Cross channel ferries from Southampton

I vaguely remember that Southampton used to host a cross channel ferry service when I was growing up. Can anyone remember which company it was and the route? And more importantly why not still? Ok, so it takes a bit longer to clear the Sound compared to Portsmouth but on an overnight crossing why would that matter?

when i moved here i still remember a cross channel ferry, wasn't it berthed just down from Ocean Village?

remember launching rockets out of scaffold poles at it from the end of the jetty on Weston Shore

Appreciate it's only Wikipedia but they have the following: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Port_of_Southampton#Cross-channel_ferries

Im sure they were run by Townsend Thoreson when I first went to France in the 60's.

Townsend Thoresen went to Cherbourg and Le Havre and P & O also went to Le Havre (the Panther and the Leopard).

There was also a larger ship called the Eagle which went down to Santander and Tangier. My cousin was a Customs Officer at the time and the Eagle was always good for a bit of the exotic tobacco.

stenna used to...been on it

That was a few years ago, when we went on our school trip to France we left from Soton, for quite a few it was the first time to a foreign land. if my memory serves me right the whole year went on a group passport.

Thanks all. Just brought it up because (if God forbid) those dirty scousers do relieve our port of some of the cruise liner traffic then why not entice a ferry company back and nick it off the skates? Now that would be funny!

Townsend Thoresen went to Cherbourg and Le Havre and P & O also went to Le Havre (the Panther and the Leopard).

 

There was also a larger ship called the Eagle which went down to Santander and Tangier. My cousin was a Customs Officer at the time and the Eagle was always good for a bit of the exotic tobacco.

It was Dragon and Leopard. The Dragon was Brit-crewed, the Leopard French-crewed.

Thanks all. Just brought it up because (if God forbid) those dirty scousers do relieve our port of some of the cruise liner traffic then why not entice a ferry company back and nick it off the skates? Now that would be funny!

Can't see it happening personally, it would only be the visiting ships anyway, not the ones whose home port is here and a lot of the American passengers want to visit Southampton for the 'Titanic Experience'.

Can't see it happening personally, it would only be the visiting ships anyway, not the ones whose home port is here and a lot of the American passengers want to visit Southampton for the 'Titanic Experience'.

Ironic that! Ariving by cruise liner to gawk at the place the most infamous liner was based! I hope they all go to Belfast too to see where she was actually built.

To my recollection, there was a national dock strike in the 1980s. Southampton was solid, and it gave the ferry companies the excuse they needed to go east to the non-unionsed p********h where the scab workers welcomed them with open arms.

My old man was a docker and I remember how livid he was.

Rather at odds with the SCUM legend. So that's two urban myths nailed. The SCUM legend, and that of the Greatest Fans, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Ironic that! Ariving by cruise liner to gawk at the place the most infamous liner was based! I hope they all go to Belfast too to see where she was actually built.

Not forgetting Liverpool, of course, which was registered as the Titanic's home port. Although she never actually went anywhere near the place.

Isn't the flagpole outside the entrance to The Kop at Anfield that from the Olympic, or one of the Titanic's sister ships?

Not forgetting Liverpool, of course, which was registered as the Titanic's home port. Although she never actually went anywhere near the place.

 

Isn't the flagpole outside the entrance to The Kop at Anfield that from the Olympic, or one of the Titanic's sister ships?

Sure, let them go to scouserville after Belfast. Then on to Cobh (Queenstown) which was Titanic's last port of call. (good quiz question that. Most people say her last port of call was Southampton or Cherbourg)

The P&O ferry Eagle had its bridge windows put through by a freak wave crossing the bay.

My old man was crew at the time and he said it was the only time in 40+ years at sea when he thought he was going to die.

Cross Channel ferries ran from Soton for many years from what is now Ocean Village

Originally it was the British Rail fleet to Cherbourg, St Malo, Channel Isles etc

Later Thoresen, P& O, Southern Ferries to France, Spain and N Africa, introduced Drive on/drive off ferries which really opened up the market.

There was a good deal of industrial dispute in Soton in the 1970/80's which, added to the first Middle east conflict (which increased the oil price) made Pompey a decent alternative, especially as their position was closer to France

Stena then came in early 1990's to run a regular service to Cherbourg (passenger numbers were good but the cost of the Ferry vessel charter was high so they wrapped it up about 5 -6 years later)

Pompey and Poole have been the main local ports since then but the Eurotunnel and the removal of Duty free benefits have reduced Cross Channel Ferry carryings in recent years

Im sure they were run by Townsend Thoreson when I first went to France in the 60's.

Me too, a school trip to Cherbourg.

Think a company was going to try again in recent years but the high docks fees were prohibitive.

Did plenty of Tyro trips to Le Harve, used to be some rough Easter time crossings! I think Leslie Crowther opened the Terminal they used, sure I saw him do that.

TT were the better ferries imo.

Stenna line to Cherbourg, my mum used to work in there.

Was great for booze cruises

Think a company was going to try again in recent years but the high docks fees were prohibitive.

Dont think there is any chance of a cross channel passenger service re establishing a service from Soton as there are no facilities remaining, Pompey has invested heavily in a revamped passenger terminal, Pompey is approx 30-45 mins sailing time closer to France and the cross channel passenger ferry market is down quite considerably due to the competition from cheap airlines and Eurostar

This all leaves me reflecting on the much improved ferries plying the cross channel routes. The old Thoresen/P&O ferries were quite small and always seem to smell!!

The old Thoresen/P&O ferries were quite small and always seem to smell!!

imagine having to do an overnight trip in the north sea on one of them! the ferry to the Shetland isles was an old cross channel ferry(can't remember the b1oody name of it!) that would leave Aberdeen at 7pm & arrive in Lerwick at 7am. 1st time i traveled on it was just plain scary, more like a 12 hr ride on a roller coaster than a boat trip. its not like i wasn't used to ferry travel either,having at 1 point, 5 uncles working on the cross channel ferries out of Dover & Folkestone.

the trips from Shetland in the school holidays were great though,as us nippers would run riot on the boat as our parents went & got p1ssed in the bars