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RMSSt Helena(1989)

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For other ships with the same name, seeRMS St Helena.

TheSt Helenain 2020 with Extreme E livery
History
United Kingdom
NameSt Helena
OwnerSt Helena Line Ltd
Operator
Port of registryLondon,United Kingdom
BuilderA&P-Appledore (Aberdeen) Ltd
Yard number1000
Launched31 October 1989
Maiden voyage1990
In service1990
Out of service17 February 2018
Identification
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Name
  • April 2018MNG Tahiti
  • October 2018St Helena
Owner
  • April 2018 Tahiti Shipping Ltd,Wimborne, Dorset
  • October 2018 St Helena LLC, Jersey
Operator
  • April 2018MNG Maritime,Wimborne, Dorset
  • October 2018 Wilson Yacht Management Ltd, Hessle, Yorkshire
Port of registryBasseterre,Saint Kitts and Nevis
Identification
StatusSupport ship forExtreme Emotor racing series
General characteristics
Class and typeLloyd's Register
Tonnage6,767GT
Length105 m (344 ft)[1]
Beam19.2 m (63 ft)
Draft6 m (20 ft)
Installed power6,532 kW
Speed14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph)
Capacity155 passengers, 1,800 tonnes cargo
Crew56 officers and crew
NotesOperated on behalf ofRoyal Mail Group Ltd (UK)

RMSSt Helenais acargo liner(carrying cargo and passengers) that served theBritish overseas territoryofSaint Helena.She sailed betweenCape Townand Saint Helena with regular shuttles continuing toAscension Island.Some voyages also servedWalvis Bayen route to and from, or occasionally instead of, Cape Town. She visitedPortland, Dorsettwice a year with normal calls in the Spanish ports ofVigo(northbound) andTenerife(southbound) until 14 October 2011, when she set sail on her final voyage from the English port.

On 10 February 2018 she departed for her last trip from St Helena to Cape Town.[2]At the time of her retirement from St Helena service she was one of only four ships in the world still carrying the status ofRoyal Mail Ship.Locals including local press have usually called herthe RMSrather thanthe St. Helena,in order not to confuse her with the island itself.

In April 2018 she was purchased by MNG Maritime and renamedMNG Tahitito act as avessel-based armoury(VBA) licensed by the UKDepartment for International Trade(DIT) in theGulf of Oman.In October 2018 MNG sold the ship and she returned to the UK renamedSt Helenaonce more.

Background

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Formerly, Saint Helena island was occasionally served by ships of theUnion-Castle Line,which ran between the UK andSouth Africa.By the 1970s the number of ships taking this route had declined significantly and Union-Castle withdrew from the route completely at the end of 1977. As Saint Helena lacked an airfield, the British government had to purchase a ship to service the remote island and its dependencies from Cape Town.

The British government purchased the part passenger, part cargo shipNorthland Princeto fulfil the role of servicing Saint Helena, and after being refitted and renamed this became the firstRMSSt Helena.Originally built in 1963, this converted 3,150-ton ship had room to carry 76 passengers and supplies. The ship was used by theRoyal Navyduring theFalklands Waras a minesweeper support ship. By the 1980s it was becoming apparent that the ship was too small for the island's needs, resulting in the newSt Helena,built in 1989.[3]

The island lacks a port suitable for large ships, so the RMS anchored near the island, and loaded and unloaded cargo to and fromlighters.

Characteristics

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The new RMSSt Helena,the last ship built inAberdeen,[4]was launched byHall, Russell & Companyin 1989.St Helenawas a British registered Class 1 passenger/cargo ship, and operated with 56 officers and crew.St Helenawas equipped to carry a wide range of cargo, including liquids, to meet the needs of the population of Saint Helena. She also had berths for 155 passengers and associated facilities including a swimming pool, shop, and lounges.[5]She also had well-equipped medical facilities and an on-board doctor. The ship's capacity was extended in 2012 by the addition of 24 extra cabin berths, and a new gym was installed.

Some sources state that she had the nickname "Betty Blue Bucket".[6][7]

AW Ship Management had a package deal where passengers could travel in one direction on the RMS and in the other by takingRoyal Air Forceflights to or fromRAF Ascension IslandandRAF Brize NortoninBrize Norton,England.[8][9]

By the 2010s many construction workers building the airport and South African tourists were passengers. The shipboard culture had been inherited from previous Union Castle lines although formality became relaxed in response to changes in the customer base.[10]

When she converted to avessel-based armouryin May 2018, arigid inflatable boatdavitwas fitted on the port side, and additional bunks installed, taking the capacity to 30 crew and 250 passengers.[citation needed]

In Cape Town in 2013

Incidents

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In November 1999,St Helenabroke down en route to the island and was forced into the French port ofBrestto undergo repairs. Many people were left stranded on the island with no way in or out whilst the ship was being repaired. Panic-buying ensued as islanders became concerned about the non-delivery of vital supplies.[11]This incident intensified calls for the island to be provided with anairport.

On 25 August 2000,St Helenasuffered a minorengine roomfire while sailing fromCardiffto Tenerife on the first leg of her journey to the island. No one was injured and there was no significant damage.[12]

In March and April 2017 a number of Cape Town – Saint Helena voyages were cancelled because of technical problems with the propellers, making the island isolated as the airport was still not operational.[13][14]

Recent history

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RMSSt Helenain 2014

In 2005 the British government announced plans to construct an airport on Saint Helena, which would lead to the withdrawal from service of the RMSSt Helena.The airport was initially expected to be operational by 2010. However, it was not approved until October 2011, with work commencing in 2012. The estimated cost on the project is £240 million and the airport was due to open in the first quarter of 2016. However, due to concerns aboutwind shear,on 26 April 2016, the St. Helena Government announced an indefinite postponement to the opening ofSaint Helena Airport.RMSSt Helenahad been placed for disposal via London shipbrokers CW Kellock, but was subsequently restored to service.[15]

The voyage originally intended as her final one began on 14 June 2016 from the UK and ended on 15 July in Cape Town, calling at Tenerife, Ascension Island and St Helena.[16][17]As part of its farewell voyage, Royal Mail organised a letter exchange with pupils from Cardiff and St Helena.[18]However, due to the postponed opening of the airport, the schedule of RMSSt Helenawas extended as an interim measure.[19]The ship was initially scheduled to run until July 2017,[20]and then February 2018.[21]After the opening of Saint Helena Airport to scheduled passenger flights on 14 October 2017, RMSSt Helenawas withdrawn from service, and her last sailing from St Helena Island was on 10 February 2018.[22][23][24]

Freight services for the Saint Helena island have been taken over by the MVHelenacargo ship,[25][26]which does carry a limited number of passengers,[27]and mail and other express freight by the passenger aircraft.[citation needed]The first passenger on the MVHelenastated that unlike the RMSSt Helena,the new ship, with a lower capacity, is strictly geared towards cargo, although some former RMS employees had become crew on the new ship.[28]

In April 2018,St Helenawas purchased byMNG Maritimeand entered service as a vessel-based armoury in theGulf of OmannamedMNG Tahitito supply weaponry to ships travelling through theHigh Risk Areaof heightened pirate activity in the Indian Ocean.[29]In October 2018, the vessel was resold to St Helena LLC,Jerseyand in 2019 the ship was refitted to act as a mobile hub for the race events of theExtreme EelectricSUVracing series.[30][31][32]She is used to carry all equipment, including the cars, to the race locations.[33]

  • Anchored James Bay, Island of St. Helena
    Anchored James Bay, Island of St. Helena
  • Aft Deck of RMS St Helena
    Aft Deck of RMSSt Helena
  • Life ring
    Life ring

References

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Notes

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  1. ^"RMS Specifications".27 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 27 December 2009.Retrieved11 September2015.
  2. ^"RMS St Helena sets sail for final time".News.Wanderlust.14 October 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 9 April 2016.Retrieved11 September2015.
  3. ^"RMS St Helena - Two remarkable ships: 1978-2018".Saint Helena Island Info.Retrieved13 June2018.
  4. ^"St. Helena".Aberdeen Built Ships.Aberdeen City Council.Retrieved29 December2021.
  5. ^"Life on Board".Royal Mail Ship St Helena.Retrieved12 June2018.
  6. ^Hollins, Jonathan (19 February 2018)."What it was like to sail aboard the RMS St Helena's final voyage".The Independent.Retrieved6 January2010.
  7. ^Waters, Jonathan (23 March 2018)."Postcard from... St Helena: last voyage of a much-loved ship".Financial Times.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2022.Retrieved8 October2020.
  8. ^"RMS St Helena Brochure"(PDF).AW Ship Management. p. 18. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 January 2020.Retrieved6 January2020.
  9. ^"RAF Flights Fly with the RAF and meet the RMS en route".AW Ship Management. Archived fromthe originalon 26 December 2019.Retrieved6 January2020.
  10. ^"The last boat to St Helena".The Oldie.
  11. ^"Africa | Give us an airport, say islanders".BBC News.10 November 1999.Retrieved11 September2015.
  12. ^"Fire in engine room of passenger vessel RMS St Helena Marine Accident Investigation Branch report - GOV.UK".Maib.gov.uk. 25 August 2000.Retrieved11 September2015.
  13. ^Voyage 255 CancelledArchived12 November 2017 at theWayback Machine(8 March 2017)
  14. ^RMS St Helena UpdateArchived12 November 2017 at theWayback Machine(25 April 2017)
  15. ^"RMS St Helena to make last voyage - Travel News | IOL Travel".Iol.co.za. 9 May 2015.Retrieved11 September2015.
  16. ^"Final Voyages".RMS St Helena.Archived fromthe originalon 24 August 2015.Retrieved19 June2016.
  17. ^"RMS St Helena says farewell to UK for last time".ITV News.14 June 2016.Retrieved19 June2016.
  18. ^"Royal Mail marks farewell voyage of RMS St Helena".500years.royalmailgroup.com.13 June 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 2 July 2016.Retrieved19 June2016.
  19. ^"Maintaining access to St Helena & Ascension".St Helena Government. 3 June 2016.Retrieved2 July2016.
  20. ^August Graham (14 July 2016)."RMS Extended to July"(PDF).The Sentinel.p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 July 2016.Retrieved6 August2016.
  21. ^"RMS Sailing Schedule extended until February 2018".15 December 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2017.Retrieved14 January2017.
  22. ^Staff, CIN (5 February 2018)."RMS St Helena Set for Final Voyage".Retrieved5 February2018.
  23. ^"RMS St Helena Withdrawing from Service".World Maritime News. 6 October 2017.Retrieved6 October2017.
  24. ^"Flights to remote St Helena begin at last".BBC News.14 October 2017.Retrieved14 October2017.
  25. ^HELENA General Cargo IMO:9183491marinetraffic.com
  26. ^Shipping, St Helena."Home - St Helena Shipping and Marine Cargo Service".St Helena Shipping.Archived fromthe originalon 7 June 2022.Retrieved5 January2020.
  27. ^"Cabin Specification".St Helena Shipping. Archived fromthe originalon 28 January 2022.Retrieved6 January2020.
  28. ^"First paying passenger experience on the MV Helena".Saint FM Community Radio.Archived fromthe originalon 6 January 2020.Retrieved6 January2020.
  29. ^"RMS St. Helena to Return as Anti-piracy Armory Vessel".Marine Link. 17 April 2018.Retrieved19 April2018.
  30. ^"St Helena(8716306) ".Equasis.Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.Retrieved6 March2019.
  31. ^Kalinauckas, Alex (31 January 2019)."Extreme E unveils full series concept ahead of 2021 launch".Autosport.Richmond, Surrey.Retrieved6 March2019.
  32. ^St Helena Converted in BirkenheadShips MonthlyJuly 2019 page 6
  33. ^"Prepping for RMS St Helena's Extreme Voyage".alt-drivemagazine.com. 19 June 2020.

Bibliography

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  • Bryant, John (2016).RMS St Helena: Royal Mail Ship Extraordinary.Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications.ISBN9781911268024.
  • Cookson, Ted (2004).A diary of the final cruise of the RMS St. Helena to Tristan da Cunha, January 15-28, 2004.Greenville, Maine: Moosehead Communications.ISBN1890454281.
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