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Atlantic
Steam Navigation Co. (ASN)
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RAILWAY BRITAIN |
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1948 British Transport Commission formed on the nationalisation of the railways. - Railway Executive - Hotels Executive - Docks & Inland Waterways Executive - Road Passenger Executive - Road Haulage Executive - Clyde Shipping Services (LNER and Caledonian Steam Packet Co. operations) become a division of British Railways on nationalisation. British Railways acquires the LMS share in David MacBrayne Ltd. Other Railway Shipping Services of the previous Big Four companies become part of BR regions. Associated Humber Lines (AHL) and Atlantic Steam Navigation (ASN) became part of the Road Haulage Executive. The Atlantic
Steam Navigation company commenced operations with the chartered tank
landing
craft Empire Cedric between the Lancashire During 1956 the entire
fleet of LSTs (Landing Ship (Tank)) was requisitioned by the Government
during the
Suez Crisis and chartered German ships were hastily introduced to keep
the
services going while in the following year the company acquired their
first
purpose-built ships. A product of the Wm. Denny & Bros. yard at
Dumbarton
the Bardic Ferry and Ionic Ferry were the World's first commercial roll
on -
roll off vessels and carried not just lorries but had sufficient
headroom of
their vehicle decks to accommodate a double decker bus. Government
requirements
meant that the vehicle decks were strengthened to carry tanks in case
of future
emergencies and up to twenty containers could be carried on their upper
decks.
First and Second Class accommodation for 55 passengers was provided,
each with
their own dining rooms and lounges. The Bardic Ferry made her
maiden voyage between Preston and Larne in September 1957 while the
'Ionic'
entered service on the same link in October 1958 at which time the
premier ship
was transferred to Tilbury - Antwerp. Two more larger vessels of this
type were
duly ordered from the Ailsa at Troon and the Cerdic Ferry ( With the new vessels in
operation, the LST fleet was gradually reduced until the final such
ship, the
Empire Nordic, was withdrawn in December 1966. With no relief ship
during the
annual overhauls, ASN chartered Thoresen's Viking 1 to serve the During the 1960s, ASN had
purchased a small pier at Cairnryan on Loch Ryan, Wigtownshire, for
£60,000 and
in 1970 they decided to upgrade it for a new short-sea service. 1962 The British Transport Commission is abolished. - Railway Executive > British Railways Board - Hotels Executive > British Transport Hotels - Docks & Inland Waterways Executive is split - Docks > British Transport Docks Board - Inland Waterways > British Waterways Board - Road Passenger Executive > Transport Holding Company
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Road Haulage Executive >
- In 1971 a nationalised asset was also lost when the NFC sold the Atlantic Steam Navigation Company; the BRB was interested in acquiring the company, but the Government had other ideas and sold it to European Ferries. The European
Ferries Group (EFG) acquired the ASN for £5.5 million in November 1971.
This
eventually became part of the P&O Group and today is P&O Irish
Sea. Tilbury – Tilbury – Felixstowe – Websites:
P&O Ferries P&O Irish Sea http://www.poirishsea.com |