Ocean liners - Mail-boats
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In 1814, discussion began about restoring the passenger
service across the Strait by French and British liners, each one transporting
their fellow citizens. However, this agreement was violated by Sir
Mascot, and competition between the ships grew without any distinction
between nationalities. At that time, the passenger ships were small
cutters from 50 to 60 barrels and a spanker sail. Their draught was
enough weak to enable them to reach the coast at low tide, and their
capacity did not exceed 30 or 40 passengers.
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In 1815, ten French boats and as many British were
used in Pas-de-Calais. The French steamers were often captained by
former corsairs such as Tom Souville. The invention of the steam engine
modernised maritime transport, and steam navigation quickly surpassed
sailing.
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In 1822, the French Postal Administration purchased
the Rob Roy, an English ship measuring 24.70 metres long and 4.75 metres
wide, and rebaptised it the Henri IV. The ship was able to make the
crossing in between two hours and 45 min. and three hours and 15 min.
depending on the weather. When the British Administration reinstated
the mail service between Great Britain and the Continent in 1837, its
fleet included six mechanically-propelled liners.
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The Rob Roy (1818-1830)
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| In 1840, the first iron passenger ship, the Dover,
appeared on the Calais-Dover route. However, access to the port was
always difficult because of the lack of water at low tide. When a ship
missed the tide, it had to call upon the pilotage service long boats
to transport the passengers at sea and to bring them either to the
coast, or to the foot of the quays, where they were brought up with
ladders or on the sailors' backs, with all the inconveniences one could
imagine - especially for the ladies. |
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The Dover at quay
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Passenger liners
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Since the liners had difficulties remaining at the
ocean liner quay during low tide, authorities decided to construct
an additional station. This terminal was only a modest pavilion built
partly on piles and partly on the stone quay, and was used as shelter
for passengers and customs. It was commissioned on August 6, 1867:
just in time for the Paris World Fair.
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The ships measured from 45 to 50 metres in length
and weighed 260 register tons. Beginning in 1844, they were gradually
replaced by large ships ranging from 60 to 65 metres and approximately
350 barrels, which travelled at a speed of between 13 to 15 knots and
had roomy and comfortable lounges. The Queen and Empress liners built
in 1854 and sailing under French flags were already making the crossing
from Calais to Dover in 1 hour and 30 minutes.
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The Empress (1887 - 1906)
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Built on the tidal quay, the maritime station was
inaugurated in 1889 by French President Sadi Carnot.
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Passenger comfort was a major concern for maritime
companies, which did not shy away from taking risks to improve the
behaviour at sea of their ships. The companies tried, for example,
to modify the design of the large ships by seeking a means of eliminating
or reducing as much as possible the roll and pitch responsible for
sea sickness. It was in this spirit that the Castelia, a catamaran
formed by two boat halves connected by beams, was built in 1874. The
ship was difficult to manoeuvre and damaged the Dover pier during its
inaugural voyage on July 22, 1875, and was later withdrawn from service
after three seasons.
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The Castelia (1874-1884)
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An equally peculiar steamer, the Bessemer, built in
1875, only had a single hull but possessed a 24-metre lounge stretching
across the central part of the ship which remained suspended in a stable
position thanks to a clever hydraulic system. Unfortunately, during
its three tests in May 1875, the steamer ran up against the western
pier of Calais and was never able to test the suspended lounge and
its faulty hydraulic system.
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Another catamaran steamer, the Express, was built
in 1878 but following financial difficulties, it was sold to London
Chatham–Dover Railway and rebaptised the Calais-Dover. 110 metres
long and 30 metres wide, the ship made the crossing in one and a half
hours. Far too expensive and too slow compared to the new steamers,
it was withdrawn from service in 1887.
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Calais-Dover (1877-1887)
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A new era in Cross-Channel transport began with the
construction of the Invite in 1882. Built out of steel and equipped
with an electric installation, the Invite spanned 96 metres (70 metres
for the other ships). It had a fore and aft stem as well as a rudder
at both ends. The 600 hp engine averaged a speed of 18 knots, and at
the time of its first voyage it reached 22 knots, making the crossing
in 65 minutes.
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After the Invite, other ships followed: the Victoria
in 1886, l'Express in 1887, the Calais-Dover II in 1889, the Calais,
the Dover and the Lord Warden in 1896, the North and the Pas-de-Calais
in 1898.
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The first propeller and turbine ship, the Queen was
only commissioned on the Calais-Dover line on June 27, 1903, although
Boulon, France native Frédéric Sauvage had invented the
propeller some sixty-four years earlier in 1839.
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The Queen II leaving the port (1903-1916)
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The saved space gained by removing the paddles from
the steamers allowed kitchens and crew cabins to be installed at the
back of the ship, which kept the passengers out of the reach of engine
fumes and unsavoury smells emanating from the kitchen. The commissioning
of the Queen was followed by other ships of the same type: the Invicta
in 1905, the Empress and the Victoria in 1907 and the Riviera in 1911.
Paddle steamers almost completely disappeared, except for the North
and the Pas-de-Calais, which were built in 1898 and sailed all the
way until 1923. To replace them, SAGA brought back the Invicta and
Empress which carried out French sea routes until the arrival of the
Côte d'Azur in 1931 and the Côte d'Argent in 1933. The
111-metre long ships could transport 1,450 passengers thanks to their
1400 hp engines and were able to cross the strait in one hour and 15
minutes.
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Victoria II (1907-1957)
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Seaplanes
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As early as 1912, the Flaque à Guerlettes (now
a dock) was already used as a base for seaplanes and a hangar was built
there.
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At the time of the Great War, a flotilla of six seaplanes
from the Belgian army and later a French Navy flotilla were in charge
of guarding the Strait and searching for mines and German submarines.
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In 1928, the French Airline Company built a concrete
platform, a hangar, and administrative buildings in order to create
seaplane air link between Calais and Dover. The first seaplane to cross
was a Schrees TBA painted in yellow and baptised the Canari, the second
was a large seaplane, the Lioré and Olivier, which crossed the
English Channel in fifteen minutes.
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Seaplane Base
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In Calais, loading was carried out securely and without
difficulty, but in Dover, the seaplane was to land in the harbour,
and the travellers were transported to land in makeshift water taxis.
This inconvenience spelt doom for the company. To make up for deficit,
the company offered first flights to the public and took air photographs
of the city, but went out of business in 1934.
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Ferry Boats
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At the end of the First World War, the British government
had three ferry boats built to transport armoured cars, canons, locomotives
and coaches to English units fighting on French soil. The first service
began in Calais on February 18, 1918 with no. 1 and no. 2 train ferries.
They made two return trips per day and moored at the Carnot basin.
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The use of ferry boats continued until January 21,
1921 in order to complete the repatriation of military equipment to
Great Britain.
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It was because of the service carried out by this
kind of ship that efforts were made to establish a commercial line
with England, but it was only in 1931 that the Compagnie française
des Ferries managed to open the Calais-Harnich line with train ferry
no. 3.
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Meanwhile, Southern Railways had new ferry boats built
for transporting goods and passengers. The handicap of the Port of
Calais was that the ferry wharf was inside a wet dock, and therefore
depended on the tide. Despite assurance from the Port of Dunkirk, the
new wharf was built near our neighbour but in a wet dock, of course.
The Dover-Dunkirk line was commissioned on October 11, 1936 and led
to the closure of the Calais-Harnich line.
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Excursionist ships
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In addition to the regular services, steamers also
offered trips for a new category of traveller arriving in town by train: "excursionists".
Beginning in 1848, weekend tickets at reduced prices were offered by
Southern Railway. In Calais, the steamer Wonder took its first group
of passengers on April 11, 1849, and the travellers were able to spend
a few hours on French soil without passports. From 1895 onwards, traffic
in Calais soared because the business owners of the Union of Commerce
and the municipal casino endeavoured to attract new customers. The
number of excursionists grew from 7,000 in 1897 to 130,000 in 1903
and attracted port calls from Thames boats such as the Marguerite.
From 1907 to 1914, the traffic was steady. After the war, the service
of the "no passport" travellers was entrusted to the ships
Queen of Thanet and Queen of Kent of New Medway Steam General Company
between Rochester-Margate and Calais. The efforts of Calais business
owners attracted a growing number of ships. In 1932, a coach service
began transporting tourists to Saint-Pierre.
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However, the economic crisis of the Thirties dealt
a sharp blow to traffic, which fell to 35,000 excursionists per year.
The flow of travellers ceased, of course, during the war and did not
start again until 1946. Traffic reached its apogee in 1997 with more
than 20 million travellers.
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Cruise ships.
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The pioneer of the cruise ships was the Stella Polaris,
a true floating luxury hotel built in Norway. 120 metres in length,
the Polaris had deluxe cabins with bathroom, two reading rooms, an
auditorium, a smoking room, an expansive dining room, a gymnasium,
a hair salon, a medical office and a photo lab. The 130-person crew
served the 200 rich German, French, English, Norwegian, and Finnish
passengers travelling for pleasure through the Baltic Sea.
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This splendid liner arrived in Calais for the first
time on May 24, 1933, and would return every year in June, July, and
August up until 1939.
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Automobile ships
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Although Calais was hardly in a position to maintain
its ferry service following some shady dealings, the port took its
revenge by receiving the first mixed auto transport. Some carriages
and cars had already been loaded by crane onto the steamers. However,
thanks to Captain Stuart Townsend, former artillery officer and joint
owner of the Townsend Brothers company founded into 1916, the first
auto shipping line was established between France and Great Britain.
It was the exorbitant price demanded by the maritime companies to transport
a car aboard a mail-boat led Townsend to found his own maritime line.
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After the completion of a study commissioned by the
Automobile Association and of Royal Automobile Club, Townsend decided
to have his hand at accompanied vehicle transport. In 1928, he chartered
the collier Artificer and began ferrying cars between Dover and Calais
on June 28. The Artificer could transport 15 cars and 12 passengers,
and made the crossing between two hours and two hours and thirty minutes.
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Townsend's rates were less expensive than those of
Southern Railways, and there were always more travellers than cars,
so he came up the idea of having the surplus passengers travel on the
mail-boat, and proceeded to buy half-price excursion tickets in advance
at half price. The automobile transport service, originally planned
only for the summer of 1928, became so popular that it was made permanent
in 1929.
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On September 7, 1929, the Aritificer was replaced
by the Royal Firth until a former minesweeper, the Forde, became available
on April 15, 1930.
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The Forde could transport 168 passengers and 30 automobiles.
It possessed three lounges, one of which was reserved for ladies, and
three private cabins. The crossing of the strait was carried out in
one and a half hours.
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In 1930, the Forde transported 4,600 cars and 12,000
passengers. At first, the cars were loaded at the station on platforms – which
wasn't without risk – but the system was later improved. The
wheels of the cars were secured by claws attached to the frame and
the vehicles were lifted by ten-tonne cranes. Workers from the "Wheelers" loaded
and unloaded the vehicles. Motorists were required at that time to
empty their tanks before loading because of safety concerns, and had
to refill their tanks at their own expense upon unloading. Later, an
exemption made it possible to keep approximately nine litres of petrol
in the tank. The experience of Captain Townsend encouraged Southern
Railways to open a line of automobile ships, beginning with the Autocarrier
ship commissioned on March 30, 1931. The ship could carry 120 passengers
and 35 cars at a speed of 15 knots. It had an open quarterdeck, lounges,
a buffet, and even a bathroom. Competition between the two companies
increased passenger traffic, which went from 9,817 vehicles in 1931
to 22,919 cars in 1938.
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Unloading a bus from the Forde (1930-1935)
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Receiving facilities were built in the north and the
south of the Devôt hangar for receiving and inspecting motorists
and filling up their tanks. Although the loading and the unloading
of the cars by crane proved to work rather well, the Townsend company
equipped the grounds with mobile ramps to facilitate the transfer of
vehicles. As early as 1930, the Calais Chamber of Commerce considered
creating a special berthing at the south-eastern quay of the outer
harbour. Unfortunately, this project did not receive administration
approval. However, the use of a mobile ramp to assist in loading would
be repeated in 1936 on the Forde, when because of a crane operator
and docker strike, the ship was loaded from the rear on platforms after
removing the ship's rail.
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It wouldn't be until fifteen years later before passengers
could embark and disembark their vehicles on their own. 18,000 passengers
made the journey in 1815, a number which rose to one million in 1933
and 1934 before falling back down to between 7 and 8,000 in 1938 and
1939 because of international events.
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Car ferries
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After the Second World War, car ferries and ferryboats
began to emerge which would have a profound effect on passenger traffic
and ground vehicles. The car ferry is the result of the progress made
in maritime transport. J-f Durand considers the first car ferry, in
its current definition, to have appeared in Canada in 1924 under the
name Motor Princess. This technique for transferring vehicles, which
use their own energy to embark on specially created ramps, made a brief
appearance in Europe in the mid-1930s, but only really developed after
the Second World War. On the Cross-Channel routes, it was the British
companies that first unveiled the boats destined for this type of transport;
initially old transformed units, the Forde in 1930 and the Hallale
in 1950 were both commissioned for the Townsend company (which would
remain innovative in this field for a long time), then specially built
ships, the first of which was the Lord Warden in 1952.
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Hovercrafts
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In the mid-Fifties, two brilliant engineers, the Englishman
Christopher Cockerell and the Frenchman Jean Bertin, each worked on
an air cushion transport project but took a completely different approach
from. The result was the SNR4 Mk3 for the English, and the N500 (no
longer in use) for the French.
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| In 1956, Cockerell built his first working model,
and in 1959 his first prototype was manufactured. Bertin, for his part,
was an advocate of a multi-skirt approach that in 1962 led to the Terraplane
BC 4, the first marine hovercraft able to transport 1,500 kg at more
than 0.30m: the French technique was born. |
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The Hoverspeed hovercraft
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The first official test in Calais took place on July
25, 1959 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Channel-crossing
by Blériot. Departing from the Isle of Wight, they boarded a
heavy equipment transport ship called the H.M.S Warden. The SNR 1 (Saunders
Roe Nautical One) left the Port of Calais towards Dover at 4:55 a.m.
On board the "floating saucer" were three men: Peter Lamb,
the pilot, Christopher Cockerell, the inventor, and J Chaplin, his
assistant. Two hours and three minutes and a petrol refill later, the
device landed on the beach of Dover a few metres from the "Clock
Tower" at exactly 6:58 a.m.
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The Seaspeed hovercraft
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Less than seven years later, the first "Hoverport" opened
in Calais, on the breakwater of the West Pier. On April 30, 1966, the
first commercial line between Calais and Ramsgate was inaugurated.
From 1966 to 1968, the two SNR6 crafts (Winchester class), the Swift
and the Sure of the Hoverloyd company and the fleeting Britannia of
the Townsend company, transported from 30 to 40 passengers to England.
In 1966, French President Charles de Gaulle could not resist the pleasure
of testing the new means of transport during a visit to Calais. On
June 26, 1969, a new Hoverport to the east of the port was inaugurated,
adapted to the new SRN4 crafts (Mountbatten class) operated by the
Seaspeed and Hoverlloyd companies present on the Strait. In 1977, Jean
Bertin's N500 appeared on the scene. It travelled to Calais for the
first time March 16, 1978, and made its official entry into the strait
on July 11, 1978. Less powerful than the SRN4, the death warrant of
the N500 was signed on July 26, 1983 by the board of directors of the
Hoverspeed company. The N500 carried out its last voyage on November
15, 1983, and was sent to be demolished in October 1985, after a two-year
wait on the Portel technical grounds.
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The Hoverport
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Receiving passengers: the maritime station.
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Since the paddle steamers had difficulties remaining
at low tide at quay with the liners, an additional terminal was constructed
at the tidal quay. This terminal was only a modest pavilion built partly
on piles and partly on the stone quay, and was used as shelter for
passengers and customs. It was commissioned on August 6, 1867, just
in time for the Paris World Fair, which welcomed a record 200,156 attendees.
This terminal soon surpassed the Paradise terminal in importance and
quickly proved too small to capably handle the flow of traffic. It
was therefore necessary to establish a new, single and practical maritime
station.
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The maritime station in 1889
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Built on the tidal quay, the maritime station was
inaugurated in 1889 by French President Saadi Carnot. It extended over
275 metres in length. The passenger building included, in addition
to railway facilities, a great number of offices, 7 residences, a large
hotel with a restaurant and very significant outlets for the flow of
the passengers. In order to make the passengers more comfortable, a
large-scale improvement and programme was carried out from 1938-1939.
The inauguration of the transformed and modernised building took place
on June 17, 1939. Unfortunately, it was dawn of the Second World War.
Used by the English as a fallback point in May 1940, then occupied
by the Germans, the maritime station was bombarded and set fire to
on several occasions during the years 1940-1945.
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The maritime station in 1930
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At the time of the Liberation, the majority of the
building had been destroyed by bombs and the fires. However, some elements
remained and were used as a basis for the construction of a provisional
maritime station. This terminal, although makeshift, comprised "some
comfortable facilities" and was "ingeniously designed",
as the newspapers of the time described it. The inaugural ceremony
took place on April 16, 1946 and activity began again in May 1946.
However, the facilities were temporary and over time could not both
support the flow of traffic and offer passengers and agreeable experience.
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Maritime station at the Liberation
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A large-scale rebuilding plan was undertaken from
1947-1957. After deliberating, Calais Chamber of Commerce and Industry
decided to take part in rebuilding the maritime station by advancing
the SNCF the sums necessary to complete the work (on the war damage).
Through a ministerial decision made public on April 23, 1952, the Direction
des Ports Maritimes (French Port Authority) accepted the advance in
principle. On October 31, 1952, the Chamber adopted conventions necessary
to begin work.
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Transmitted to the Direction des Ports Maritimes on
December 18, 1952, the preliminary draft of maritime station rebuilding
project was approved by the Maritime department in January 1953. In
February 1953, the President of the CCI accepted the Conseil Général
des Ponts et Chaussés (French national corps of engineers) authorisation
to begin work, which started immediately. The final authorisation to
rebuild was granted by ministerial decision on April 23, 1954.
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Work was carried out quickly in order to open up a
section of the terminal to passenger traffic as quickly as possible,
while still maintaining the activity which had begun again in 1946.
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The first brick was laid on this section in October
28, 1954 (plans were in place for Mr Chaban-Delmas, Minister of Public
Works, to preside over the terminal) and on October 13, 1955, one year
later, the first traveller unofficially inaugurated part of the new
maritime station by buying a ticket at the new ticket counters, surrounded
by ladders and scaffolding, the sound of hammer strikes, and the smell
of wet paint.
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Maritime station in 1955
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Commissioning took place in 1956 and the various sections
were progressively opened on October 14, 1957, January 22, 1958, the
final acceptance of the building took place on April 10, 1959. The
new maritime station was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1959.
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Maritime station in 1959
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The new building was designed to support increases
in passenger traffic. Every possible measure was taken to provide passengers
with a pleasant and comfortable train ferry ride, starting with protection
from inclement weather. The interior spaces in the buildings were designed
to open up the flow of traffic. In the 3,180 sq. m. space, one finds
the main traveller services (offices, rail service, Police, Customs)
and some additional amenities (currency exchange, WC, snack bar, bookshop,
waiting room) and a large restaurant with a panoramic view on the first
floor.
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The station was officially closed on January 21, 1995.
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Cross-Channel Ferryboat Terminal
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The Cross-Channel terminal in 1980
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Calais was the first port to have a mobile gangway
for directly embarking cars onto the deck of the ship. The arrival
of giant new car-ferries in 1980 required the construction of new infrastructures.
At the time, Calais was the only port to have gangways on two decks
and because of this was the only port to receive the new generation
of ferries. The Chamber of Commerce constructed a new terminal to accommodate
the travellers, cars, and heavy trucks which embarked and disembarked
in Calais. The freight section was commissioned on April 17, 1980,
and the tourist section on April 24, 1980. The car ferry terminal is
capable of handling the millions of travellers and transporters who
pass through Calais. Passengers have access to the ground floor, two
public halls where the reception is found, the offices of companies
and shipping agents, a currency exchange, etc. On the same floor, Customs
and the Border Police inspect passengers, tourist vehicles and commercial
vehicles.
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The mezzanine is reserved for the administrative offices,
WCs, and a resting spot for truck drivers.
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On the second floor, travellers and visitors can choose
between a bar, a restaurant, and a self-service restaurant
with a panoramic view of the sea and the town...
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