View source for TSS Duke of Lancaster (1955)

{{Short description|Railway steamer passenger ship}}
{{About|the 1955 ship now beached in North Wales|other ships of the same name|Duke of Lancaster (ship)|}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2017}}
{{coord|53|18|23.23|N|3|14|8.52|W|display=title}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |display title=TSS ''Duke of Lancaster'' (1955)}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image               = Duke of Lancaster beached, 2010.jpg
| Ship caption             = TSS ''Duke of Lancaster'' beached near [[Mostyn]],<br />North Wales, 2010
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header              = 
| Ship name                = ''Duke of Lancaster''
| Ship owner               =*{{nowrap|1955–63: [[British Transport Commission]]}}
*{{nowrap|1963–79: [[Sealink]]}}
*{{nowrap|1979–{{smaller|present}}: Empirewise}}
| Ship operator            =*{{nowrap|1955–63: British Transport Commission}}
*{{nowrap|1963–79: Sealink}}
| Ship registry            ={{nowrap|{{flagicon|United Kingdom|civil}} [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]], United Kingdom}}
| Ship route               =*{{nowrap|1955–75: [[Heysham Port|Heysham]] – [[Belfast]]}}
*{{nowrap|1975–79: [[Port of Holyhead|Holyhead]] – [[Dún Laoghaire]]}}
| Ship ordered             = 
| Ship builder             = [[Harland & Wolff]], [[Belfast]]
| Ship original cost       = 
| Ship yard number         = 1540
| Ship way number          = 
| Ship laid down           = 
| Ship launched            = 1 December 1955
| Ship completed           = 
| Ship christened          = 
| Ship acquired            = 
| Ship maiden voyage       = 1956
| Ship in service          = 1956–79
| Ship out of service      = 1979
| Ship identification      = {{IMO Number|5094496}}
| Ship fate                = 
| Ship status              = Permanently beached at Llannerch-y-Mor Wharf
| Ship notes               = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header              = 
| Header caption           = 
| Ship type                = Turbine steam ship
| Ship tonnage             = {{GT|4,450}}
| Ship displacement        = 
| Ship length              = {{convert|114.63|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 
| Ship beam                = {{convert|17.46|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 
| Ship draught             = {{convert|4.54|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 
| Ship depth               = 
| Ship decks               = 
| Ship deck clearance      = 
| Ship ramps               = 
| Ship ice class           = 
| Ship power               = 2 x [[Parsons_Marine_Steam_Turbine_Company|Parmetrada]] [[Steam Turbine|steam turbines]]
| Ship propulsion          = 
| Ship speed               = {{convert|21|kn}}
| Ship capacity            = 1,200 passengers
| Ship crew                = 
| Ship notes               = 
}}
|}

[[Steam turbine#Marine propulsion|TSS]] '''''Duke of Lancaster''''' is a former railway steamer [[passenger ship]] that operated in Europe from 1956 to 1979, and is beached at Llannerch-y-Mor Wharf near [[Mostyn]] Docks, on the [[River Dee, Wales|River Dee]], in north [[Wales]]. She replaced an earlier 3,600-ton [[RMS Duke of Lancaster (1927)|ship of the same name]] operated by the [[London Midland and Scottish Railway]] company between [[Heysham Port|Heysham]] and [[Belfast]].

As of 2021 she was owned by Antony Rowley and The Duke of Lancaster Appreciation Society.<ref>{{cite news |last1=John |first1=Lucy |last2=Hughes |first2=Janet |title=The cruise ship that became blank canvas for Bristol graffiti artists after being frozen in time |url=https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/cruise-ship-became-blank-canvas-6003538 |access-date=21 May 2024 |work=BristolLive |publisher=Bristol Post |date=3 October 2021}}</ref>

==In service==
[[File:Dukeoflancastership.jpg|thumb|The ''Duke of Lancaster'' off [[Isle of Mull|Mull]], [[Scotland]]]]
Along with her sister ships the ''TSS Duke of Rothesay'' and the ''TSS Duke of Argyll'', she was amongst the last passenger-only steamers built for [[British Rail]]ways (at that time, also a ferry operator).<ref name="HHV Ferry: Duke of Lancaster">{{citation|url=http://www.hhvferry.com/dukeoflanc.html|title=Duke of Lancaster|publisher=hhvferry.com|access-date=12 December 2007}}</ref> She was a replacement for the 1928 steamer, {{RMS|Duke of Lancaster|1927|2}}, built by the [[London Midland and Scottish Railway]].

Built at [[Harland & Wolff]], [[Belfast]], launched on 1 December 1955 and completed in 1956, she was designed to operate as both a passenger ferry (primarily on the [[Heysham Port|Heysham]] to [[Belfast]] route) and as a cruise ship.<ref>New Ship for Heysham-Belfast Service ''[[Railway Gazette International|Railway Gazette]]'' 9 December 1955 page 689</ref><ref>Inaugural Voyage of TSS Duke of Lancaster ''Railway Gazette'' 19 October 1956 page 448</ref> In this capacity, the ''Duke of Lancaster'' travelled to the [[Scottish islands]] and further afield to [[Belgium]], [[Denmark]], [[Netherlands]], [[Norway]] and [[Spain]].<ref name="HHV Ferry: Duke of Lancaster" /><ref name="Sealink Holyhead: The Duke of Lancaster">{{citation|url=http://www.sealink-holyhead.com/ships/Dukes/lancaster.htm|title=Sealink Holyhead: The Duke of Lancaster|publisher=sealinkholyhead.com|access-date=12 December 2007}}</ref>

From the mid-1960s, passenger ships such as ''Duke of Lancaster'' were gradually being superseded by [[Roll-on/roll-off|car ferries]].<ref name="HHV Ferry: Duke of Lancaster" /> Rather than undertake the expensive option of renewing their entire fleet, British Railways instead began a part-programme of conversion. In order to maintain ferry services whilst these modifications took place, ''Duke of Lancaster'''s duties as a cruise ship ceased.<ref name="Sealink Holyhead: The Duke of Lancaster" /><ref>News ''Railway Gazette'' 19 September 1969 page 683</ref> On 25 April 1970 the ship returned to service, having had her main deck rebuilt to accommodate vehicles via a rear door at her [[stern]]. The ship now provided space for 1,200 single-class passengers and 105 cars, with a total cabin accommodation for 400 passengers.<ref name="Sealink Holyhead: The Duke of Lancaster" />

The three ships continued on the Heysham to Belfast route until the service was withdrawn on 5 April 1975.<ref name="Sealink Holyhead: The Duke of Lancaster" /> ''Duke of Lancaster'' was then briefly employed on the [[Goodwick#Fishguard Harbour|Fishguard]] to [[Rosslare Europort|Rosslare]] crossing, before becoming the regular relief vessel on the [[Port of Holyhead|Holyhead]] to [[Dún Laoghaire]] service until November 1978.<ref name="Sealink Holyhead: The Duke of Lancaster" /> The ship was then laid up at [[Barrow-in-Furness]].<ref name="HHV Ferry: Duke of Lancaster" />

==Fun Ship==
<!-- Reads as if it was written to promote the point of view of the supporters or developers of the project against the Council. -->
''Duke of Lancaster'' arrived in Llanerch-y-Mor, North Wales from Barrow-in-Furness, in August 1979 to start her new life as a business venture and retail complex as "the Fun Ship" to circumvent the-then sunday trading laws as it did not apply to ships, the owner John Rowley saw this legal loophole.<ref>The Duke Of Lancaster: Trapped In A Pirate Republic? by John Rowley (Author)</ref> However, there were frequent legal battles with the local councils and the owners closed the business in 2004. As a result of this the owners "walked away". Subsequent owners have faced similar issues.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/explorers-huge-abandoned-ship-welsh-11403118 |title=Explorers got into this huge abandoned ship on the Welsh coastline – what they found inside blew them away |date=1 June 2016 |work=Wales Online |first=Steffan |last=Rhys}}</ref>

The dock built around the ship with aggregates was filled with sand to prevent drifting after the towyn storm in the 1980s as well as a [[Concrete ship|F.B. 18 – FCB]] ferroconcrete barge in place.<ref>{{cite web |title=Concrete Barge Spotter's Holiday ! |url=https://thecretefleet.com/f/concrete-barge-spotters-holiday?blogcategory=Events |website=The Concrete Fleet |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2024}}  The 1941 dated barge 'Rea 3' (No. 182422) was towed from Liverpool on 19th August 1981 as water source for possible fire emergencies for the ship.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Concrete Barges by the 'Duke of Lancaster' - Llanerch-y-Mor |url=https://thecretefleet.com/concrete-ship-blog/f/the-concrete-barges-by-the-duke-of-lancaster---llanerch-y-mor?blogcategory=UK+-+World+War+II |website=The Concrete Fleet |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=May 2024}}

Another concrete barge 'Elmarine' the first of her type heralded as "the lightest sea-going concrete boat in the world" launched on the 4th January 1919 was previously positioned in the dock as a [[groyne]], however over decades was filled in and is used as a breakwater.

In early 2012 several local arcade game collectors made a deal with Solitaire Liverpool Ltd and were able to purchase most of the coin-operated machines left behind inside the ship at the time the Fun Ship closed. Removing the games required the use of cranes and other heavy lifting equipment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Explorers got into this huge abandoned ship on the Welsh coastline - what they found inside blew them away|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/explorers-huge-abandoned-ship-welsh-11403118|website=Wales On-line|date=June 2016|access-date=25 March 2017}}</ref>

==Art gallery==
[[File:TSS Duke of Lancaster (21482975682).jpg|thumb|The ship in 2015]]
The plan was to transform the ship into the largest open air art gallery in the UK. As of August 2012, the Latvian graffiti artist "[[KIWIE]]" was commissioned to spraypaint a design on the ship.<ref>[http://www.tvnet.lv/izklaide/makslas/433272-grafiti_makslinieks_kiwie_apkraso_vecu_kruiza_laineri Grafiti mākslinieks «Kiwie» apkrāso kruīza laineri], tvnet.lv</ref> The ship was covered with graffiti described as "bright and surreal".<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-20328172 BBC News: ''Duke of Lancaster: Street art murals on beached ship''] accessed 9 December 2012</ref> The first phase of the project saw Kiwie and other European graffiti artists paint murals on the ship between August and November 2012, and the second phase (starting at the end of March 2013) included the work of British-based artists such as Snub23, Spacehop, Dan Kitchener and Dale Grimshaw.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22043199 | title = In pictures: Duke of Lancaster art project grows | date = 2013-04-08 | publisher = BBC News | location = United Kingdom | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130410013856/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-22043199 | archive-date = 10 April 2013 | url-status = live | access-date = 2013-04-09 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> One of the artworks is a picture of the ship's first captain, John 'Jack' Irwin. However in 2017 both sides of the ship were painted black.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Crump|first1=Eryl|title=The Duke of Lancaster gets mystery black paint job|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/duke-lancaster-gets-mystery-black-12895861|access-date=25 March 2018|work=Daily Post}}</ref>

In 2021 some work was being done on the interior of the ship and deck areas refurbished for anticipated use as a dockside attraction.<ref>{{cite news |last1=John |first1=Lucy |title=The huge cruise ship that's coming to life again after being docked on the Welsh coast for 40 years |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/duke-of-lancaster-cruise-ship-21720999 |access-date=20 May 2024 |publisher=Walesonline.co.uk |date=2 October 2021 |location=Cardiff, United Kingdom}}</ref> In 2022 the ship was used as a 1957-era film set for an ITV series. However the restoration project encountered difficulties and stalled.  As of early 2024 the future of the ship was uncertain.  Due to illegal dumping activity near the ship, a local proposal would place vehicle barriers at the ship's access road.  Without emergency vehicle access the ship could not be open to the public.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=R. |title=Troubled Waters for Beached Ship |url=https://www.motoryachting.com/articles/duke-of-lancaster-beached-ship |website=MotorYachting.com |publisher=Super Yachting Limited |access-date=21 May 2024 |date=11 March 2024}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* The ship was featured in the 2011 series of [[BBC Two]]'s ''[[Coast (TV series)|Coast]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Duke of Lancaster (Registration number 2318) |url=https://www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk/register/2318/duke-lancaster |website=National Historic Ships UK |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[TSS Duke of Rothesay]]
* [[TSS Duke of Argyll (1956)]], longest serving and most modified ship of its type

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|IMO 5094496}}
{{commonscat|Duke of Lancaster (ship, 1956)}}
* [https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=mostyn&hl=en&ll=53.306445,-3.235382&spn=0.001766,0.005284&sll=53.302569,-3.573132&sspn=0.050779,0.16634&t=h&hnear=Mostyn,+Flintshire,+United+Kingdom&z=18 GoogleMap location ]
* {{YouTube|jifgToN-Qfk|"Mission Onboard the Abandoned Duke of Lancaster", Urbandoned}} - Urban exploration of vessel circa 2024
* [https://www.facebook.com/people/TSS-Duke-of-Lancaster/100068823110288/ TSS Duke of Lancaster - official Facebook page]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/dukeoflancaster.a.s/ TSS Duke of Lancaster Appreciation Society - official Facebook page]

{{National Historic Ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke of Lancaster (1955)}}
[[Category:Landlocked ships]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ferries of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1955 ships]]
[[Category:Ferries of Wales]]
[[Category:Ships built in Belfast]]
[[Category:Ships of British Rail]]
[[Category:Ships built by Harland and Wolff]]
[[Category:Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels]]