Pride of Hampshire
Encyclopedia
MS Oujda was a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
built by Aalborg Værft AS in 1974 for Townsend Thoresen
European Ferries
European Ferries Group Plc was a company that operated in passenger and freight ferries, harbour operation and property management in the United Kingdom and the United States...
. She sailed under the name Viking Venturer from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
then latterly Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to Cherbourg . She was sold to P&O European Ferries and renamed Pride of Hampshire. With the takeover of Townsend Thoresen
European Ferries
European Ferries Group Plc was a company that operated in passenger and freight ferries, harbour operation and property management in the United Kingdom and the United States...
by P&O and the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise in 1987, P&O wanted to drop the Townsend Thoresen name and the ship names associated with the company. She was repainted from her Townsend Thoresen orange and white livery to the new P&O blue and white, the TT logo on her funnel was also replaced by the P&O house flag. Her funnel was also painted P&O navy blue replacing the TT turquoise colour. Townsend Thoresen became P&O European Ferries
P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...
and in 1989 Viking Venturer became Pride of Hampshire. She continued to sail under that name until 2002.
She was transferred to the Portsmouth-Cherbourg route in 1994 as a result of larger vessels Pride of Le Havre
MS SNAV Sardegna
MS SNAV Sardegna is a cruiseferry owned by the Italy-based SNAV and operated on their Olbia—Civitavecchia and Palermo—Civitavecchia services. She was built in 1989 by Schichau Seebeckwerft in Bremerhaven, West Germany as MS Olau Hollandia for Olau Line...
& being chartered for the Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
route. She carried a lot of freight on this route and was very busy with families during school holidays.
The Pride of Hampshire eventually became a well-loved ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
by her regular passengers and was affectionately known as 'The Happy Hampshire' by her loyal crew. Despite her rather unattractive appearance due to extensive "jumboisation
Jumboisation
Jumboisation is a technique in shipbuilding consisting of enlarging a ship by adding an entire section to it. By contrast with refitting or installation of equipment, jumboisation is a long and complex endeavour which can require a specialised shipyard....
" in Bremerhaven in 1986. This work added an extra deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
to the ship making it appear rather top heavy. She was sold off in 2002 after 27 years service on the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
; at the time she was the eldest cross-channel ferry sailing from the country.
After her service with P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries
P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...
she was sold to El Salam Maritime and renamed the Pride of El Salam 2 then latterly Oujda sailing between Sète and Nador in her final days with a Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
flag.
She was sold for demolition in India in 2010.
Sister Ships
Viking Venturer was one of four sister ships ordered by Townsend Thoresen.The other three were: - later the Pride of Cherbourg 2, then Mogador & was scrapped May 2010 - later Pride of Cherbourg 1, now Samothraki
- Viking ViscountPride of WinchesterThe MS Pride of Winchester was built in 1975 for Townsend Thoresen. Her original name was Viking Viscount. European Ferries Group was purchased by P&O and became P&O European Ferries and the ship was renamed Pride of Winchester in 1989 and remained on the Portsmouth to Cherbourg route until 1994...
- later Pride of Winchester, now Vitsentzos Kornaros