MV ''Caedmon'' was an
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
'C' class
ro-ro
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
vehicle and passenger ferry. She operated for ten years on the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route before transferring to
Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes across The Solent between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the south of England. It operates Roll-on/roll-off, car ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, Yarmouth, and Portsmouth a ...
's route from
Lymington
Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England.
The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...
to
Yarmouth. After 37 years of service, she was broken up in 2010.
History
MV ''Caedmon'' was built in 1973 for
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in Great Britain from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight and Ireland.
Ports served by the company included: Dover, F ...
by
Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd in
Dundee
Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. The ship was named 'Caedmon' after the Anglo-Saxon poet
Cædmon
Cædmon (; fl. c. 657–684) is the earliest English poet whose name is known. A Northumbrian cowherd who cared for the animals at the double monastery of Streonæshalch (now known as Whitby Abbey) during the abbacy of St. Hilda, he was orig ...
.
''Caedmon'' served on the
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
to
Fishbourne Fishbourne may refer to:
Places
* Fishbourne, Isle of Wight, a village
* Fishbourne, West Sussex, a village
** Fishbourne (UK electoral ward)
* Fishbourne Roman Palace
Fishbourne Roman Palace or Fishbourne Villa is in the village of Fishbourne ...
route for her first ten years. For several weeks in 1979, she operated as a single-ended vessel after her prow was washed away during a storm.
When the ''Saint''-class ships were put into service in 1983, ''Caedmon'' joined her sister ships, and , on the
Lymington
Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England.
The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...
-
Yarmouth route.
All three passed to
Wightlink
Wightlink is a ferry company operating routes across The Solent between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the south of England. It operates Roll-on/roll-off, car ferries between Lymington and Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, Yarmouth, and Portsmouth a ...
after the privatisation of
Sealink
Sealink was a ferry company based in Great Britain from 1970 to 1984, operating services to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight and Ireland.
Ports served by the company included: Dover, F ...
in 1984.
In 2008–09, on the introduction of three new Wight class ferries on the Lymington to Yarmouth route, the three 'C' class ships were withdrawn from service.
They were sold for scrapping and initially laid up at
Marchwood
Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, England. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water and directly east of the New Forest. The population of the village in the 2011 census was 6, ...
, before being towed to
Esbjerg
Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport city and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban area, urban population of 71,554 (1 January ...
, in Denmark. ''Cenred'', ''Caedmon'' and then ''Cenwulf'' were dismantled at Smedegaarden in May 2010.
/ref>
Layout
The car deck had a ramp fore and aft, allowing full ro-ro
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, Trailer (vehicle), trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their ...
operation. The under car deck passenger accommodation cabins on all three boats, was not used for the last 20 years.
Twin 6-cylinder turbocharged Mirrlees Blackstone engines mounted at 45 degrees across each engine room drove Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers.
Unlike the earlier pioneer C-class ship Cuthred, the main engines were not additionally loaded by a generator, so larger Voith Schneider units were fitted and there was considerably more propulsive power.
Electrical supply was provided by two 6-cylinder Dorman/English electric gensets.
Fuel consumption was approximately per hour.
Image:Sealink MV Caedmon at Yarmouth.jpg, MV ''Caedmon'' at Yarmouth whilst operated by Sealink
Footnotes
External links
Wightlink
Image gallery prior to breaking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caedmon
Ferries of England
Ferry transport on the Isle of Wight
1973 ships