Gosport Ferry
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The Gosport Ferry is a ferry service operating between Gosport pontoon and Portsmouth pontoon in Hampshire, southern England. It is currently operated by Gosport Ferry Ltd, a subsidiary of the Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company plc, itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Falkland Islands Holdings, following a £10 million hostile takeover in 2004 [1], [2].
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[edit] The Vessels
They currently operate three vessels. The Gosport Queen, The Spirit of Gosport and The Spirit of Portsmouth. All three vessels have doors built to align with the doors on the Gosport Pontoon.
- The Spirit of Portsmouth is the newest vessel of the fleet. It has a covered top deck (unlike any vessel before) and a bar so it is normally restricted to cruise services. The vessel occasionally operates the ferry also. Unlike its predecessor, it is painted in standard Gosport Ferry livery.
- The Spirit of Gosport is the second newest vessel of the fleet. It was built in 2001 to replace The Portsmouth Queen. It is of the same design as The Spirit of Portsmouth but does not have a covered roof or bar. During its first few months in service, it ran alongside the two queens as it had (like all others) teething problems. These were soon ironed out and eventually replaced The Portsmouth Queen.
- The Gosport Queen is the oldest ship of the fleet. It was built in 1966 to replace two of the four original Gosport ferries. It was able to do this as it was much larger. This vessel is also the sister ship of The Portsmouth Queen (now withdrawn). It was also a later sister ship to the Solent Enterprise.
There was three other ferries that previous operated the services.
- Solent Enterprise (formerly Gay Enterprise) was previously the pride of the fleet. It was also built in 1974, to provide better cruise services. It looked similar to the current 1966 ferry. It was painted in a blue livery and it was used on cruise services. This ferry was replaced in 2003 by The Spirit of Gosport.
- The Portsmouth Queen was built in 1966 as a sister ship to The Gosport Queen. This vessel, due to its larger size, replaced the other two original Gosport Ferries. It was also a sister ship to the Solent Enterprise.
- The Southsea Queen was built in 1972 as a cruise ship. Although this failed as it was to small as was sold to White Horse Ferries Ltd just four years later in 1976. It operated the Hythe Ferry where it was renamed the Hythe Hotspur. It lasted here until 1995.
[edit] The Ferry Service
The ferry operates from the Gosport pontoon to the Portsmouth pontoon. The interval is generally every 7 minutes. There is no single ticket so you can only get returns.
The ferry service has operated continuously for 123 years. Making it one of the longest serving ferry service in the UK.
[edit] Cruises
The Gosport Ferry also operates cruises around the Solent. Cruises are generally operated by The Spirit of Portsmouth which has moquette seating upstairs (also with seating with tables in the centre section) as well as a bar.
When there are no more cruises for a year, The Spirit of Portsmouth operates the ferry alongside The Spirit of Gosport. The latter vessel replaces the former when the former is out of service. Cruises were once the duty of the withdrawn vessels The Southsea Queen and the Solent Enterprise.
