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Sheerness Heritage Centre Rose St |
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THE PAST RECREATED |
| SheernesstoVlissingenferry | ||
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Posters of the Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Zeeland"   The service was started between Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Zeeland"
The Netherlands and the United Kingdom have a long maritime history,both at war and at peace. Queenborough and Sheerness were lnked for many years by a ferry service to Vlissingen (Flushing). Below is a short history of SMVZeeland which ran the first ferries and Olau Line which ran a new service from 1975 to 1994. The Olau service was very popular locally and there was great disappointment but no great surprise when the service closed
One of the first posters advertising the new route to the continent via Sheerness and Flushing From the Illustrated London News 1883 markingthe inauguration of the Ferry Service between Sheerness and at Queenborough was not finished in time.
Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Zeeland" ( SMZ - the Zeeland SS Co) was formed in 1875 to operate services from Vlissingen (Flushing) (Flushing), Zeeland, Netherlands to England. Over the years, seven different English ports have been used:- Sheerness, Queenborough, Dover, Port Victoria, Tilbury, Folkestone and Harwich. The Dutch port remained Vlissingen (Flushing) until after the Second World War, when it transferred to Hook of Holland.
Services started with the ex-Confederate blockade runners Stad Middelburg and Stad Vlissingen on July 26th 1875 between Sheerness and Vlissingen (Flushing), since the pier at the intended UK port, Queenborough, had not been finished. Sheerness and Queenborough are close to each other on the eastern bank of the River Medway.
 Stad Middleburg
A third steamer, the ex-Snaefell (1) of the IOMSPCo was bought as a reserve ship, becoming the Stad Breda. Poor support led to the route ceasing in November 1875. The service restarted in May 1876, between Vlissingen (Flushing) and the newly completed pier at Queenborough, cargo traffic also being carried. Initially a daily overnight service (except Sundays) was offered. The Dutch Government awarded SMZ the mail contract to England. The first ships built for the route were the Prinses Marie and Prinses Elisabeth of 1878, built by John Elder of Glasgow. Similar steamers Prins Hendrik (1) and Willem Prins van Orange followed in 1880 and 1882.
In 1882, Queenborough Pier was seriously damaged by fire, and the passenger service moved to Dover for four months. Cargo services to Queenborough did not restart until 1885, and cargo steamers were chartered to operate into London in the interim. In 1887, the service became twice-daily, with three new paddle steamers, the Duitschland Engeland and Nederland being acquired. In 1893, the Great Eastern Railway services from Harwich were improved and the Zeeland suffered a decline in traffic. They ordered three new paddle steamers which were delivered in 1885, the last paddlers to be ordered for the route. They were named Koningin Wilhelmina (1), Koningin Regentes and Prins Hendrik (2). In 1897, a temporary transfer to Dover was made again, following damage to the railway to Queenborough. In 1900, Queenborough pier was destroyed by fire a second time, and the service moved temporarily to Port Victoria, on the opposite bank of the River Medway. Things then settled down for nine years until the Great Eastern Railway received their first turbines in 1903, and accelerated their services. SMZ responded by building three turbines of their own at Fairfields, the Prinses Juliana (1), Oranje Nassau and Mecklenberg (1). The turbines were used on the night service, with the less competitive day service being operated by the displaced paddle steamers. After one year, the turbines were moved to Folkestone in 1911, since the Medway was unsuitable for their greater draft than the paddlers. The distance from Vlissingen (Flushing) to Folkestone was 92 miles, compared to 112 miles from Queenborough.
 SMZeeland paddler at Queenborough pier C.1904
The day service remained at Queenborough. Prinses Juliana (1) and Mecklenberg (1) were lost within days of each other early in 1916, and replacements were built in 1920 and 1922, becoming the Prinses Juliana (2) and Mecklenberg (2). These were built in Holland using the original Fairfield drawings. Until 1927, UK railway connections to SMZ services had been provided by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway, the South Eastern Railway, and their successors the South Eastern & Chatham Railway and the Southern Railway. From 1927, the UK port moved to Harwich, and railway connections were provide by the London & North Eastern Railway, who operated a competing service to the Hook of Holland. In 1939, just before the start of the Second War, the diesel sisters Koningin Emma and Prinses Beatrix (1) were delivered. Both ships escaped to the UK and were used by the Admiralty as usually landing craft vessels, which required considerable modifications
1939-1989
In 1939, just before the start of the Second War, the diesel sisters Koningin Emma and Prinses Beatrix (1) were delivered. Both ships escaped to the UK and were used by the Admiralty as usually landing craft vessels, which required considerable modifications. In 1946, the Vlissingen (Flushing) base had been destroyed by the war, and services were transferred to Hook of Holland. Koningin Emma and Prinses Beatrix (1) were re-constructed, and re-entered service in 1948. A day service with the older ships Oranje Nassau and Mecklenberg (2) was run again from Vlissingen (Flushing) to Folkestone between 1949-1952, but after this Harwich-Hook remained the only route, in collaboration with British Railways and Sealink. In 1960 the streamlined Koningin Wilhelmina (2) delivered. Although she lasted with SMZ for 18 years, she was not a car ferry and therefore obsolescent from the start. She acted as reserve and extra boat after just eight years in service, following the delivery of Koningin Juliana in 1968.
The SMZ and Sealink services were fully amalgamated from 1968 when the first car ferries were delivered, SMZ's being the attractive Koningin Juliana. Each company later provided two car ferries which ran in tandem at busy times, SMZ's second contribution being the Prinses Beatrix (2). In 1984, Sealink was privatised, being bought by Sea Containers after a competition with Stena Line. Plans were initiated to replace the four ships with one large ship for each company, with Sealink being represented by the St Nicholas. SMZ built the Koningin Beatrix in 1985, and soon re-marketed their service as Crown Line. In 1988 the Dutch Government announced that would sell their 70% interest in SMZ, and the company was acquired by Stena Line in 1989. The following year, Stena also acquired Sealink from Sea Containers, and hence took complete control of the Harwich-Hook route.
Olau Line was started by Dane Ole Lauritzen in 1956, owning tankers and cargo ships for chartering out. In 1973 he used the small ro-ro vessel Admiral Vig as Olau Vig between Ramsgate and Vlissingen to import cars into the UK. The following year saw the start of a service from Sheerness to Vlissingen, initially using the Norwegian ferry Basto V in a freight-only role. Basto V was a sistership to Calmac's Suilven. In 1975, the Danish sisterships Olau East and Olau West
 The Olau East
were bought, and passenger services commenced. Olau East was sold to Venezuelan interests within a year (she was scrapped in 1985), and various chartered and purchased ships followed
 The Olau West
In 1977 attempts were made to start additional services to Dunkerque. These failed, and Olau Line was left with heavy debts. The German owners of TT-Line bought 50% of Olau Line in 1978, which allowed services to continue. New funnel colours were adopted by the joint concern. In 1979, Ole Lauritzen sold his remaining stake in Olau to TT-Line, and tried to set up a new service from Ramsgate to Dunkerque. The now German-owned TT-Line acquired two purpose built ships, Olau Hollandia (1) and Olau Britannia (1)
 The Olau Hollandia and Olau Britannia
in 1981/82. These were replaced by the larger Olau Hollandia (2) and Olau Britannia (2) in 1989/90, the two finest ferries sailing out of Kent at the time.
 Olau Britannia2 and Olau Hollandia 2
Traffic could not support such extravagent ships, and when cost-cutting proposals were blocked by the German unions, the route was closed in 1994. The two ships were chartered to P&O for services out of Portsmouth to Le Havre
Although the twinning between Sheppey and Brielle in the Netherlands started in 1967 before the start of the Olau Service it was a great boon from 1974 onwards. The closure of the Olau Line,although not directly the cause of the demise of the twinning, was a great blow.Twinners had found it was much easier than the alternative routes.
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