 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
  United Kingdom/Greece | |
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator | 1968: Townsend Thoresen |
| Port of registry | |
| Route |
|
| Builder | I.C.H. Holland, Netherlands |
| Yard number | 424 |
| Laid down | 7 August 1961[1] |
| Launched | 2 February 1962 |
| Completed | April 1962 |
| Maiden voyage | 22 April 1962[1] |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Scrapped (2013) |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Car and passenger ferry |
| Tonnage | 3,881 GT; 450 DWT |
| Length | 96.47 m (316.5 ft)[2] |
| Beam | 16.39 m (53.8 ft) |
| Draught | 4.08 m (13.4 ft) |
| Installed power | 2x 12-cylinder Smit-MAN RBL 6612 4 stroke single acting diesels;7360 kW[1] |
| Propulsion | twin-screw |
| Speed | 18 kn (21 mph) |
| Capacity | 850 (1962) / 1,400 (1981) passengers; 120 cars |
| Crew | 56 |
MSFree Enterprise (I) was a cross-Channel ferry operated by Townsend Brothers and later Townsend Thoresen between 1962 and 1980. She was their first purpose built roll-on/roll-off passenger and vehicle ferry. She was sold to Greece in 1980, where she served until being sold for scrap in 2013.
Free Enterprise was built in 1962 by I.C.H. Holland, Werf Gusto Yard,Schiedam, the Netherlands, forTownsend Brothers Ferries. She was their first purpose built roll-on/roll-off passenger and vehicle ferry and entered service in 1962 on theDover -Calais route.[3] On delivery ofFree Enterprise II in May 1965, she was renamedFree Enterprise I. In 1968, the company becameEuropean Ferries, continuing to operate services asTownsend Thoresen andFree Enterprise I appeared briefly in the 1969 film classicThe Italian Job, starringMichael Caine,Noël Coward andBenny Hill.
In February 1980,Free Enterprise I was sold toVentouris Group as theKimolos. She ran aground twice in 1983.[1]
In 1993 she was registered toHellenic Coastal Lines (Ventouris Sons Shipping) receiving the name Ergina. In 1995 she was briefly given the nameVentouris before re-entering service with Ventouris Lines asMethodia II.[4]
In 1997Methodia II was sold to Sinderella NE, Piraeus, and renamedKallisti.Kallisti was laid up inHeraklion in 2003. In 2005, she was registered toIonian Lines Cruises & Ferry.[1] She served for two years before being laid up in 2007. She never returned to service and was sold for scrap in June 2013.
Free Enterprise had lanes for 120 cars on two decks.[1]
Free Enterprise operated on theDover-Calais service until 1979. During 1975 and 1976Free Enterprise I spent time on theCairnryan -Larne route. From 1977 until sale, she was on stand-by duties and then laid up atTilbury.[1]
From 1981,Kimolos operated betweenPiraeus and theCyclades Islands.[1] After 1997,Kallisti was used during the summer on cruises betweenCrete andSantorini, and in winter betweenLavrio-Tinos-Mykonos. In 2007,Okeanis was operating as a day cruise ship.[5]Okeanis was laid up at the end of the 2007 season and never returned to service, despite plans to resume day cruises. She was sold for scrap in May 2013, being towed to the dismantling port of Aliaga on 1 June 2013.[6]
The ship features in the 1969 filmThe Italian Job, taking the criminal mob and their cars across theEnglish Channel en route toTurin.