MV ''Fenella'' (III) No. 165289 was a cargo vessel operated by the

Isle of Man Steam Packet Company The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Limited (abbreviated to IoMSPCo or, locally, The Steam Packet ()) is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world, having been founded in 1830. The company provides freight, p ...

, and the third ship in the Company's history to bear the name. ''Fenella'' was built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company at Troon in 1951, and was the Company's first motor ship and first modern cargo vessel. Fenella departs Douglas

Dimensions

''Fenella'' had a tonnage of , a length of 210'; beam 37'; depth 16'6" and with a designed service speed of 12

knots A knot is a fastening in rope or interwoven lines. Knot or knots may also refer to: Other common meanings * Knot (unit), of speed * Knot (wood), a timber imperfection Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Knots'' (film), a 2004 film * ''Kn ...

. Her purchase cost was £163,783. She had a 7-cylinder British Polar engine of 1,185 indicated horsepower. When the vessel was high and dry in port at low water, the diesel generators were cooled by circulating water from the ballast tanks as though they were radiators.

Service life

In 1951 the Steam Packet started to modernize its cargo fleet and chose the

Ailsa Shipbuilding Company Ailsa Shipbuilding Company was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Troon and Ayr, Ayrshire. History The company was founded in 1885 by Archibald Kennedy, 3rd Marquess of Ailsa, along with Peter James Wallace and Alexander McCredie. In 19 ...

Troon Troon (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Truthail'') is a town and sea port in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with ferry and freight serv ...

to build its first motor ship. ''Fenella'' carried cars, cattle and general cargo.

Disposal and loss

In the early 1970s containerization resulted in a marked upsurge in freight business. In 1973 alone, there was a 31 per cent rise in cargo. It was first expected that the ''Peveril'' operating alongside ''Ramsey'' would be able to meet this demand, and the company made the decision to sell the ''Fenella'' at the beginning of 1973.Connery Chappel: Island Lifeline p 47 ''Fenella'' was sold to Greek owners, E. Mastichiades of

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and renamed ''Vasso M''. On 2 February 1977, after some years plying in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, she caught fire and sank two

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s off Borolos Light House,

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when en route from Alexandria to

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

with a cargo of medical cotton and rice.

References

;Bibliography * Chappell, Connery (1980). ''Island Lifeline'' T.Stephenson & Sons Ltd {{DEFAULTSORT:Fenella (1951) Ship names 1951 ships Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Ferries of the Isle of Man Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in 1977 Ships built on the River Clyde