VARANGERFJORD                    1998 -  1999    IMO 8916853

Operator      Channel Hopper Ltd.

Owner   Finnmark Fylkesrederi og & Ruteselskap.    P.O.R. Hammerfest

Builder   Kvaerner Fjellstrand A/S, Yn. 1600.    Comp  6. 1990

Tonnage   417nt  125  100

Dimensions   38.82  9.44  1.53

Propulsion   Two water jet propulsion units, driven by twin 16 cyl MTU  5,441 bhp. Speed            35.5 kts.

Passengers    208 / 167

The vessel was built in 1990 and operated a summer from Kirkens (Norway) to Murmansk Rissia), and in the winter from Hammerfest to Oksfjord.

In 1998 she was chartered by Channel Hopper Ltd to operate a cross channel service linking Portsmouth with the Channel Islands. Her first arrival in Jersey was on May 20 1998, and commenced service on May 28. The vessel was too small for the route and missed a number of sailings, with the season ending on November 1 when it was stated that she had carried 19,980 passengers.

For the 1999 season two mainland ports were used, these being Southampton and Torquay but this was not a success and the operation ceased at the end of the season. The one bright spot of the season was the fact that the island of Alderney was the perfect spot to view the eclipse of the sun on Wednesday August 11, and the company laid on a number of services to carry passengers to the island, including chartering in another catamaran.

The vessel returned north at the end of the season, and started to be used in the oil exploration business and saw service in the Hammerfest area.

In March 2007 VARANGERFJORD was purchased by CT Offshore of Denmark, for  conversion into an offshore multipurpose vessel, being renamed NICO upon completion in May 2007. She was sold on to new owners in November 2010, with her name being retained.

In the summer of 2011 NICO was working in Liverpool Bay, leaving there in late November, and arriving Grimsby on December 1.

 

                                                                                                                                         Picture  :  PHOTO ONE  CP98/3/12

   Inwards              June 19 1998                  301w  504k

                                                                                                                                        Picture  :  PHOTO ONE  CP98/3/14

   Inwards                  June 19 1998                               305w  542k

                                                                                                                                         Picture  :  PHOTO ONE  CP99/4/31  

   Outwards  1999          July 2 1999                                                       315w  665k

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VENUS                           1857 - 1862         On 563

Owner          Jersey Steam Packet Co.

Builder         C.J. Mare & Company, West Ham, Essex.   July 1854

Tonnage       121burthen tons

                  149grt  80.7nrt

Dimensions  179.8(rl)  18.9  8.6

Propulsion    Paddles                            70 HP

VENUS was completed in July 1854, but was not registered until April 1855 when her owners were given as Gravesend New Steam Packet Co.  

A year later on June 30 1856 she was re-registered with her owner now being William Stephen Andrews, 4 King William Street, London, who the following year sold her to Jersey.

VENUS arrived at Jersey in 1857 operating a Directors excursion to Guernsey on May 18, and was registered in the Island to George Mann ( a Trustee of the Jersey Steam Packet Co. *) on August 18 that year.

On April 5 1860 she was re-registered in the Island to R. Rose, C. Orange and J. Carrel (all Trustees of the above company) , and left the Island on May 7 for overhaul and the fitting of a new boiler in Southampton. Arriving back on June 1, she remained in regular service until December 4 1861, then making the odd service until her last on May 17 1862. It was then stated that the ship had been sold for service on the River Thames, but on June 26 than year her registry was closed upon being sold Foreign.  

Note – The company services were taken over by the London & South Western Railway in July 1863.

* sometimes advertised as the Jersey Steam Navigation Co              

   Painting of VENUS depicted under the cliffs of Sark.

                                                       

                                                                                                                 Picture  :  Jersey Heritage Trust Collection                           

                                                   Sketch of ROSE and VENUS dated April 24 1859.   

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VICTORIA

Owner         London & South Western Railway.

Builder        J. & G. Thomson Ttl., Clydebank.  Yn 297  Comp July 1896

Tonnage      1896  709grt 157nrt    

                   1904  710grt  138nrt (altered to 302nrt in 1914)

Dimensions  220.5 (rl) x 28.15 x 16.3 ft

Propulsion   Twin screw, S.R. 3 cyl  13.5”  24”  33” – 24”   1,500 ihp

Speed          16 knots

Passengers   421

VICTORIA was built to replace the two vessels which had hitherto maintained the services from Jersey to Granville and Saint Malo.

Launched on May 15 1896 she arrived in Southampton on July 18, and made a demonstration trip to Jersey and Guernsey between July 25 – 27 before arriving back in Jersey on July 31, ready to make her maiden voyage to France on August 1 1896.

She remained on the Jersey station until November 24 1903 , when she proceeded to Southampton where she was altered for duties as a liner tender at Plymouth. The mainmast was removed, the forward lifeboats moved to a new poop-deck built aft and rail were put around the boat deck, so that passengers could use the whole of the area.

She sailed for Plymouth on March 25 1904, and apart from her tender duties she also operated local excursions. She was replaced in 1907 by the purpose-built ATALANTA, and then returned to take up her former role at Jersey.

Her main mast was replaced and other alteration were made before she arrived in Jersey on June 29 1907, but she did return to Plymouth in the winter months to relieve ATALANTA, but this ceased after an agreement with the G.W.R. over the tender services  in 1910.

On July 18 1908 the vessel moved to the half tide steps on the Albert Pier to be overhauled and repainted,, the latter being carried out by the local firm Messrs Anderson & Son, Waterloo Street, something of a rarity.

The ship underwent a three months refit early in 1910 during which it is possible that the steering wheel shelter was moved aft of the forward funnel and the two ventilators close bye were raised in height.

When the vessel returned after overhaul on March 10  1914 it was stated that two extra life boats had been installed together with extra life rafts, but there are no photographs to prove this.

On November 28 1914, the ship sailed for Portsmouth where she became a “Q” ship, despite the local paper claiming that she was to be used as a pilots’ home.

VICTORIA returned to Jersey on January 15 1915, and operated the service until September 17 1918, sailing the next day for Southampton, where she was again taken over for naval duties at SURF II. She was in the process of being converted when the Armistice was signed and was then returned to her owners.   

By this time the Jersey - French services had been closed and thus  there was no requirement for VICTORIA and it was decided to sell her at the Baltic Exchange auction to be held in April 1919, but she did not reach her reserve price. On May 29 1919 she was sold to James Dredging, Towage & Transport Co., which had offered £16,500,  but she did not remain long with them, being replaced by the LYDIA.

VICTORIA was then sold on October 20 1920 to J. & M. Constant who operated the ship in Turkish waters and in the Black Sea, and she was seen by a local Jersey resident in mid- 1923 at Constantinople looking very smart and being used, it is stated as a senior naval officers’ despatch boat. On November 11  1926, her register was closed upon being sold to “The Patriotic” Cie. De Nav a Vap et d’Armement of Greece, which was managed by K. Kallias & L. Teryazos, and the ship came fully under the Teryazos name before being broken up late in 1937, having retained the name VICTORIA to the end.

                                                                                                                                                                     Picture  :  L.L. 146

   VICTORIA as built approaching Saint Malo.                                       303w  632k

                                                                                                                                      Picture  :  Collection Lereec F.  No.770

 

   Arriving Saint Malo                                                                            310w  771k

                                                                                                                                     Picture  :  Collection Lereec F.  No. 748

    Berthing in Saint Malo.                                                                  312w  1.09m

                                                                                                                                         Picture  :

    VICTORIA arriving St. Helier on the day peace was signed in the South Africa

  War June 2 1902. The Press gave the following vessels as being in Harbour

 dressed overall - ISLAND QUEEN, TRIAL, OUSE, TALBOT, GIRASOL,

  KING FISHER, HERO, AIRE, PEARL, LAURA and RIVER FISHER.

                                                                                                                                         Picture  :  

    About to sail from Southampton for her duties as a tender at Plymouth on March

 25 1904.                                                                                         314w  1.13m

                                                                                                                                         Picture  :  

   Leaving Jersey sometime between her return to the route on June 29 1907, and     possibly her overhaul from which she returned on March 20 1910.          305w  361k

                                                                                                                                         Picture  :  

   VICTORIA arriving St. Helier between July 4 1911 - tug DUKE OF   NORMANDY  (in the middle of the harbour) had returned with raised lifeboats on   that date) and    May 17 1912 when Berths 6 & 7 on the New North Pier were     returned to use after deepening.  Note the half strake of brown paint on the   accommodation, raised vents aft of the fore funnel and the steering shelter

 moved aft of funnel. Also note CAESAREA or SARNIA in No. 3 Berth on the     Albert Pier.                                                                                       301w  663k

                                                                                                                                        Picture  :  

   The vessel as at November 15 1911.                                                               309w  474k

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