Dover to Calais Ferry History
The British Isles are separated from Continental Europe (the French coast) by an area of the Atlantic Ocean, which the British call The English Channel, the French refer to it as la Manche. The channel is more than just a geographical divide but a line of defence which Great Britain has used to its full potential during invasions and war conflicts throughout history. Before constructing the engineering marvel which is the Channel Tunnel the only way to cross from France to Britain and vice versa was by means of ferry boat. Ferry boats still run the stretch of Atlantic Ocean to this day though their role and importance has changed in the last few decades. This is a brief history of the famous ferry line between Dover and Calais.
Sailing ships and channel ferries
Historically, the way to cross over from the British Isles to the French Coast and the rest of Continental Europe was by means of ship. In the early days, the ships which did the journey were representatives of the cutter class sailing ship. Most of those ships were carrying mail and parcels across the channel so human cargo had to share these cramped cutter ships with all the other cargo they were shipping across to France and Europe.
In the 19th century the British people crossing the channel on the cutter ships were using the transport for purposes other than holidaying such as work related business, trade with European partners etc. It was not for another sixty or seventy years before the streams of British holiday makers began crossing over for a well-deserved break. This signalled the beginning of the ferry boat.
Enter steam power
Until the development and implementation of steam engines for ships, the vessels crossing the English Channel were wind powered i.e. sailing ships. Although effective, they were hardly efficient in terms of speed, furthermore they were not overly reliable which could be a serious problem, especially in adverse weather. The introduction of steam powered ship was an overnight revolution, not just for means of crossing the channel, but for maritime travel and trade all over the world. Steam powered ships crossing the English Channel were faster, sturdier, more powerful and much more reliable than their former wind powered cousins. All of this brought a whole new dimension and meaning to travel to and from Europe. In those early steam powered days were laid the foundations of the ferry line industry, which became such a vital component in the decades to follow.
The pioneer
The first ever vessel to enter service as the official means of crossing the English Channel was the British made paddle steamer ‘Rob Roy’. The ship did her maiden voyage across the channel on 10th of June 1821. The vessel however was not to be operated by the British but the French. The Rob Roy was sold to the French Postal Administration shortly after its first crossing. French Post renamed the vessel ‘Henry IV’ and had it refurbished for regular passenger shuttles. The first passenger trip of the ‘Henry IV’ took place twelve months after having been sold to the French. The boat was able to cross the channel in about three hours.
The revolution of steam power engines spread out to all means of transportation, including the railways. Steam powered trains were now whizzing across Europe, and of course Great Britain moving people over longer distances in shorter time. Soon the ferry ports on either side of the channel were seeing more and more passengers going both ways, for business and pleasure alike. The importance and economic benefit of the Dover to Calais ferry line was now undisputed.
Better boats — better ports
In the second half of the 19th century ferry boats going across the channel became larger, faster and more powerful. They were able to negotiate bad weather without too much concern and got their human and commercial cargo over the channel with more confidence and reliability. However, port facilities on either side of the water were lagging behind. Port infrastructure was in serious need of redevelopment and modernisation as port facilities at the time were only able to accommodate certain size ships in limited number of weather conditions (such as high tides only, calm seas etc.) It was necessary to build and maintain port facilities which catered to the ever rising demand of regular ferry passenger and cargo shuttles. In the late 1800s major construction and modernisation was undertaken in ports on both sides of the channel.
Improvement and development
Towards the end of the 19th century, ferry boats crossing the channel had come a long way from the mail cutter ships of the early days where passengers were sharing bunk with bags of mail and parcel boxes. Ferry line operators outfitted new ships with all the creature comforts travellers needed to make the two hour journey a rather pleasant one. Even sea sickness was addressed in the new ferries by improvement of overall vessel design. The largest and fastest seam ferries of the day were the Queen and Empress vessels built in 1854 which managed to do the trip in about ninety minutes. At the start of the 20th century, steam ferries gave way to heavy oil powered, propeller ships — the next step up in engineering and performance. One of the Queen and Empress ships did the first heavy oil/propeller powered ship across the channel in 1903.
The technological innovation of the 20th century
In the 20th century ferrying across the English Channel was to experience dramatic changes and major technological developments.
· 28th of June 1928 — this important date witnessed a major advance in ferrying — the introduction of the car carrying ferry boat. The original vessel hauled only fifteen or so vehicles latched to the decks, but passengers appreciated the innovation and soon enough larger, more efficient car ferries entered the scene.
· 1930 — The year was a good one for channel ferrying and saw the introduction of the Forde — a new built vessel featuring quite comfortable and spacious recreation zones for its passengers. The Forde could carry 30 cars and 168 passengers. In its first year of operation, the boat successfully shipped a total of forty six hundred cars.
Unfortunately, the events of WWII halted the development and innovation of ferries in the English Channel. It was not for another twenty years before ferry operators revived the service, though this time everything was about to change. In 1953 the now familiar Ro-Ro or Do-Do ferry was introduced. The technology of this vessels allowed for vehicles to drive on and drive off (roll on and roll off) the ferry, thus its popular name Ro-Ro/Do-Do. Port terminals also restructured and rebuilt to accommodate the new Ro-Ro/Do-Do ships and cargo. In the decade that followed, an average of 100 000 vehicles crossed the channel both ways.
