Devon Ferry & Excursion Ship Postcards

The Dartmouth Higher ferry is the most recent of the various Dart ferries, being opened in 1831. It runs between Sandquay to Noss. The initial chain ferry, designed by J.M.Rendel, was not a success. However, Rendel later built a successful ferry for the Torpoint Ferry. The Dart ferry, meanwhile, had gone over to horse propulsion, using at least two horse-powered ferries until 1867, when a new steam-powered ferry was built. A replacement new steam ferry was built in 1896, an iron-hulled vessel which could carry four vehicles which lasted until 1920. At this time a further new ferry was built, but using the engine from the 1896 vessel. Rather than a conventional chain ferry, where the engine pulls the ferry along the chains, the new vessel ran on wires for guidance but was powered by paddles. This ferry ran for 40 years. The current ferry was built in 1960, and its paddlewheels are diesel-electric powered. The ferry appears to have been painted grey, green, red and then blue (dated from the cars aboard).

The contract to build a new vessel was awarded to Pendennis Shipyard, Falmouth, in November 2007. The hull of the new ferry was constructed in Holland and was towed to Falmouth over Christmas 2008. Fitted out by Pendennis, the renowned superyacht builder, it was delivered to Dartmouth on 15th June 2009 and entered service on 2nd July. The registered name of the new ferry is Pendennis 081.

During the 49 year life of the previous ferry, road traffic in the UK has doubled. The life of the new ferry is expected to also be around 50 years – and the necessary steps have been taken to “future-proof” the new vessel. It has a nominal capacity of 32 cars (as opposed to the old 18) and 250 passengers. Crossing times have been reduced by around 25% offering a substantial reduction of the queuing-time.

Main propulsion is provided by a pair of hydraulically driven “bull wheels”, on each side of the vessel, which pull the ferry along two steel wires anchored to each side of the river. The new vessel is much quieter and more efficient than the old paddle-driven design. Four thrusters provide additional manoeuvrability to correct vessel alignment when required e.g. strong wind or tidal conditions.

Power is provided by two engines, Scania DI 1262EM (rated at 280kW each), of which only one is required for normal operation. These engines are exceptionally quiet, fuel-efficient - and have particularly low levels of carbon emission.

Although the vessel’s construction allows it to carry vehicles of up to 20 tonnes, the intention is to only carry vehicles of up to 16 tonnes – as was the situation prior to 2001. The new ferry is approximately 10 metres longer and 6 metres wider than the old vessel. The new ferry floats 20cms deeper than the old vessel and therefore a modest amount of dredging on the Dartmouth side has been done. (new ferry details from: www.dartmouthhigherferry.com)