Getting Places - Commuter Ferries
FERRIES
It would be unthinkable to start this section without mentioning the Ferry across the Mersey made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
There are 3 ferries currently in use:
Royal Iris of the Mersey
Royal Daffodil
Snowdrop
These ferries carry commuters and tourists between Birkenhead (Woodside), Wallasey (Seacombe) and Liverpool (Pierhead). They also transfer passengers to the shore when liners such as the QE2 visit.
Other ferries such as Balmoral visit the region in the Summer.
Royal Iris of the Mersey
Built 1960 at Dartmouth. Formerly known as Mountwood.
This picture was taken on Saturday 20th August 2005, during a powerboat race on the Mersey.
Royal Daffodil
Built 1962 at Cammel Lairds, Birkenhead. Formerly known as Overchurch.
This picture shows the ferry at the remaining section of the Liverpool landing stage.
These ferries carry commuters and tourists across the weather in all kinds of weather. Anyone standing on deck when this picture was taken in March 2004 would have been more than a little damp. One woman got particularly wet when she fell off the Royal Daffodil (pictured below) and a lifeboat was despatched to rescue her.
Snowdrop
Built 1960 at Dartmouth. Formerly known as Woodchurch.
The Royal prefix on Iris and Daffodil is because the predecessors of these ferries both transported troops to Zeebruge in the 1st World War while under fire.
When liners visit the area they usually anchor mid-river and the ferries serve as tenders for the passengers. In July 2005 the cruise liner Crystal Symphony came to the region. This picture shows the ferry Royal Iris transporting passengers to and from the Liverpool Pierhead.
A temporary landing stage was moved into position May (2006) to replace the one that sank earlier in the year.
Part of the Liverpool landing stage sank in sank in March (2006) causing the suspension of commuter ferry services across the river for a week. The ferry service resumed using the part of the landing stage also used by the car ferries.
In June (1999) there was an attempted hi-jacking of a Mersey Ferry, but the crew with help from passengers subdued the person concerned.
Balmoral
This diesel powered passenger ferry that was built in 1949 often visits the region in the Summer and takes passengers to places such as Llandudno.
I took the picture below in the Mersey River Festival (2005).
After the river festival August (2005) there was an incident near Swansea when the ferry hit an underwater object flooding the engine room.
The ship returned to the River Mersey in July (2006).
Dimensions 63 * 10 * 2 with a tonage of 735.
Getting Places.
Other shipping on the River Mersey.
Shipping Cross Reference.
Places of Interest.
Map Index.