Smyril

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Ferry line 7 of the Faroe Islands, the Smyril area
The Smyril ferry, which went into operation in 2005 .

Smyril is the name for the flagship of the Faroe Islands regional ferry fleet . The name Smiril used to be spelled. The owner of the Smyril is the public transport company Strandfaraskip Landsins .

Origin and meaning

Smyril is the Faroese name for the Merlin ( Falco columbarius ), the only bird of prey in the Faroe Islands.

prehistory

The southernmost of the Faroe Islands, Suðuroy , is relatively far from the other islands and in earlier times was quite isolated as the connection that had to be maintained by open boats across dangerous waters was very arduous. Last but not least, the postal connection was particularly irregular. When trade flourished in the Faroe Islands in the second half of the 19th century with the abolition of the royal monopoly of trade and the introduction of free trade, there was a great need for more regular freight, passenger and mail connections between the islands. In Suðuroy in particular, fishing and stockfish production expanded, and Tvøroyri became the center of the new economic development that would change Faroese society. From here the suggestion came to set up a line connection between the islands.

Smiril (1895)

Smiril from 1895 under the Danish flag

In 1895 the trading company J. Mortensen from Tvøroyri had a small steamship built by Kockum Mekaniska Verkstad AB in Malmö , Sweden . The ship was named Smiril and started shipping in January 1896. Since the ship was supposed to call at almost all places on the islands , there were of course several days between the departures. There were only a few places where the steamer could dock on a quay . The ship mostly had to be anchored while goods and passengers were put ashore in small ferry boats. But this meant an important innovation, not least for the postal connection.

In 1917 the public sector took over Smiril . All four ships that bore the name Smiril had since been state owned.

Smiril (1931)

The 1931 Smiril under the Faroese flag

In 1931 the Faroese Løgting had a new Smiril built in Frederikshavn . It was bigger and more comfortable for the passengers; there was a salon and a smoking salon with sofas and armchairs and cabins with beds.

At this point in time, several new shipping lines had already been set up between the many Faroese places and small quays had been built in several places. These lines were served by other ships. Since the new Smiril was particularly popular in the larger trading locations, e.g. B. Vestmanna , Miðvágur , Nólsoy , Klaksvík and the places on the east side of Eysturoy , there was more time for a more regular connection to Suðuroy via Skálavík on Sandoy .

During the Second World War , the Smiril was attacked twice by German bombers , both times between Stóra Dímun and Sandoy . The first attack happened on July 14, 1941 and resulted in considerable property damage, which was repaired in two weeks. The second attack on December 2, 1941 resulted in the evacuation of all passengers in Skálavík , but a machine gunner on board eventually chased the plane away.

Smyril (1967)

Smyril from 1967, built in the Faroe Islands

The third Smyril was built in 1967 at the shipyard in Tórshavn and as a result of the Faroese spelling reform , the spelling changed from Smiril to Smyril . With this fast motor ship, which, in contrast to its heavily lurching predecessor, was particularly seaworthy and calm, the journey time from Tórshavn to Suðuroy was shortened from four to three hours. The ship, which could accommodate 300 passengers, was able to meet all needs on the line between Tórshavn, Suðuroy and Klaksvík.

At the end of the 1960s and in the 1970s, the infrastructure on the Faroe Islands was greatly expanded; roads, tunnels, dams and bridges were built and new ports were built. Car traffic was also growing and a ferry that could transport cars was needed.

Smyril (1969)

Smyril as a car ferry
The seas between Streymoy and Suðuroy are often rough. Smyril in daily use.

In 1975 the state shipping company Strandfaraskip Landsins decided to buy a car ferry from the Danish shipping company Molslinjen . It was the Morten Mols, built in 1969 . It was named Smyril and was used on the same line as its predecessor. With the large ocean-going ship, which was equipped with stabilizers, the trip to Suðuroy was shortened to two hours. Now people from Suðuroy could drive to Tórshavn and back in one day. Between 1975 and 1982 the Smyril was used for two months in the summer for a car ferry service between the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway . The success of this connection was the incentive for the establishment of the shipping company Smyril Line , which has since operated its own ferry between Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

After the commissioning of a new ferry of the same name, the ship was sold to the Caribbean, where it operated under the name Smyrill between Fort-de-France ( Martinique ) and Pointe-à-Pitre ( Guadeloupe ) from 2006 to 2008 . At the end of 2008 the ship was sold to a shipping company in Cape Verde and renamed Isalita .

Smyril (2004)

A new home port is being built in Tvøroyri for the new Smyril .
The new Smyril after their arrival on October 15, 2005. To the right of the old Smyril I . Around 4,000 visitors came to the folk festival.

The new Smyril was due to go into operation in autumn 2004. Due to the ongoing labor disputes at the state-owned Izar shipyard in Spain against its privatization, completion and transfer was delayed until September 2005.

The ship was built according to a design by the Danish ship designer Knud E. Hansen A / S in San Fernando (Spain) . The 135 meter long ferry can take up to 200 cars (or 60 trailers) and almost 1000 passengers in a short time via its two access ramps. With a top speed of 21 knots and a range of almost 5000 nautical miles, she would even be suitable for transatlantic traffic, but is specially designed for passenger and freight traffic from Suðuroy to Tórshavn . Smyril V's home port is Tvøroyri . The ship, which was christened on September 24th by Anita Eidesgaard, wife of Prime Minister Jóannes Eidesgaard , in San Fernando covers the 32 nautical miles to Tórshavn in just 90 minutes.

On the same day that the ship was christened Smyril , the previous Smyril was renamed Smyril I in the Faroe Islands , as there are no two ships with the same name in the Faroese shipping register. The new Smyril arrived on October 15th with great public sympathy. It was tested for two weeks for training purposes and put into operation on November 1st, 2005.

swell

  1. ↑ a b M / S Morten Mols ( Swedish ) In: Fakta om Fartyg . Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  2. ^ Andras Mortensen: Faroe Passenger Lines . In: Morten Hahn-Pedersen (Ed.): North Sea Passenger Lines . Fiskeri- og Søfartsmuseet - Association of North Sea Cities, Maritime Museum Network, Esbjerg 2009, ISBN 978-87-90982-48-5 , p. 59–65 , here p. 64 .
  3. ↑ Nýggi Smyril seinkaður fleiri mánaðir av sponskum verkfalli . Útvarp Føroya. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on November 9, 2004.

Web links

Commons : Smyril  - album with pictures, videos and audio files