RMS St Helena (1963)
History | |
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Name |
|
Owner |
|
Operator |
|
Port of registry | ![]() |
Route | Avonmouth to Cape Town |
Builder | Burrard Dry Dock, North Vancouver |
Yard number | 314 |
Launched | 2 February 1963 |
Maiden voyage | 5 October 1978 (as St Helena) |
Identification |
|
Fate | Scrapped 9 April 1996 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Cargo liner |
Tonnage | |
Length | 98 m (321.52 ft) |
Beam | 14 m (45.93 ft) |
Draught | 5.49 m (18.01 ft) |
Installed power | 4,200 bhp |
Propulsion | 1 × Stork-Werkspoor diesel engine |
Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) (service) |
Capacity | 88 (normal) |
The RMS St Helena was a cargo liner operated by the St. Helena Shipping Company that operated between Britain and South Africa via the colony of Saint Helena during the late 20th century.
History[]
St Helena was constructed in 1963 by Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver, Canada as the Northland Prince, and operated under that name on service between Vancouver and Alaska.[1] She was purchased by St. Helena Shipping, which had been formed as a joint venture between the Saint Helena government and British shipping firm Curnow Shipping to operate ocean service to the island after the Union-Castle Line ceased operations in 1977.[1] She underwent a refit and was renamed to St Helena, and entered service in September 1978 on a route from Avonmouth, England to Cape Town, South Africa, calling en route at Las Palmas, Canary Islands, and Jamestown, Saint Helena.[1] She continued in this service, interrupted by sailing for the British government during the Falklands War, until 1990 when she was replaced by a new ship, also named St Helena.[1] She was sold and laid up for several years, as planned service in the Indian Ocean never materialized, before being scrapped.[1]
St Helena measured 3,150 gross register tons, and was 321 feet (98 m) long, with a beam of 46 feet (14 m).[1] She was propelled by a single diesel engine and propeller, which gave her a service speed of 16.5 knots (19.0 mph).[1] She had a passenger capacity of 88 in a single class configuration.[1]
References[]
- Transport in Saint Helena
- Passenger ships of the United Kingdom
- Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
- Cargo liners
- Ships built in British Columbia
- 1963 ships