mv lion

[sandra xa]

who remembers the car ferry mv lion? that used to go to belfast daily from ardrossan?

[gerv]

[attachment=0]609053078b9bf0a85ea0bfaf7f3a050f.jpg[/attachment]

MV LION

Gerv

[geomacintyre]

Having sailed on the Lion many times to Belfast, I also travelled on her to France when she took up her duties on the Dover to Boulogne service.

[unicornheart]

i also went to visit my wee sister in Ireland on lion, but it was a rocky crossing i had my 2 youngest kids with me.

[Alexmac442]

Remember them very well, there was a series no? Someone else wil have more info on this but I remember at least 2.
Alex

[Bob Bryden]

Here's a photo of MV Lion which I took whilst in Ardrossan Aug-Sept. 1974. I would have liked to take a trip over to Belfast but for the apparent security risk with "the troubles". I was told there had been several bomb threats on the ship. It's a pity because in my family history research I've discovered I have at least 4 Irish branches - one is confirmed as coming from the Irish Republic & I suspect that one or two will be from Ulster.


Bob

[Gmac58]

My late Father was the Chief Steward on the MV Lion until it ceased its service from Ardrossan.
Any pictures that I can post would be appreciated.

[Gmac58]

Hi Bob, are you okay for me to use your photo on the Clyde shipping site. I will add an an acknowledgment to you.

[Bob Bryden]

You’re welcome to use it. Anyone know what’s happened to the MV Lion since cessation of its Ardrossan service ?

[Bruce]

According to Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Lion

Three new car ferries were delivered to Coast Lines in 1966/67 to update the Irish Sea services. The third of these, Lion took over the Ardrossan - Belfast day service of Burns & Laird. She entered service on 3 January 1968. Two weeks later, she was damaged in a storm and was out of service for two weeks.

In 1971, Coast Lines were taken over by P&O. The service transferred to Larne in 1975 and ended in 1976 when Lion transferred to Southern Ferries Ltd and left for Le Havre.[2]

Lion was sold to European Ferries (Townsend Thoresen) in 1985, and then to Thenamaris Shipping for service in the Mediterranean. In 1987 and 1988, she was renamed Portelet for charters to British Channel Island Ferries; between charters, she was laid up in Weymouth.

On 24 February 1990, between Larneca and Greece, she came under fire from a gun-boat and was withdrawn for repairs.[2] In 1997, she was sold to Equester Shipping, Kingstown, Saint Vincent & Grenadine. and left for service in Indonesia.

In March 2004, she was sold for scrapping, arriving at Chittagong Roads, Bangladesh for breaking.

[Gmac58]

Thank you Bob, I am obliged.

[Bob Bryden]

I was interested to note the ultimate fate of the MV Lion in 2004 as the ship which brought my family & I to New Zealand in 1963 was the former Shaw Savill liner the Southern Cross & it suffered the same fate in 2003 & was scrapped at the same location. I looked up photos of that event & noted that modern health & safety requirements apparently weren’t considered there - it was just driven onto the beach where the break up took place.