Pride of Calais
& Pride of Dover
A view from the port bridge wing of Pride of Dover taken at dusk on a July evening in 1996. The wheelhouse was extended to enclose this area seven years later. Her name was removed during her service with P. & O. Stena Line.
These two remarkable sister ships have easily carried more passengers across the Channel than any other ferries in the history of the crossing. This is, no doubt, a testiment to the the fact they have so successfully served the route that they were built for over two decades ago.
Pride of Calais and Pride of Dover were very much an evolution of Townsend Thoresen's German built 'Spirit Class'. They were a product of the same shipyard and the Company's own naval architects were responsible for the styling that was remarkably similar to the earlier vessels, both inside and out. The most notable difference, though, was their vastly increased space for vehicles and passengers. It was noteworthy that only seven years had lapsed since the contruction of Spirit of Free Enterprise, yet market growth had already required substantially larger capacity to be provided.
Pride of Dover was the very last vessel delivered to Townsend Thoresen and saw a departure from the 'Free Enterprise' nomenclature in favour of the now familiar 'Pride of...' names that have become a trademark of P. & O. Ferries. She completed her maiden voyage on 2nd June 1987. Although worthy of great fanfare, the arrival of Dover's largest ever ferry was kept a very low key affair, the appalling tragedy of Herald of Free Enterprise capsizing off Zeebrugge still sending shockwaves throughout the ferry industry at that time. To mark her debut with the usual celebrations was deemed insensitive under the circumstances. Her identical twin, Pride of Calais, was delivered to the new P. & O. European Ferries in December of that year. Together these magnificent ships took Cross-Channel ferry services towards the next decade with the confidence to take on the competition from the Tunnel.
After the merger of P. & O. and Stena Line's Dover operations, the names of the twins were adjusted to P. & O. S. L. Dover and P. & O. S. L. Calais. Fortunately they reverted back to the original identities soon after Stena's involvement ceased.
In the twilight of their Channel careers, they had proven themselves to be unsurpassed throughbreds with an outstanding track record of reliable service. They remained popular with Cross-Channel travellers, even if their interiors seemed out of fashion compared with more recent vessels.
Sadly, as with all things in life, nothing lasts forever and Pride of Dover was earmarked as the first of the twins to be retired from service upon the planned entry of the huge new Spirit of Britain in January 2011. Her last commercial sailing took place on the evening of 14th December 2010, returning 'light' early the next morning for de-storing. A day later she left Dover for the final time, destination Tilbury where she would await her fate.
M. S. Pride of Dover & Pride of Calais
Builder: Schichau Seebeckwerft AG, Bremerhaven, Germany.
Yard number: 94.
Dimensions (length, breadth, depth): 169.63 x 28.3 x 6.1 metres.
Tonnages (gross, net, dead weight): 26,443, 11,399, 4,213.
Engines: Three Sulzer-C. C. M. diesel.
Power: 23,170 kW.
Speed (knots): 22.
Passenger certificate: 2,260.
Car capacity: 650.
Lane metres (for vehicles): 1,560.
2.9.1986: Pride of Dover launched.
27.5.1987: Delivered to Townsend Car Ferries Limited. (Stanhope Steamship Company Limited.), Dover.
28.5.1987: Left Bremerhaven for Dover.
2.6.1987: Entered service Dover/Calais.
21.10.1987: Registered for P. & O. European Ferries (Dover) Limited.
12.1998: Renamed P. &O. S. L. Dover.
3.2003: Renamed Pride of Dover.
15.12.2010: Withdrawn from service.
16.12.2010: Taken to Tilbury for lay-up.
11.4.1987: Pride of Calais launched.
27.11.1987: Delivered to P. & O. European Ferries (Dover) Limited.
29.11.1987: Arrived at Dover.
4.11.1987: Entered commercial service Dover/Calais.
12.1998: Renamed P. & O. S. L. Calais.
15.10.2002: P. O. Calais.
2.2003: Renamed Pride of Calais.
A brand new Pride of Dover is seen departing from Dover on a June morning in 1987. Whilst her hull was painted in the unmistakable colours of Townsend Thoresen, her funnel markings were changed to P. & O.'s during fitting out. Other fleet members followed suit.
Photo: Francois Dupiech.
