Sep 04 2008
2008 marks the 100th anniversary of Cross Channel Car Ferries
It was in the year 1908 that the first ferry - South Eastern & Chatham Railway’s “SS Onward” crossed the Dover Straits with a car. SS Onward was not only the first ship to take a car across the Channel but it was also one of the first ships belonging to the new class of turbine ferries with propellers marking an end to the paddle steamers.
As the idea of motoring holidays in France was catching up by 1911, SS Onward was joined by her sister ships Riviera and Engadine on the Channel crossings between Dover, Calais, Folkestone and Boulogne.
Cross Channel Ferries have come a long in 100 years from just being humble ferries able to carry a maximum of 2 cars to the more sophisticated ones equipped with state of the art controls whilst being able to carry up to 800 cars. P&O ferries have added 2 new ships to this league by recently investing about £285 million. They weigh nearly 49,000 tonnes, up to 640 feet in length and nearly a 100 feet wide and are due to be unveiled in 2010 and 2011.
Some of the popular Cross Channel Ferry operators from Dover are P&O ferries, Seafrance and Norfolkline whereas LD Lines and Transmanche ferries offer crossings from Portsmouth and Newhaven to LeHavre and Dieppe respectively.
All of these developments along with green credentials and cheaper prices have made cross channel ferries to France even more appealing than ever before.
