Duke of Lancaster (ship) aka The Fun Ship. Report.

[bucolic]

The Duke of Lancaster began it's commercial life operating cruises until about 1966 when she was painted with the British Rail logo and ran the Belfast - Heysham service as a car ferry.

Demand for a car ferry on this particular route dropped and in 1979 the ship was concreted in at it's final resting place in Mostyn North Wales. Where it overlooks the Dee Estuary to the western end of the Wirral to Liverpool and beyond

Sometime after 1979, The ex-car ferry served as a floating leisure complex and became known to most at the 'Mostyn fun ship'. The bars were re-opened and the decks became a market, restaraunt and cinema, as well as cafe's and an amusement arcade.

The 'fun ship' closed in the 1980's and has lay in Mostyn ever since. It has had very little use apart from maybe storing goods for the local market. Nowadays, all access to the ship itself is completely cut off but it can be seen (and photographed) from a public footpath near to the A548.

*Some Information sourced from
www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northeast/sites/aska local/pages/gen11...

*Thanks to www.hhvferry.com/dukeoflanc.html for some of the factual information, Please visit this excellent site if you wish to read more about the ships history and see some early photos of her.

[boxfrenzy]

That is nice. I had never noticed the lifeboats on the top before. Any chance of boarding the ship?

[bucolic]

That is nice. I had never noticed the lifeboats on the top before. Any chance of boarding the ship?

Yes it has been done, man with golf club come along so we moved off rather quick like, talked to him when we had left, i lost the plate to me tripod mind an excuse to go back? We asked if we could have a look inside na expected was it not? We allso whent to meet Denbigh asylum ghost and the man with the dog, we had to hide in a lift shaft as some people walked past us a true Sheffield style day out that was..

[evilnoodle]

Some nice pics there. I like the last one.

[converse1]

Love to see this..... But! Serious trouble if caught by the owner!

[bucolic]

Love to see this..... But! Serious trouble if caught by the owner!

We knew that but hay makes it more of intrest, he had a golf club we watched him and knew it was time to exit, we then stood picking blackburrys fucking nice they was then walked on the public path had a chat with him as told, it has to be one of the moust of the wall explorations i have done..

[Kevsy21]

surprised the council have not made them repaint it- some years ago they were made to repaint it by the council because it was an eyesore but it looks worse now then ever.
i was there the day this ship came in towed by a tug and remember it well as the funship until the council shut it down because of poor access for emergency vehicles.
do solitaire still store clothes on it for the market?

[bucolic]

surprised the council have not made them repaint it- some years ago they were made to repaint it by the council because it was an eyesore but it looks worse now then ever.
i was there the day this ship came in towed by a tug and remember it well as the funship until the council shut it down because of poor access for emergency vehicles.
do solitaire still store clothes on it for the market?

Yes they still do i understand, much what the man with the golf club told us as much, so if the council are asking it to be repaint it, then why they are not working with them to re open it as the fun ship what a cool idea, e mail me worldwarfreeatriseupdotnet be cool to know more..