Happy Birthday STENA CALEDONIA

[ScottMackey]

Today, Saturday, 25th September marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Stena Line ferry, MV Stena Caledonia at the Harland and Wolff Shipyard in Belfast. She was launched as MV St David, yard number 1717, one of four similar ferries ordered by Sealink for the short sea routes in the English Channel and the Irish Sea. Three decades on, this remarkable ferry still reliably plies her trade between Belfast and Stranraer, serving an important trade and tourist link between the city of her berth and the UK mainland.

The 'Caledonia's' crew, Stena Line and Harland and Wolff should, justifiably, be very proud of this remarkable achievement, especially given the vessel's links to the City of Belfast which remain close thirty years on...

I have been working with Stena Line on a special feature to mark this occasion which should appear in a well known shipping publication in the coming weeks.

[Collision-course]

And for bonus points , which route was the St David orderded for and why was it not allocated there?
Below the St David in her original Sealink livery from www.faktaomfartyg.se

[Stena_Rosslare]

The St David was ordered for Fishguard-Rosslare but the success of the Stena Normandica saw the St David go to Holyhead instead.

[ScottMackey]

First short article in print, Export and Freight Magazine

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&pnum=78&refresh=Fb4130xKG21p&EID=80f56825-1145-4ff0-a2b8-78525571ece7&skip&p=78

Second article in print, see page 28 of this link

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=oH0561bZtD18&PBID=341260c5-6f8b-480f-80c4-eb42fcdfcbb2&skip=

CILT Focus, the journal of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK

[steven_shaw]

That is a great article and brought back many nice memories as I sailed on many of the ships

Happy days!!!!!

[ScottMackey]

My third article to mark the ship's 30th anniversary will be in Ships Monthly magazine next month;

[ScottMackey]

[size=14]My article marking the long and distinguished career of MV STENA CALEDONIA (formerly St David), built in the UK by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and the last remaining operational Sealink ship operating in the waters for which she was designed and built is in June's Edition of Ships Monthly...

The vessel is the magazine's Ship of the Month.[/size]

[giftgrub]

Available today (April 29th) in all good newsagents and some bad ones as well, great article and only €5.87.

[ScottMackey]

Today, 10th August 2011, marks 30 years since the the Belfast-built STENA CALEDONIA made her maiden voyage between Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire as ST DAVID.

To celebrate this milestone, her Senior Master, Captain Murray Paterson has arranged for two Birthday Cakes to be delivered to the ship - one for each crew. Both crews will be enjoying partaking of this today as its changeover day!

The CALEDONIA's 'birthday' will, however, be tinged with sadness in the knowledge that the ship now only has around 3 months of service with Stena on the North Channel left. Enjoy her while we can, and as Captain Paterson writes in a recent note about the ship "hail Caledonia - a fine British Ship!"