MSSpirit of Tasmania I
 Spirit of Tasmania IatDevonport, Tasmania
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry | |
| Route | |
| Builder | Kvaerner Masa-YardsTurku New Shipyard,Finland |
| Yard number | 1341[1] |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Superfast IIIclass fastropaxferry |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 194.33 m (637 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 25.00 m (82 ft) |
| Draught | 6.55 m (21 ft 6 in) |
| Decks | 11 |
| Installed power |
|
| Speed | 30.8 kn (57.04 km/h) maximum speed |
| Capacity | |
MSSpirit of Tasmania Iis aroll-on/roll-offferryoperated byTT-LinebetweenGeelongandDevonportin Australia. Built in 1998 byKvaerner Masa-YardsatTurku New Shipyardin Finland forSuperfast FerriesasMSSuperfast IV,since 2002 she has sailed for TT-Line as MSSpirit of Tasmania I.
Concept and construction
[edit]TheSuperfast IVwas the second ship of the second pair (the former pair beingSuperfast IandSuperfast II) built forSuperfast FerriesatKvaerner Masa-Yardsfor itsAdriatic Seaservices fromPatrastoAnconaShe was a sister ship ofSuperfast III.[1]
Amenities and deck layout
[edit]Spirit of Tasmania Ihas 11 decks, with 222 cabins.
- Decks 1 to 6 are used to hold cars and trucks. The fore-ends of Decks 1 and 2 are accessed via a ramp from deck 3 (The aft-end space of the two decks houses the ships machinery). Deck 6 holds cars using a hoistable platform.
- Deck 7 has cabins, a reception area, small movie theater, lounge bar, gaming lounge, gift shop, tourism bureau, main bar, two restaurants and a children's playroom.
- Deck 8 has cabins and an ocean recliner area.
- Deck 9 is mainly crew area.
- Deck 10 has a bar and disco area.
- Deck 11 has a helicopter landing pad.
Service history
[edit]1998–2002:Superfast IV
[edit]TheSuperfast IVentered service on 1 April 1998 on Superfast Ferries'PatrastoAnconaservice.[1]In March 2002 theSuperfast IVwas sold toTT-Line.
2002 Onwards:Spirit of Tasmania I
[edit]TT-Line took over its new ship atPatrason May 10th, 2002.[1]The ship was then sailed to the Neorion ship yard on the island of Syros for painting and general overhaul. She was renamedSpirit of Tasmania I.[1]She subsequently sailed toHobart,Tasmania,where she was refitted for her new service. On September 1st, 2002 she entered service on TT-Line'sMelbournetoDevonportservice.[1]
On the night of September 18th, 2002, large waves and an indicator on the bridge indicating an issue with the bow door forced the ship back to Melbourne. This decision was announced at midnight. It was found that the problem with the bow door was due to a blocked drain. Spirit of Tasmania I departed again the next morning at approximately 6:30 AM, in even rougher conditions than the previous night. Waves reached up to 7 or 8 metres. She finally arrived in Devonport at around 5:00 PM.
In 2015 she was refurbished in Devonport.[4][5]
2005 event
[edit]During the night of 3 to 4 February 2005Spirit of Tasmania Iran into heavy seas in theBass Straitwhile sailing from Melbourne to Devonport. At approximately 02:00 the seas reached a height of 20 metres.[1]The seas smashed cabin windows on the starboard bow and subsequently cabin walls were smashed down, flooding cabin decks as high as deck 9 (the deck under the bridge). Many passengers were unaware of the cause of water in their cabins as the water disabled the public announcement system. The captain decided it best to return to Melbourne, arriving mid morning to heavy media coverage. The ship remained in port overnight for temporary repairs and sailed again the following evening for Devonport.[6]
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijAsklander, Micke."M/SSuperfast IV(1998) ".Fakta om Fartyg(in Swedish).Archivedfrom the original on 10 May 2008.Retrieved19 May2008.
- ^"Ship facts - Spirit of Tasmania I & II"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 20 March 2020.Retrieved4 April2020.
- ^"Quick facts".Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2019.Retrieved3 June2019.
- ^Trimline completes major refurbishment of ferries Spirit of Tasmania 1 & 2Archived15 February 2021 at theWayback MachineSeatrade Maritime News16 October 2015
- ^Transforming Spirit of TasmaniaShips MonthlyFebruary 2016 page 7
- ^Jackson, Andra (4 February 2005)."Pounded by wild seas, Spirit forced to turn tail".The Age.Melbourne.Archivedfrom the original on 5 January 2009.Retrieved20 May2008.
External links
[edit]
Media related toSpirit of Tasmania I (ship, 1998)at Wikimedia Commons