MV St Catherine

MV "St Catherine" is a Car Passenger Ferry in service with the ferry company Wightlink. She sails between Portsmouth on the English mainland and Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight.

Career

"St Catherine" was built by Robb Caledon Shipbuilders, of Leith at a cost of £5 million, and entered service with Wightlink on 3 July 1983. She was at the time the biggest ferry ever to serve with Wightlink and the first to be able to carry more than 100 cars. Local papers reported that she made the other Isle of Wight ferries looked like toys in comparison to her. [ [http://www.wightlink.co.uk/aboutus/history_chron.htm Wightlink history] ] Entering service on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route, she was the first of the Isle of Wight ferries to use an asymmetric three-propeller layout with a bridge mounted forward. Two decks of passenger accommodation are provided above the car deck, with two bar areas and seating space. Also at the time one of the fastest car ferries in the company, she allowed Wightlink to provide a 35-minute crossing of the Solent. Two older ferries on the route were then withdrawn from service, whilst another, MV "Caedmon" was transferred to join her sisters on the route between Lymington and Yarmouth. "St Catherine" remained the largest ship in the Wightlink fleet until her sister, MV "St Helen" entered service later in 1983, and took the title.

"St Catherine" was present at the International Fleet Review in 2005, representing Wightlink with a number of her sisters.

References

* [http://www.wightlink.co.uk/aboutus/fleet/fleet_information.htm Wightlink fleet information]
* [http://www.wightlink.co.uk/aboutus/history_chron.htm Wightlink history]