M/V Duchesse Anne


Duchesse Anne arriving in Cork.
M/V Duchesse Anne. Picture Aubrey DALE.

Duchesse Anne is a ship purchased in 1988 by the SABEMEN in order to replace Prince of Brittany on the popular route linking Portsmouth and Saint-Malo. Once replaced by Bretagne on this route, she was transferred to several summer-only services and laid up at winters in Saint-Malo. She was the second and last ship of the company to be registered in Saint-Malo.

Her name comes from a famous and popular Breton Duchess, Countess of Montfort l'Amaury and Queen of France.

Technical Datas of M/V Duchesse Anne
M/V Duchesse Anne (1988 - 1996)
The Ship
Launch 20th June 1978 
Maiden Voyage  07 February 1979
Shipyard Verolme Cork Dockyards Limited, Cork, Irland 
Owner SABEMEN 
Operator Brittany Ferries
Routes

St Malo (FR) - Portsmouth (GB) (1989-1993)

St Malo (FR) - Cork (IRL) (1993-1994)

St Malo (FR) - Poole (GB) or Plymouth (GB) (1994-1996)

Roscoff (FR) - Plymouth (GB) or Cork (IRL) (1994-1996) 

IMO 8707329 
Port of Registry St Malo, Bretagne, France 
Technical Datas
Length 122.00 m 
Breadth 18.83 m 
Draught 04.83 m 
Tonnage
Gross Tonnage 9,796 GT 
Net Tonnage 3,818 NT 
Deadweight 1,373 t 
Engines specifications
Engines 4 MaK 8MU551AK engines - 8 cylinders
Power

13,248 kW 

Speed 20.00 knots (service) 
Passengers & Cargo
Passengers Capacity 1,500 passengers 
Cabins and Seats 376 cabins (1,146 berths proposed) + 319 seats 
Garage Capacity 332 cars 

Service History

Duchesse Anne leaving Saint-Malo.
Duchesse Anne leaving Saint-Malo. Courtesy Brittany Ferries.

Connacht was built in 1978 for B+I Line, on the purpose of operating her on the Cork – Swansea service. She began operation in February 1979. However, due to lack of passenger, Connacht was transferred to the Pembrocke – Cork service as soon as May 1979. Due to lack of passengers once again, Connacht was transferred in 1980 to the Liverpool – Dublin route.

In June 1988, Connacht was purchased by the SABEMEN, which sent her for refurbishment and overhaul to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. However, she proved to be in a poorer condition than expected and twice more money than planned had to be spend to overhaul her. Renamed Duchesse Anne by her new operator, Brittany Ferries, she was introduced on 13th February 1989 on the Saint-Malo – Portsmouth service.

Due to the transfer of Bretagne on the Saint-Malo service, Duchesse Anne was transferred to summer-only routes from 1993. Therefore, she operated the Saint-Malo – Cork, Saint-Malo – Poole and Roscoff – Cork services. Nevertheless, due to lack of passenger, the Saint-Malo – Cork service was discontinued after summer 1994. In September 1995, Duchesse Anne landed off the coast of Saint-Malo, requiring repairs.

In October 1996, due to financial issues, Brittany Ferries decided to close down her routes, and sold Duchesse Anne to Croatian company Jadrolinja which renamed her Dubrovnik. Since then, she operates a Dubrovnik – Bari service.

Aboard Accommodations

Aboard Dining and Bar

  • Le Nouveau Monde - À la carte Restaurant ; Deck 6 ;
  • La Tourelle - Cafétaria ; Deck 6 ;
  • La Licorne - Bakery ; Deck 6 ;
  • L'Astrolabe - Bar ; Deck 6

Aboard Shopping

  • Boutique (Perfumes, Alcohols, Tobacco, etc) ; Deck 5

Passengers Accommodations

  • Outside cabins with 4 berths ;
  • Outside cabins with 2 berths ;
  • Inside cabins with 4 berths ;
  • Inside cabins with 2 berths ; 
  • 319 reclining seats separated in 3 rooms.

Entertainment

  • La Lanterne - Cinema ; Deck 5.

Photo Library

See Also

References