TSS Manx Maid (1962)
| History | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Name: | Manx Maid |
| Owner: | 1962–1984: IOMSPCo. |
| Operator: | 1962–1984: IOMSPCo. |
| Port of registry: | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird |
| Cost: | £1,087,000 |
| Launched: | 23 January 1962 |
| Maiden voyage: | 23 May 1962 |
| Out of service: | September 1984 |
| Identification: |
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| Nickname(s): | The Maid |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1986 |
| Status: | Scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Car Ferry |
| Tonnage: | 2,724 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 325 ft 0 in (99.1 m) |
| Beam: | 50 ft 0 in (15.2 m) |
| Depth: | 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m) |
| Decks: | 6 |
| Deck clearance: | 8 ft 0 in (2.4 m) with a clear height of 7 ft 2 in (2.2 m) on the car deck and ramps |
| Ramps: | Side loading spiral ramps over 5 levels |
| Installed power: | 9,500 shp (7,100 kW) |
| Propulsion: | Twin fixed 3 bladed screws Pametrada geared turbines |
| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 1400 passengers 90 cars and light commercial vans. |
| Crew: | 60 |
TSS (RMS) Manx Maid (II) was built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in 1962, and was the second ship in the Company's history to bear the name.
Tonnage 2724; length 325'; beam 50'; depth 18'; speed 21 knots; bhp 9,500. Construction costs were £1,087,000, the first vessel of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company to cost over one million pounds. Manx Maid was launched by Mrs. A. Alexander at Birkenhead, on Tuesday 23 January 1962.
The "Maid", as she was always affectionately known, was certified for 1400 passengers and a crew of 60. In engineering terms she was very similar to her predecessor Manxman except for Babcock & Wilcox integral furnace boilers, installed instead of the sectional header type.
Manx Maid was a great success and was of major importance in the history of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, as she was the first vessel to be designed as a car ferry; she had the capacity for up to 90 cars and light commercial vans.
The design principle for vehicle loading was simple. A spiral set of ramps at the stern linked with the car deck, so that vehicles could be driven on or off from the appropriate level on departure or arrival. This patented system of ramps facilitated loading and unloading at any state of the tide, at any of the ports served by the company.
Cars had been carried to the Isle of Man for many years prior to Manx Maid's arrival, but with the tidal range at Douglas being considerable, it necessitated taking the vehicle on and off by crane, a slow and irksome process. Consequently, the carriage of cars had never reached large proportions.
The decision to construct a new generation of car-ferrying vessels was taken by the company in 1959, and in 1960 a contract was placed with Cammell Laird. Manx Maid was launched on 23 January 1962. The design of the 'side-loader' with a spiral ramp at the stern was a unique feature of the Steam Packet Company's car ferries (Manx Maid, Ben-my-Chree, Mona's Queen and Lady of Mann). She was the first Company vessel to be fitted with anti-roll stabilisers.
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