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July 19th 1951: Launched
January 16th 1952: Delivered to British Transport Commission, Southern Region, London, England (home port Southampton).
March 3rd 1952: Commenced service between Southampton - Le Havre.
Roy Thornton Collection
September 1953 - October 1953: Operated between Harwich - Hoek van Holland.
October 1962: Completed operations between Southampton - Le Havre.
October 1962: Rebuilt as a car ferry at Hawthorn Leslie on Tyneside.
Roy Thornton Collection
January 1st 1963: British Railways Board succeeded British Transport Commission.
April 5th 1964: Arrived at Dover after rebuild..
April 20th 1964: Operated between Dover/Folkestone - Calais/Boulogne.
July 1964: Collided with the breakwater in Dover sustaining only minor damage.
1964: Vessels painted in the new livery of British Railways, (blue hull and red funnels) and the “Double - Arrow”
Roy Thornton Collection
July 9th 1965 - July 19th : Operated between Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire.
Roy Thornton Collection
June 1967: Special trip from “Ferry Dock”, Dover to Boulogne carrying agricultural machinery.
April 1968: Registered to S.N.C.F. and running on the Calais - Dover route.
September 17th 1968: Laid-up in Harwich.
Roy Thornton Collection
October 25th 1968: Operated one round trip between Harwich - Hook of Holland.
October 1968: Registered to British Railways Board, Southern Region, England.
Roy Thornton Collection
November 1969: It was announced that British Rail’s Shipping and International Services Division (S.I.S.D.) had adopted the new brand name Sealink and as a consequence all vessels were painted in the new house colours.
June 16th 1972 - June 28th 1972: Chartered to Townsend Car Ferries Ltd., Dover, England and introduced between Dover - Zeebrügge.
April 28th 1973: Ran a special charter trip between St Malo and Jersey.
Roy Thornton Collection
April 1973: Sold to S.N.C.F., (home port Calais) running between Dover - Calais, with return trips from Boulogne - Dover.
October 1973: Re-registered to British Railways Board, London, England.
December 13th 1973 - March 1974: Operated between Weymouth - Jersey - Guernsey, at the same time briefly running between Weymouth - Cherbourg.
Roy Thornton Collection
July 1st 1974: She then moved round the coast once more and between Dover - Boulogne.
July 9th 1974: Struck the submerged remains of one of the old paddle steamer jetties at Dover whilst moving from one berth to another at the Admiralty Pier. The result was a ten-foot-long gash ripped in her side, with water pouring in and loudening her engine room, seriously damaging the turbine machinery. Repairs were made at Middlesbrough.
Roy Thornton Collection
October 26th 1974 - October 1975: After being repaired operated between Weymouth - Jersey - Guernsey.
1975: Struck the pier head at Guernsey, which split a seam in the plates on her starboard hull, letting water into the engine room. Repaired by local marine engineers.
Roy Thornton Collection
1975: Laid up in Newhaven.
Roy Thornton Collection
June 1978: Sold to Red Sea Ferries, Dubai but it is believed that the contract fell through before completion. Her new owners even paid a deposit and planned to tow her to Rotterdam for overhaul before taking her out via Suez. A party of “foreign gentlemen” duly turned up at Newhaven, painted a thin white line around her funnel and added “Panama” to “Normannia” and “London” which already appeared on the ship’s stern. A telegram then arrived advising them that the deal was off and they promptly departed leaving slings and trestles still in place. Had the telegram arrived a day later, we would have known what her new name was to have been.
Andy Gilbert, (“Meechingman”)
November 29th 1978: Sold for scrapping in Gijon, Spain.
November 29th 1978: Sailed from Newhaven bound for Falmouth to bunker, arriving at 0830hrs on the 30th. Sufficient oil and fresh water were shipped at Falmouth for the journey to Gijon, although initially delayed to bad weather she departed at 20.25 hrs on December 2nd for Brest to fill up for the passage across the Bay of Biscay.
Roy Thornton Collection
S he arrived at Brest roads 08.50 hrs on the 3rd sailing again at 0018 hrs on the 5th , finally arriving at Gijon at 21.00 hrs the same day.
December 6th 1978: Entered the port reaching her final resting place at 08.45hrs. The ships log read “0845, Normannia RIP. Desguacs Heme S.A. Gijon” “. (Article by Chief Engineer, Brian Saunders. Sealink News No 25 Summer 1979)
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Technical Data
History
