TSS DUKE OF LANCASTER
TSS DUKE OF LANCASTER was a replacement for the 1928 steamer built by the London Midland and Scottish Railway, RMS Duke of Lancaster.
Built at Harland & Wolff, Belfast, launched on 1 December 1955 and completed in 1956, she was designed to operate as both a passenger ferry (primarily on the Heysham to Belfast route) and as a cruise ship. In this capacity, the Duke of Lancaster travelled to the Scottish islands and further afield to Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Spain.
In 1970 the ship was converted to a roll on roll off vessel which could carry 105 cars along with 400 passengers.
The TSS DUKE OF LANCASTER along with her two sister ships continued on the Heysham to Belfast route until the service was withdrawn on 5 April 1975.
The ship was then briefly employed on the Fishguard to Rosslare crossing, before becoming the regular relief vessel on the Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire service until November 1978. The ship was then laid up at Barrow-in-Furness and offered for sale.
She was acquired by Liverpool based retail group Solitaire Ltd who sailed the vessel to Llanerch-y-Mor and beached her where she was to become “The Fun Ship” offering a mix of retail, refreshment, entertainment and museum functions.
Unfortunately, a long running dispute with the local council led to the forced closure of the Fun Ship in the 1980s. However, the owners established a market site on the nearby main road.
The ship’s vehicle deck was used for storage whilst the rest was left in limbo and by the early 2000’s had become a target for urban explorers who saw entering the vessel as a significant challenge.
Around 2012 the owners allowed the ship to be used as an art gallery. The plan was to transform the ship into the largest open air art gallery in the UK. The Latvian graffiti artist "KIWIE" was commissioned to spraypaint a design on the ship.
The ship was covered with graffiti described as "bright and surreal".
The first phase of the project saw Kiwie and other European graffiti artists paint murals on the ship between August and November 2012, and the second phase (starting at the end of March 2013) included the work of British-based artists such as Snub23, Spacehop, Dan Kitchener and Dale Grimshaw. One of the artworks being a picture of the ship's first captain, John 'Jack' Irwin. However, in 2017 both sides of the ship were painted black.
In recent years the council and owners appear to have reconciled some of their differences and an open day was held on the dock side around the ship in May 2023, though access to the interior was not possible.
Read MoreBuilt at Harland & Wolff, Belfast, launched on 1 December 1955 and completed in 1956, she was designed to operate as both a passenger ferry (primarily on the Heysham to Belfast route) and as a cruise ship. In this capacity, the Duke of Lancaster travelled to the Scottish islands and further afield to Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Spain.
In 1970 the ship was converted to a roll on roll off vessel which could carry 105 cars along with 400 passengers.
The TSS DUKE OF LANCASTER along with her two sister ships continued on the Heysham to Belfast route until the service was withdrawn on 5 April 1975.
The ship was then briefly employed on the Fishguard to Rosslare crossing, before becoming the regular relief vessel on the Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire service until November 1978. The ship was then laid up at Barrow-in-Furness and offered for sale.
She was acquired by Liverpool based retail group Solitaire Ltd who sailed the vessel to Llanerch-y-Mor and beached her where she was to become “The Fun Ship” offering a mix of retail, refreshment, entertainment and museum functions.
Unfortunately, a long running dispute with the local council led to the forced closure of the Fun Ship in the 1980s. However, the owners established a market site on the nearby main road.
The ship’s vehicle deck was used for storage whilst the rest was left in limbo and by the early 2000’s had become a target for urban explorers who saw entering the vessel as a significant challenge.
Around 2012 the owners allowed the ship to be used as an art gallery. The plan was to transform the ship into the largest open air art gallery in the UK. The Latvian graffiti artist "KIWIE" was commissioned to spraypaint a design on the ship.
The ship was covered with graffiti described as "bright and surreal".
The first phase of the project saw Kiwie and other European graffiti artists paint murals on the ship between August and November 2012, and the second phase (starting at the end of March 2013) included the work of British-based artists such as Snub23, Spacehop, Dan Kitchener and Dale Grimshaw. One of the artworks being a picture of the ship's first captain, John 'Jack' Irwin. However, in 2017 both sides of the ship were painted black.
In recent years the council and owners appear to have reconciled some of their differences and an open day was held on the dock side around the ship in May 2023, though access to the interior was not possible.
