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Sealink
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>Sealink was originally the brand name for the ferry services of <a href="/facts/British_Rail/MUsXp9YC">British Rail</a> in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Services to France, Belgium and the Netherlands were run by Sealink UK as part of the Sealink consortium which also used ferries owned by French national railways (<a href="/facts/SNCF/qfJG2rYt">SNCF</a>), the Belgian Maritime Transport Authority <a href="/facts/Regie_voor_Maritiem_Transport/XGNNoMEg">Regie voor Maritiem Transport</a>/Regie des transports maritimes (RMT/RTM) and the Dutch <a href="/facts/Stoomvaart_Maatschappij_Zeeland/VMhb6nlN">Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland</a> (Zeeland Steamship Company). </p><p>Historically, the shipping services were exclusively an extension of the railways across the <a href="/facts/English_Channel/UPjaSEXf">English Channel</a> and the <a href="/facts/Irish_Sea/m2SqNwvx">Irish Sea</a> in order to provide through, integrated services to Europe and Ireland. As international travel became more popular in the late 1960s and before air travel became generally affordable, the responsibility for shipping services was taken away from the British Rail Regions and in 1969 centralised in a new division – British Rail Shipping and International Services Division. </p><p>With the advent of car ferry services, the old passenger-only ferries were gradually replaced by <a href="/facts/Roll-on/roll-off/MxRAyecg">roll-on/roll-off</a> ships, catering for motorists and rail passengers as well as road freight. However, given that there was now competition in the form of other ferry companies offering crossings to motorists, it became necessary to market the services in a normal business fashion (as opposed to the previous almost monopolistic situation). Thus, with the other partners mentioned above, the brand name Sealink was introduced for the consortium.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> </p> <p>In November 1970, Belgium Marine joined the Sealink consortium with five car ferries and six passenger ships.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>As demand for international rail travel declined and the shipping business became almost exclusively dependent on passenger and freight vehicle traffic, the ferry business was <a href="/facts/Incorporation_(business)/aB7mYbBQ">incorporated</a> as Sealink UK Limited on 1 January 1979,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> a wholly owned subsidiary of the <a href="/facts/British_Railways_Board/jq9Vu3lE">British Railways Board</a> (BRB), but still part of the Sealink consortium. In 1979, Sealink acquired <a href="/facts/Manx_Line/r4q0uAed">Manx Line</a> which offered services to the Isle of Man from Heysham. </p> <p>On 27 July 1984 the <a href="/facts/Government_of_the_United_Kingdom/3zLlUWbx">UK Government</a> sold Sealink UK Limited to <a href="/facts/Sea_Containers/YpYapAY6">Sea Containers</a> for £66m.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> The company was renamed Sealink British Ferries. In 1991, Sea Containers sold Sealink British Ferries to <a href="/facts/Stena_Line/Hgczx618">Stena Line</a>. The sale excluded the operations of <a href="/facts/Hoverspeed/TrPu03Hm">Hoverspeed</a>, the <a href="/facts/Isle_of_Wight/3mWfGanJ">Isle of Wight</a> services and the share in the <a href="/facts/Isle_of_Man_Steam_Packet_Company/oG3DqrB3">Isle of Man Steam Packet Company</a>, as well as the <a href="/facts/Heysham_Port/KwyN9LeP">Port of Heysham</a>. The new owners rebranded the company as Sealink Stena Line, then again a few years later to Stena Sealink Line.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p><p>In 1996, the Sealink name disappeared when the UK services were re-branded as Stena Line. The agreement with the SNCF on the Dover to <a href="/facts/Calais/DaM9yzWq">Calais</a> route also ended at this time and the French-run Sealink services were rebranded as <a href="/facts/SeaFrance/xrFtulIm">SeaFrance</a>. </p> <h2 id="livery">Livery</h2> <p>Prior to 1964/65, the colours were black hull, white upperworks and black-topped buff funnel. </p><p>From 1972/73, <i>Sealink</i> was displayed in white <a href="/facts/Rail_Alphabet/xpSHNp9M">Rail Alphabet</a> typeface on the side of the hull. </p><p>The livery from 1984 to 1995 was a distinctive blue-on-white. Previously, the <a href="/facts/British_Rail_double_arrow/aMqlwhEo">British Rail double arrow</a> logo had been used, with a BR corporate <a href="/facts/Monastral_blue/MKL54Wmt">monastral blue</a> hull, white upperworks and black-topped red funnel. </p><p>A reversed version of the BR symbol was used on one side of Sealink ship's funnels and flags.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> This was so that the 'top' arrow was always pointing towards the bow of the ship on funnels, and for flags towards the flag staff. </p> <h2 id="hovercraft">Hovercraft</h2> <p>In the 1960s, British Rail started <a href="/facts/Hovercraft/4GdyFF7Y">hovercraft</a> services from Dover to Calais and <a href="/facts/Boulogne-sur-Mer/jmQ3W7kJ">Boulogne-sur-Mer</a>, and also across the <a href="/facts/Solent/MsCpmXe5">Solent</a> to the Isle of Wight. Rather than use the name Sealink, the services were marketed as <i><a href="/facts/Seaspeed/UrHaIUxM">Seaspeed</a></i> and <i>Solent Seaspeed</i>. Seaspeed merged with rival <a href="/facts/Hoverlloyd/WPF6LAQb">Hoverlloyd</a> in 1981 to form <a href="/facts/Hoverspeed/TrPu03Hm">Hoverspeed</a>. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/British_Railways_ships/5RnIaF5T">British Railways ships</a></li></ul> <h3>Notes</h3> <h3>Bibliography</h3> <ul><li>Cowsill, Miles (1987). <i>Sealink British Ferries to Ireland</i>. Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: M Cowsill. <a href="/facts/OCLC_(identifier)/Yqad8waq">OCLC</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/560725076">560725076</a>.</li> <li>Cowsill, Miles; Hendy, John (1997). <i>The Sealink Years:1970–1995</i>. Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1871947359.</li> <li>Cowsill, Miles; Hendy, John (2006). <i>The Saints go marching on: British Rail's Last Cross-Channel Ferries</i>. Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 187194774X.</li> <li>Haresnape, Brian (1982). <i>Sealink</i>. London: Ian Allan. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0711012091.</li> <li>Hendy, John (1988). <i>Sealink Dover–Calais</i>. Staplehurst, Kent: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0951350617.</li> <li>Hendy, John (1989). <i>Sealink Isle of Wight</i>. Staplehurst, Kent: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0951309331.</li> <li>Hendy, John (1993). <i>Ferries of Dover</i>. Staplehurst, Kent: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0951350692.</li> <li>Hendy, John (1997). <i>Ferry Port Dover: the development of cross-channel vehicle ferries, their services and allied infrastructure</i>. Staplehurst, Kent: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1871947472.</li> <li>Hendy, John (2008). <i>Remembering the Lord Warden: British Railways' pioneering car ferry</i>. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9781871947861.</li> <li>Hendy, John; Merrigan, Justin (2011). <i>Sealink Memories</i>. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9781906608422.</li> <li>Hendy, John; Merrigan, Justin; Peter, Bruce (2015). <i>Sealink and before</i>. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9781906608811.</li> <li>McCall, Iain (2014). <i>The Sealink Legacy: 30 years since privatisation</i>. Upper Seagry, Wiltshire: Mainline & Maritime. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9781900340250.</li> <li>Murtland, Matthew; Seville, Richard (2014). <i>Sealink and beyond</i>. Ramsey, Isle of Man: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 9781906608750.</li> <li>Ripley, Don; Rogan, Tony (1995). <i>Designing Ships for Sealink</i>. Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire: Ferry Publications. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 1871947340.</li> <li>Scott, Brian (1989). <i>Sealink and its predecessors in Dublin</i>. Dublin: B. Scott. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0951455400.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <p> Media related to Sealink at Wikimedia Commons </p> <ul><li><a href="http://www.stenaline.com">stenaline.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.sealink-holyhead.net">Sealink Holyhead.net</a> a guide to the history of the sea route between Holyhead and Dún Laoghaire</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Sealink title for BR and alliped shipping services Railway Gazette 21 November 1969 page 843 <a href="/wiki/Railway_Gazette_International" target="_blank">/wiki/Railway_Gazette_International</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Belgian Marine joins Sealink Railway World issue 368 January 1971 page 3 <a href="/wiki/Railway_World" target="_blank">/wiki/Railway_World</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Companies House extract company no 1402237 Stena Line Limited formerly Stena Sealink Line Limited formerly Sealink Stena Line Limited formerly Sealink UK Limited <a href="http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/01402237" target="_blank">http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/01402237</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Sealink UK Limited formed The Railway Magazine issue 935 March 1979 page 111 <a href="/wiki/The_Railway_Magazine" target="_blank">/wiki/The_Railway_Magazine</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"The Great British Rail Sale is Over" The Railway Magazine issue 1152 April 1997 pages 24–25 <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Companies House extract company no 1402237 Stena Line Limited formerly Stena Sealink Line Limited formerly Sealink Stena Line Limited formerly Sealink UK Limited <a href="http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/01402237" target="_blank">http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/01402237</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"British Rail / British Railways". Flags of the World. June 2011. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120329012311/https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb_brail.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120329012311/https://www.fotw.info/flags/gb_brail.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>