TSS Duke of Argyll (1956)
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | TSS Duke of Argyll |
| Owner: |
1956-1963: British Transport Commission 1963-1975: Sealink 1975-1987: Libra Maritime 1987-1994: Hellenic Maritime Lines 1987-1994: Hellenic Maritime Lines 1994-1995: Hong Kong |
| Operator: |
1956-1963: British Transport Commission 1963-1975: Sealink 1975-1987: Libra Maritime 1987-1994: Hellenic Maritime Lines 1987-1994: Hellenic Maritime Lines 1994-1995: Hong Kong |
| Port of registry: |
Lancaster, United Kingdom  |
| Route: | 1956-1975: Heysham - Belfast |
| Builder: | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
| Yard number: | 1541 |
| Launched: | 1956 |
| Maiden voyage: | 1956 |
| Out of service: | 1995 |
| Fate: | Caught fire, scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Turbine steam ship |
| Tonnage: | 4,797 GT |
| Length: | 114.63 m (376 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 17.46 m (57 ft 3 in) |
| Draught: | 4.54 m (14 ft 11 in) |
| Installed power: | 2 x Parmetrada steam turbines |
| Speed: | 21 Knots |
| Capacity: | 1800 passengers |
The Duke of Argyll was a railway steamer passenger ship that operated in Europe from 1956 to 1975.
In service
Along with her sister ships the TSS Duke of Lancaster (1956) and the TSS Duke of Rothesay she was amongst the last passenger-only steamers built for British Railways (at that time, also a ferry operator).[1] She was a replacement for the 1928 steamer built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway, RMS Duke of Argyll.
Built at Harland and Wolff, Belfast and completed in 1956, she was designed to operate as both a passenger ferry (primarily on the Heysham-Belfast route) and as a cruise ship. [2]
Post Sealink
She operated as Neptunia for Libra Maritime from 1975 to 1987, then as Corinthia for Hellenic Maritime from 1987 to 1994.
She arrived in Hong Kong as Faith Power in 1994 and was renamed Fairy Princess in 1995 and then Zenith. In July 1995 she caught fire. The fire was extinguished and she was run aground. Later refloated, she was sent for scrap.
References
- ↑ Duke of Lancaster, hhvferry.com, retrieved 12 December 2007
- ↑ Sea breezes: the ship lovers' digest, Pacific Steam Navigation Company. 1997