TSS Duke of Rothesay

The Duke of Rothesay was a railway steamer passenger ship that operated in Europe from 1956 to 1975.

Duke of Rothesay at Fishguard in August 1969
History
United Kingdom
Name: TSS Duke of Rothesay
Owner:
Operator:
Port of registry: Lancaster, United Kingdom
Route:
Builder: William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton
Launched: 10 February 1956
Maiden voyage: 1956
Out of service: 1975
Fate: Scrapped 1975
General characteristics
Type: Turbine steam ship
Tonnage: 4,797 GT
Length: 114.63 m (376 ft 1 in)
Beam: 17.46 m (57 ft 3 in)
Draught: 4.54 m (14 ft 11 in)
Installed power: 2 x Parmetrada steam turbines
Speed: 21 Knots
Capacity: 1800 passengers

In service

Along with her sister ships the TSS Duke of Lancaster and the TSS Duke of Argyll she was amongst the last passenger-only steamers built for British Railways (at that time, also a ferry operator).[1] She was a replacement for the 1928 steamer built by the London Midland & Scottish Railway, RMS Duke of Rothesay.

Built at William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton and completed in 1956, she was designed to operate as both a passenger ferry (primarily on the Heysham-Belfast route) and as a cruise ship.[2][3]

She provided some relief services between Holyhead and Dún Laoghaire in 1965 and 1966. In March 1967, she was converted to a side loading car ferry by Cammell Laird to be used on the Fishguard to Rosslare service, which continued until the Caledonian Princess took over in 1971. The main deck was gutted and space made for 100 cars.

In October 1975, she was towed from Holyhead to Faslane to be broken up.

References
  1. Duke of Lancaster, hhvferry.com, retrieved 12 December 2007
  2. Third New Ship for Heysham-Belfast Service Railway Gazette 6 April 1956 page 174
  3. Sea breezes: the ship lovers' digest, Pacific Steam Navigation Company. 1997
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