Scillonian III unloading cargo at St. Mary's Harbour |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Scillonian III |
| Owner: | Isles of Scilly Steamship Company |
| Operator: | Isles of Scilly Steamship Company |
| Port of registry: | United Kingdom |
| Builder: | Appledore Shipbuilders, North Devon |
| Launched: | 5 May 1977 |
| Christened: | 17 May 1977[1] |
| In service: | 19 May 1977[1] |
| Identification: | IMO number: 7400259 |
| Status: | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | passenger ferry 100A1 (EU Class II B) |
| Tonnage: | 1,255.25 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 68 m (223.1 ft) |
| Beam: | 11.85 m (38.9 ft) |
| Draught: | 2.89 m (9 ft 5.8 in) |
| Decks: | 4 |
| Propulsion: | 2 engines driving 2 propellers |
| Speed: | 15.15 kn (28.1 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 600 passengers |
| Crew: | 18 [2] |
RMV Scillonian III is a passenger ship based at Penzance in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, run by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company. She operates the principal ferry service to the Isles of Scilly, assisted by the cargo vessel Gry Maritha.
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The Scillonian III was purpose built for the Steamship Company by Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd of Appledore in Devon and was christened by H.R.H. Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall on 17 May 1977[3] and entered service later in the same month. She is the third passenger ship to carry the Scillonian name and made her first trip to Scilly on 19 May 1977, sailing from Bideford to St Mary's.[4] On the arrival of the new ship, critics found it "too big, they will never hold her, not suitable or not as good a sea boat as the old boat" (the same had happened when the first Scillonian went into service in 1926 and again with her replacement in 1956)[5]
The Scillonian III has a length of 68 m, a beam of 11.85 m, a draft of 2.89 m, a gross tonnage of 1255.25, and a service speed of 15.15 knots (28.06 km/h). Due to the number of tidal currents which meet off Lands End, and the need for a shallow draught to allow access to the Islands, the sea journey can be rough. For this reason the ship is fitted with a "Flume" antiroll stabilizer system.
The Scillonian III is currently in service for passengers and cargo 8 months of the year, carrying up to 600 passengers for day trips or longer holidays to the Islands. As a preferred means of transport between Scilly and the mainland, she is a familiar sight in Penzance and St Mary's - often photographed by tourists and also featured in the BBC series, An Island Parish.
In 1998, faced with the cost of building a new ship, the Company decided to give Scillonian III a major refit, during which over 50 tons of steel were used to increase the standard of the ship. The ship also had 3 new generators and a new bow thruster fitted. The cost of this was £1.7 million.[4] In early 2007, press reports indicated that Cornwall County Council was expected to approved plans for the construction of a new ro-ro ferry at a cost of £17.5 million. This vessel would be leased to the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and would replace both Scillonian III and Gry Maritha.[6] The scheme subsequently collapsed.[7]
The Scillonian only operates a seasonal passenger and freight service. She does not sail all year but runs between Penzance and Hugh Town for about eight months only, from early spring (March/April) until autumn (October/November).[2][8][9] Through the winter months, she is laid up in Penzance harbour and a cargo-only service to the Isles of Scilly is then provided by the Gry Maritha.[10] The annual winter period is used to carry out a maintenance programme, during which the Scillonian is painted and undergoes technical inspections as well as surveys for passenger vessel certification by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.[11] The ferry's season thus largely coincides with the tourist season on the Isles of Scilly,[12] which normally runs from Easter to the first weekend in October. The ferry is in fact so closely assocatiated with the summer season on Scilly that for many people, "the sight of the ship Scillonian III [arriving in the Isles of Scilly] is a celebrated indication that spring has sprung."[9]
During her months of operation, the Scillonian follows a regular schedule. The ferry normally sails six days a week from Monday to Saturday,[2] typically leaving Penzance at 09:15 am and arriving in Hugh Town around 12:00 noon, which means a sailing time of approximately 2 hours 40 minutes.[9] This is the vessel's standard schedule, which only sees occasional variations on Saturdays.[13] On most days, when the Scillonian sails from the UK mainland at 09:15 am, she will stay in Hugh Town until 16:30 pm.[14]
On some occasions, when changing tides or weather forecasts affect her sailings so that she has to leave Penzance at about 10:30, she will leave Hugh Town again around 15:00, and on the few days when she needs to sail from Penzance at about 08:30, she will depart Hugh Town at about 11:15.[14] Times and dates may also change due to school holidays, special occasions and unexpected events. Two sailings a day, Sunday or night sailings are rare and usually only arranged by the Steamship Company when an exceptionally high number of passengers depend on the ferry service. This may be the case on busy weekends at the start of the summer season, around the World Pilot Gig Championships, and more regularly during the year when the air services between the Isles of Scilly and the mainland are grounded due to poor visibility (see "Notable events" below).
On 26 March 1997, when the 300-ft container vessel Cita hit rocks off the south coast of the Isles of Scilly, the crew of the stricken vessel were rescued by St Mary's Lifeboat with the support of a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose. They returned to the UK mainland on board the Scillonian III later that afternoon. As air traffic to Scilly was suspended for the day due to poor visibility on the mainland, the government authorities chartered the Scillonian III to make a night sailing from Penzance to bring officials, shipwreck specialists as well as police reinforcements to St Mary's.[15]
On Monday 12 August 2002, a technical fault meant that the Scillonian III could not sail, leaving hundreds of tourists temporarily stranded on St Mary's. The ferry had to remain docked in Penzance while engineers were working on the fault. Travellers booked in for the sailing were advised to make alternative arrangements, however British International and Skybus services were struggling to cope with the massive extra demand for seats, the problem further extended by the fact that one of British International’s two helicopters had to remain grounded. Cancellation of Scillonian III 's sailing mainly affected day trip passengers to Scilly as well as visitors staying in guesthouses, as in many cases they could not be re-accommodated in the same guesthouse. Freight services to St Mary's were also disrupted by the cancellation, so Gry Maritha had to make a re-scheduled Monday night sailing to deliver fruit and vegetables to the Isles of Scilly.[16]
On 17 June 2010, a Scilly shrew made headlines on BBC Cornwall when it stowed away from the Isles of Scilly on Scillonian III. The small 2 in (5 cm) mammal was only discovered in a corner of the Upper Deck as the ferry was about to arrive in Penzance and staff were clearing the area near the gangway. Paul Semmens, the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust's onboard marine guide, identified the animal as a shrew which was about two months old and looked after it for the night. The next day, the shrew was flown back from Penzance to Scilly on a Skybus plane and released back into its natural environment. Managers at the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company said they thought it could have been the smallest passenger ever to travel on the Scillonian III and the Skybus.[17]
On 21 April 2011, Scillonian III was issued with her new certificate by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency so her carrying capacity of 600 passengers could be reinstated. This came in time for the start of the summer season on the Isles of Scilly and the World Pilot Gig Championships.[18]
On 2 May 2011, the cancellation of a Scillonian III sailing on the bank holiday after the World Pilot Gig Championships weekend left visitors stranded on St Mary's. Two sailings were scheduled that day to take gig rowers home. Scillonian III departed for the first sailing as planned, but with weather conditions worsening in the strong Easterlies and waves crashing onto the pier in Penzance it became unsafe to berth and she had to spend three hours circling in Mount's Bay, waiting until high tide with 450 passengers on board. When the second sailing was then cancelled, council staff opened up emergency accommodation at their Carn Thomas offices and Town Hall to provide shelter for visitors stranded on St Mary's.[19] [20]
On 29 June 2011, a passenger had to be airlifted from Scillonian III by a rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose after complaining about severe chest pains. The day trip visitor had become unwell around 30 minutes out of Penzance, so the helicopter was requested by a doctor travelling on board. The ferry retreated to a more sheltered part of the coast, near Mousehole, so the patient could be winched up without having to deal with the strong winds.[21]
In 1977 Scillonian III went into service with her superstructure painted white, her crane and funnel were yellow without further markings. Some time after the Gry Maritha was acquired, the Scillonian III's funnel and crane were painted blue to match the colours of the other ship. For much of the first decade of the 21st century, Scillonian III appeared with a yellow crane and funnel, the flag of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company (itself based on the design of the Cornish flag) painted on both sides of the latter. Shortly before the start of the 2010 season, the colours of the ferry's funnel were again changed, this time to white with a smaller badge of the Steamship Company.
Due to seasickness caused by ship movement in sea storms that the Scillonian III must sail through, she is sometimes nicknamed "the big white stomach pump", or "the big rocking rust bucket"[22]
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