Dover ferry drives up the beach

[granddad]

This upsets me - but its the inverse of a launch - I worked on this ship and carefully avoided driving it up the beach.

 

http://gcaptain.com/pride-calais-turkish-shipbreaker-video/

 

Ken

[Kwacker]

What a sad sight .... impressive, but sad all the same.

She looked in much better condition than a lot of the boats you pass moored on the towpath.

[MHS]

Wow impressive video.

 

Reminded me of a killer whale beaching to catch its prey.

 

Don't think it will manage to get itself off!!

 

If its to be scrapped, could it not have been put in dry dock?

[junior]

What a sad sight .... impressive, but sad all the same.

She looked in much better condition than a lot of the boats you pass moored on the towpath.

I haven't clicked on the link, but are we talking about Pride of Calais here? If so, as someone who commutes across the channel for work, I can confirm that she was not in good condition.

[Nightwatch]

A sad sight but what fun!!

[bassplayer]

This upsets me - but its the inverse of a launch - I worked on this ship and carefully avoided driving it up the beach.

 

http://gcaptain.com/pride-calais-turkish-shipbreaker-video/

 

Ken

Great video thanks. I bet the skipper is good at darts too....

[carlt]

Was my first choice for traversing the channel regularly in the mid-90s because it seemed to have better Sausage Chips and Beans than the other boats.

 

A combination of the Pride of Calais and a Suzuki GS1000 got me to Paris quicker than my colleagues flying from Heathrow.

[DHutch]

I haven't clicked on the link, but are we talking about Pride of Calais here?

 

Yes. Same age me that boat!

[davidc]

It's all ways a sad sight to see the end of ship.

 

But most of been one hell of a ride for the captain in charge of her beaching.

[BenC]

I want that job!

[davidc]

I want that job!

 

and no heath and safety to worry about.

[Mike Tee]

 

and no heath and safety to worry about.

Not until they get into the Eurozone!!

[thorne lass]

There's another clip about (sorry, you'll have to find your own link) taken when Pride of Dover was run up the same beach, but taken from the ship. I don't think it was so spectacular since "Dover" was an engine down, one of the reasons that ship was broken. I was surprised to hear that both these ships have been scrapped since ferries usually seem to find another life in third world countries and these ones were relatively young. One reason I heard was that they did not have integral ramps, but that doesn't seem an insurmountable difficulty. Perhaps with the clamshell bow design they are less suited for deeper and more exposed waters.

[Scholar Gypsy]

Thanks - nice video. I was amused that they needed all three radar sets to complete this maneuver. ..

 

I am not clear which way the tide was running at the time - and suspect they have tried to moor while facing downstream ??

[luctor et emergo]

I crossed on the Pride of Calais in the 90's. Might have been that memorable one when I was on the first one out, after a heavy storm.... One hell of a ride..

[John Williamson 1955]

It was precision steering for sure. The ships either side were nudged sideways by very similar amounts.

 

Sad, but as has been said, when P&O got rid of her, she wasn't in good condition, and a few years hacking round the Mediterranean working for one of the less conscientious (According to some sources) operators wouldn't have helped.

 

The reason for no dry dock is simply cost, and there are many beaches worldwide being used to scrap ships. Some of them even drain the tanks before they cut them open...

[the grinch]

Similarly I used to cross to france a lot and often used P+O ferries so travelled on all of the Pride ships over the years both from Dover and Portsmouth. these days I only use LD Lines as they are a lot cheaper and sail the Portsmouth- Le Havre route at good times

[IanM]

It was precision steering for sure. The ships either side were nudged sideways by very similar amounts.

 

If you look on the beach there is a fire burning which also seems to be the case on other videos of different ships on the same beach so I assume it's "Full speed ahead and aim for the smoke!"

[PaulJ]

 

If you look on the beach there is a fire burning which also seems to be the case on other videos of different ships on the same beach so I assume it's "Full speed ahead and aim for the smoke!"

I saw that and thought what a simple way of doing things. Then I watched this video-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKeZTycClLc

Makes me feel good about some of the bumps I have had

[Athy]

I used to use cross channel ferries regularly and remember Pride of Dover and Pride of Calais well. At the time they represented a new generation of ferries, far in advance of what preceded them, more like a leisure complex which happened to be a ship than a ship which happened to be a ferry.

I am amazed that their working lives have been so short. Have they been replaced by something even more space-age?

[carlt]

I am amazed that their working lives have been so short. Have they been replaced by something even more space-age?

A tunnel under the sea.

[Athy]

No, that was open then too, the ferries picked up ample custom because of their much cheaper fares and because they were suitable for day trippers. I meant to ask what the new generation of ferries was like, as we have not used one for some 7 or 8 years.

[carlt]

the ferries picked up ample custom because of their much cheaper fares and because they were suitable for day trippers.

That didn't stop Sealink, Sally Line, TransEuropea, SpeedLink (any more) all going belly up due in no small part to the tunnel.

 

POD and POF were, however, replaced by the super-ferries Spirit of France and Spirit of Britain:

 

 

As Mrsmelly might say "Pig Ugly!"

[Swallowman]

Basically, the "Pride" ferries shook themselves apart and became structurally a bit dodgy as cracks became apparent. The shaking when maneuvering in harbour was quite frightening.

[Athy]

That didn't stop Sealink, Sally Line, TransEuropea, SpeedLink (any more) all going belly up due in no small part to the tunnel.

 

POD and POF were, however, replaced by the super-ferries Spirit of France and Spirit of Britain:

 

 

As Mrsmelly might say "Pig Ugly!"

That insults pigs, surely?

It looks as if another line which we used to like, Seafrance, no longer operates - though a line called DFDS runs ferries from Dover to Calais; perhaps they took Seafrance over.