The Holyhead Ferry 1

The Holyhead Ferry 1 seen from Dun Laoghaire's West Pier in her first season. © Nigel Thornton Collection

The Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire route entered the car ferry age with the order for a new ship from Hawthorn Leslie (Shipbuilders) Ltd. Built at a cost of £1.6mn she was the first of two ships which were to be the last turbine steamers for the railway company. Saddled with the un-imaginative name of Holyhead Ferry 1 she was launched on 17 February 1965. Her half-sister, the Dover was ordered from Swan Hunter and she beat the Irish Sea ship into service by one month. To facilitate the Holyhead Ferry 1 extensive engineering works were carried out on both sides of the Irish Sea. At Holyhead the Mail Pier berth was modified and provided with a linkspan but at Dun Laoghaire things were not so straightforward and a temporary berth on the East Pier had to be constructed while plans for a more permanent solution were discussed. 

Holyhead’s new car ferry could accommodate 153 averaged size cars on her vehicle deck which was equipped with a turntable forward and aft to assist with positioning cars ready for disembarkation. A small mezzanine deck was accessed by hydraulically operated ramps port and starboard. Two hatches were also fitted fore and aft, primarily for loading mail into the ship but also to allow cars to be lifted out should the stern door fail. Passenger capacity was 1000 and 64 berths were available in a variety of cabins. 

The whole operation was a most civilised affair. Cabins and berths  for the 0600 sailing from Dun Laoghaire were available for occupation overnight. Passengers holding cabin and berth reservations for this sailing could report with their vehicles ready for loading between 23.30 and 23.59 the previous night.

The new service opened for business on 9 July 1965, not with the Holyhead Ferry 1, which was late from her builders, but the newly converted Normannia from the Dover – Boulogne run. The Holyhead Ferry 1 finally took over on 19 July During the height of the summer season one round trip was offered daily, departing Holyhead at 1045 and Dun Laoghaire at 1530 At weekends an additional round trip was offered, leaving the Welsh port at 2015 and from Dun Laoghaire at 0600. The service was a rampant success but even so it was still a seasonal affair and on 17 October the route reverted to mail ship operation until the summer of 1966.  

The controversial temporary terminal on Dun Laoghaire’s East Pier was closed in 1969 when a new dedicated pier was commissioned on the site of the old Victoria Wharf. In four years of operation 95,000 cars had been landed on the East Pier site.  

Having completed her first season the Holyhead Ferry 1 took on the role of winter relief ship and on 14 February 1966 she made her first appearance on the Stranraer – Larne service, remaining there for one month before returning to her Welsh home port.  Apart from the gradual extension of her Holyhead season this routine pretty much continued for the rest of the 1960s and during the winter of 1968/69 she found herself sailing on the mail service  departing Holyhead on the time honoured 0315 sailing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  

In 1969 Dun Laoghaire’s new IR£850,000 St Michael’s Wharf car ferry terminal was opened by the Holyhead Ferry 1 on 14 March. Capable of handling 650 cars a day the new 175m long pier offered linkspans on both sides of the terminal. While this meant that two vessels could berth simultaneously, the principal purpose was to permit a ship to lie on the more sheltered side of the pier. 

All Photos from the Justin Merrigan Collection © unless otherwise stated.

Prints from the Don Smith Collection/Pictureships library are available for purchase. Please contact sealink-holyhead.com for details.

Many thanks to Brian Fisher and Nigel Thornton for their assistance.