchased for use as a night club on the Tyne at Gateshead by Absolute Leisure, the operators of the Tuxedo Princess, another former British Rail ferry - the Caledonian Princess. As the Tuxedo Royale, she traded there for six years before being replaced by the Tuxedo Princess on her return from a failed venture in Glasgow. The Tuxedo Royale was then moved south to Middlesbrough for similar operation opposite the ground of Middlesbrough Football Club.  But this too, somewhat predictably, was set to end in failure.

On 20 April 2006 the Tuxedo Royale was moved from its berth in Middlesbrough to make way for the Middlehaven development. The ship was placed into 'temporary storage' in Hartlepool while plans to move it to another site are looked at. Absolute Leisure chairman Michael Quadrini told the BBC: "We have been offered other sites both in the UK and abroad and are currently looking into which will be the best one."

Many thanks to Don Smith, Brian Fisher, Mike Taplin, Pieter Inpijn, 'Shipshull', Michael Green and Nigel Thornton for their assistance.