MV Hoy Head

Last updated

Hoy Head.jpg
MV Hoy Head at Lyness, Hoy.
History
Civil Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameMV Hoy Head
Owner Orkney Islands Council
Operator Orkney Ferries
Port of registry Kirkwall
Builder Appledore Shipbuilders, Devon
Completed1994
Identification
General characteristics
Class and typeMCA Class IV
TypeRo-Ro Vehicle & Passenger Ferry
Tonnage482  GT
Length53.3 m (174.9 ft)
Beam10 m (32.8 ft)
Draft2.25 m (7.4 ft)
Rampsbow/stern
Installed power2   Volvo D-16c (2 × 478 kW)
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Capacity125 passengers; 24 cars or approximately 100 tonnes
Crew5
Notes [2] [3]

MV Hoy Head is a Ro-Ro vehicle ferry operated by Orkney Ferries.

Contents

History

MV Hoy Head was built by Appledore Shipbuilders in North Devon in 1994. [2] In 2013, the ferry entered Cammell Laird shipyard to be lengthened to increase her capacity. The work involved cutting the ferry in half and inserting a newly built section amidships, as well as a general overhaul which included upgraded passenger and crew spaces, uprated engines, replacement of the steering/propulsion units and the addition of a second bow thruster. [3]

She is the fourth vessel of the same name. An earlier one was a former naval ferry (originally MFV 1258) operating from Houton to Lyness. [4] She was fitted with a 150 hp Gardner engine, but now lies derelict in Irvine harbour. [5]

Hoy Head (III) was built in the Faroe Islands in 1973 for Shetland Islands Council, operating as Geira, between Yell and Unst. She was sold to the Orkney Island Shipping Company in 1986 and superseded in 1991 by Thorsvoe, remaining as the secondary ferry to the South Isles until the introduction of Hoy Head (IV) in 1994. [6]

Steamship Hoy Head, built by Abercorn Shipbuilding Co. of Paisley, was launched on 18 October 1883 and sank off Cornwall on 12 November 1887. [7]

Layout

Hoy Head has one passenger lounge below the vehicle deck. These have no external windows and in favourable weather passengers, particularly tourists during summer season, often use the high-level open side decks. [8]

The vessel is fitted with two Rolls-Royce azimuth thrusters fitted during her lengthening, replacing the previously fitted Schottel units. [3]

Service

MV Hoy Head operates the South Isles Service in Orkney, between Houton and Lyness on Hoy. [9] She also serves Flotta and South Walls.

During the summer months Hoy Head was joined by Orkney Ferries spare vessel MV Thorsvoe to supplement the increased volume in tourist traffic, however this practice was abandoned after summer 2012.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoy, Orkney</span> Island in the Orkney Islands group

Hoy is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring 143 square kilometres (55 sq mi) – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, the Ayre, links the island to the smaller South Walls; the two islands are treated as one entity by the UK census. Hoy is also the name of a hamlet in the northwest of the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flotta</span> Island in Orkney, Scotland

Flotta is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying in Scapa Flow. The island is known for its large oil terminal and is linked by Orkney Ferries to Houton on the Orkney Mainland, Lyness on Hoy and Longhope on South Walls. The island has a population of 80.

Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, when that side of the business was separated and became part of the Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Company.

MV <i>Royal Daffodil</i>

MV Royal Daffodil is a former ferry based on the River Mersey, England. From launch until a major refit in 1998 /1999, she was named MV Overchurch, she began service for Birkenhead Corporation Ferries in 1962 and was in regular service on the river until her withdrawal in December 2012. Despite her extensive re-build in 1999, the ship still retains a similar profile to that of her original design. After her withdrawal, the vessel remained idle since her dry docking and survey in January 2013. In April 2019 a new home was confirmed for the ship in the form of a new floating leisure attraction, in Liverpool's Canning Dock.

MV <i>Isle of Lewis</i>

MV Isle of Lewis is a ro-ro ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne between Oban and Castlebay, Barra. Built in 1995, she remains one of only two ships in the CalMac fleet over 100 metres (328 ft) in length; the other, Loch Seaforth, being longer by almost 15 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orkney Ferries</span>

Orkney Ferries is a Scottish company operating inter-island ferry services in the Orkney Islands. The company operates ferry services across 15 islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houton</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Houton is a settlement 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of Stromness on the island of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. The settlement is within the parish of Orphir, and is situated on a minor road off the A964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyness</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Lyness is a village on the east coast of the island of Hoy, Orkney, Scotland. The village is within the parish of Walls and Flotta, and is situated at the junction of the B9047 and B9048.

MS <i>Ben-my-Chree</i> Isle of Man ferry

MV Ben-my-Chree is a Ro-Pax vessel which was launched and entered service in 1998. The flagship of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, she primarily operates on the Douglas to Heysham route until replaced by MV Manxman in Late 2023.

Abels Shipbuilders Ltd was a ship and boat builder in Bristol, England. In addition to boat building, the company branched out into architectural sculptures, tidal energy and marine restoration, but closed in 2016.

MV <i>Hamnavoe</i>

MV Hamnavoe is a car and passenger ferry, built in 2002 and operated by NorthLink Ferries across the Pentland Firth from the mainland of Scotland to the Orkney Islands.

MV <i>Claymore</i> (1978)

MV Claymore was a car and passenger ferry built in 1978 for Caledonian MacBrayne. For ten years, she operated between Oban and the Outer Isles. Between October 2002 and March 2009, she was the Pentland Ferries relief vessel on the Short Sea Crossing to Orkney. Since March 2009, she has operated, as MV Sia, a RORO cable-laying and supply vessel. During 2022, the vessel was renamed to MV Ocean Link.

MV <i>Pioneer</i> (1974)

MV Pioneer is a stern / side loading ferry built in 1974, in service for 29 years covering nearly all of Caledonian MacBrayne's routes. She now serves the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea and was chartered to rescue Liberian refugees.

MV <i>Orcadia</i>

MV Orion is a ro-ro passenger and vehicle ferry. Saturn was operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland between 1978 and 2011, for the first decade of her career on the Rothesay crossing. Later, she also saw service on the Dunoon and Brodick crossings, as well as on short cruises around the Clyde.

MV <i>Hjaltland</i> Ship built in 2002

MV Hjaltland is a NorthLink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. She operates the daily service from mainland Scotland to Orkney and Shetland.

MV <i>Clansman</i> (1964)

MV Clansman was the second of a trio of hoist-loading car ferries built for David MacBrayne Ltd in 1964 and operated on the Mallaig to Armadale, Skye route for ten years. Converted to ro-ro operation, she operated on the Stornoway, Isle of Mull and Arran services. Underpowered and troubled by mechanical breakdowns, she was taken out of service after 20 years.

MV <i>Hrossey</i> British ferry

MV Hrossey is a NorthLink Ferries vehicle and passenger ferry based in Aberdeen. Along with her sister ship, the MV Hjaltland, she operates a daily ferry service between mainland Scotland and the northern archipelagos of Orkney and Shetland.

TSS <i>Manx Maid</i> (1962)

TSS (RMS) Manx Maid (II) was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in 1962, and was the second ship in the Company's history to bear the name.

MV <i>Daggri</i>

MV Daggri is a double ended ro-ro passenger and car ferry that operates on the Yell Sound service by SIC Ferries. She is the sister ship of MV Dagalien.

MV <i>Thorsvoe</i>

MV Thorsvoe is a Ro-Ro vehicle ferry operated by Orkney Ferries.

References

  1. ↑ "Hoy Head". Marine Traffic. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  2. 1 2 "MV Hoy Head". Orkney Ferries . Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "MV Hoy Head". Cammell Laird. Retrieved 4 April 2013.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "No: 1157 Hoy Head coming in to Lyness in 1975". Orkney Image Library. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  5. ↑ "No: 1482 Hoy Head nowadays". Orkney Image Library. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  6. ↑ Neil F King. "MV Hoy Head (III), 1989". Flickr. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  7. ↑ "No: 24 Hoy Head at Scapa". Orkney Image Library. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  8. ↑ "Flotta & Hoy Ferry". Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  9. ↑ "Internal Ferries". Orkney Islands Council. Archived from the original on 5 January 2004. Retrieved 19 February 2010.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Hoy Head (ship, 1994) at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.