Isle of Wight Ferries - MV Caedmon - MV Cenred - MV Cenwulf - The 'C' Class.

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THE  'C'  CLASS

Three sister ships  MV Caedmon,  MV Cenred and MV Cenwulf built by Robb Caledon Shipbuilders Ltd in Dundee, Scotland, and costing approx.  £1.8 million each to build.  The ships design was based on their predecessor the MV Cuthred. All three sister ships were propelled by two Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers, one at either end of the ship. Each ship was fitted with two 400bhp 6cyl Mirrlees Blackstone ERS6M turbocharged engines.  58m long with a beam of 15.7m and a draught of 2.28m and could do 10 knots.  Originally these vessels were able to carry 750 passengers and 52 cars.  The fitting of mezzanine decks in 1977-78 increased the car capacity to 70. However, over the years cars increased in size and weight,  regulations changed,  and closing the lower (below deck)  lounge the car capacity was reduced to 58 and passengers to 512

MV Caedmon was named after a monk and the earliest English poet that lived at Whitby Abbey in the 7th century.  This vessel served the first 10 years of her life on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne service before joining her two sisters on the Lymington-Yarmouth crossing. She was launched on 3rd May 1973 and went into service that same year.

MV Cenwulf was launched on 1st June 1973 and was in service that same year. She was named after an Anglo-Saxon king of the Mercians - Coenwulf if Mercia. Her maiden voyage was on the 18th October 1973 (replacing the Lymington).

MV Cenred was launched on 3rd July 1973 and didn't come into service at Lymington until January 1974 (replacing the Farringford).  This vessel was named after the Anglo- Saxon King Cenred of Wessex. She spent the first two months of service on the Portsmouth-Fishbourne route and then the remainder of her service in the Western Solent.

All three vessels came out of service in March 2009 and were laid up at Marchwood.  They were eventually towed to Esbjerg in Denmark  in 2010and were broken up shortly after. 

All three vessels were replaced with the Wight Class ('W' Class)

MV Wight Light,  MV Wight Sky and MV Wight Sun.