MS ''Oldenburg'' is a British passenger ferry serving the island of

Lundy Lundy is an English island in the Bristol Channel. It was a micronation from 1925–1969. It forms part of the district of Torridge District, Torridge in the county of Devon. About long and wide, Lundy has had a long and turbulent history, ...

in the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River S ...

. The ''Oldenburg'' was named after the former

grand duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and B ...

, Germany, and launched on 29 March 1958 in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...

. On 6 August she was delivered to

Deutsche Bundesbahn The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB (German Federal Railway) was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) on 7 September 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft (DRG). The DB remaine ...

Schiffsdienst Wangerooge, and used for a ferry service between the mainland and the Frisian island of Wangerooge. She was first chartered in winter of 1975 by Reederei Warrings for

duty-free shop A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...

ping cruises in

East Frisia East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...

. In 1982 she was sold to Harle-Reederei Warrings in Carolinensiel,

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

, Germany. In November 1985 she was sold to the Lundy Co. Ltd. to replace

's transport boat, the ''Polar Bear''. After a refurbishment at

Appledore Shipyard Appledore Shipbuilders is a shipbuilder in Appledore, North Devon, England. History The Appledore Yard was founded in 1855 on the estuary of the River Torridge. The Richmond Dry Dock was built in 1856 by William Yeo and named after Richmond B ...

including fitting a new crane and bringing the ship up to modern British shipping standards, she began her journeys for passengers and supplies to the island of Lundy in May 1986. In 1999, the Lundy Co. Ltd received a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant which was used to upgrade the ship with two new 6-cylinder Cummins KT19-M425 Diesel Engines, each capable of producing 317kW (425HP) at 1800RPM, increasing her top speed from 11.5 to 12.5 Knots. The grant was also used to construct a new aft canopy and undertake a refurbishment programme, bringing the total passenger capacity count to 267. Every year, the MS Oldenburg enters Sharpness docks for her annual refit. During these refits, essential maintenance is carried out in dry dock which are not possible during the sailing season. During the late 2019 refit, MS Oldenburg was fitted with a new rudder stock and foredeck crane, replacing the crane installed at the beginning of her Lundy tenure in 1986.

Gallery

File:Lundy.ferry.arp.750pix.jpg, ''Oldenburg'' in Bideford Harbour File:Bild 062.jpg, ''Oldenburg'' at Lundy Island File:MS Oldenburg in Bidefort (039).jpg, ''Oldenburg'' moored at Ilfracombe File:Bild 057.jpg, ''Oldenburg'' lifebelt

References

External links

''Oldenburg'' on Lundy Island

Pictures on Flickr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldenburg Ferries of England 1958 ships Ferries of South West England Water transport in Devon Lundy