MS ''Free Enterprise'' II was a cross-Channel ferry operated by Townsend Thoresen between 1965 and 1982. The ship features prominently in the comedy film ''
San Ferry Ann
''San Ferry Ann'' is a 1965 British sound effect comedy. Wordlessly, with soundtrack and sound effects, it tells the story of a holiday crossing from Dover to Calais.
Synopsis
A motley crew of British characters ride the San Ferry Ann to the s ...
''. In later life as ''Moby Blu'' she served
Corsica and
Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nation ...
.
History
''Free Enterprise'' II was built by I.C.H. Holland, Werf Gusto Yard,
Schiedam
Schiedam () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the village ...
, Netherlands in 1965 for
Townsend Brothers Ferries (later Townsend Thoresen). In November 2003, she was sold to Indian breakers St Vincent/ Grenadines, renamed ''Moby'' and sent to
Alang
Alang is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Because it is home to the Alang Ship Breaking Yard, Alang beaches are considered the world's largest ship graveyard.
Demographics
As of the 2001 Indian census, Ala ...
, India for breaking.
Service
''Free Enterprise'' II operated on the Dover–Calais, Dover–Zeebrugge and Southampton–Cherbourg routes throughout the mid to late 1960s and the 1970s. In 1980 she was chartered by
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Isle of Wight and Ireland.
Ports served by the company included: Dover, Folkest ...
and used on the Portsmouth–Cherbourg route.
In 1982, she was acquired by the
NAVARMA/Moby fleet and renamed ''Moby Blu''. They used her on routes to
Corsica and then on the Piombino–Elba service.
In popular culture
References
Notes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Enterprise 1965
Ferries of England
Ferries of France
1965 ships
Ships built in Schiedam