Spirit of Portsmouth
 Spirit of Portsmouth at Gosport | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Owner: | Gosport Ferry Company Ltd |
| Builder: | VT Halmatic Ltd |
| Launched: | 2005 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 9319894[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 377 GT; 30 DWT |
| Length: | 32.6 m (107 ft) |
| Beam: | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Draft: | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power: | 360 hp (270 kW) Scania DI12 diesel |
| Propulsion: | Veth VZ2000 Azimuth thrusters |
Spirit of Portsmouth is a vessel owned by the Gosport Ferry Company Ltd and built by VT Halmatic Ltd of Portchester.[2][3]
History
The vessel was built in 2005 to replace the similar Spirit of Gosport, primarily for cruising Portsmouth Harbour and the Solent. This enabled Spirit of Gosport to replace Portsmouth Queen on the Gosport to Portsmouth ferry route. The main difference between the two Spirit vessels is the covered roof and bar on Spirit of Portsmouth, making her more suited to cruising. Spirit of Portsmouth will, however, service the ferry route when either Spirit of Gosport or the other ferry Gosport Queen are out of service.
Upon the introduction of Spirit of Portsmouth, the 1966-built Portsmouth Queen was withdrawn from service. The previous vessel that was dedicated to cruise duty was Solent Enterprise. Spirit of Portsmouth is currently the Gosport Ferries flagship.
References
- ↑ "Spirit of Portsmouth". IMO Number. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
- ↑ "Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company orders new ferry from VT Halmatic". Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 2008-01-30.
- ↑ "VT Halmatic Steels Itself for Success". Maritime Journal. 1 November 2004. Retrieved 2007-12-04.