The 30th September 2005 saw the final P&O Ferries sailings between the ports of Portsmouth and Le Havre, a route that symbolised the end of British-based western channel services.  The western channel being then left in the hands of the well known Brittany Ferries group and the new LD Lines (Louis Dreyfous).

41 years after Otto Thoresen opened the western channel route to Le Havre, originally from Southampton, but moving to Portsmouth in the late eighties.  The closure of the Le Havre service marked the end of P&O Ferries business review, which in September 2004 rocked the ferry world when they announced that not only would the Portsmouth to Le Havre service end, but also the equally historic Portsmouth to Cherbourg service.

Initially both routes were to be terminated at the end of 2004, however the Le Havre route was given, what was believed to be a reprieve when Brittany Ferries entered the scene and began negotiations with P&O Ferries to sub-charter the two ships mv Pride of Portsmouth and mv Pride of Le Havre along with the crews.  Brittany Ferries planned to continue the route using the same ships, but operating a tri-angle system so that they operated to and from Le Havre overnight, with one ship operating a round trip from Le Havre during the day and the other ship doing a round trip to Cherbourg from Portsmouth during the day.  The handover was planned to be the end of September 2005, but sadly during a British Monopolies and Mergers commission investigation into the above mentioned transaction, Brittany Ferries withdrew from the deal in early 2005.  The axe once again was looming for the ships, the route and finally the crews.  It was announced that the route would close after the summer season, and the 30th September 2005 would be a day to remember.

Both the mv Pride of Portsmouth and mv Pride of Le Havre had served on the Portsmouth to Le Havre route faithfully for 11 years following their introduction in 1994.  The ships were charted from their owners following the closure of the Sheerness to Vlissingen route due to union action and at the time it was quite a coup for P&O Ferries to obtain these vessels as they were highly sought after due to the high standard of onboard layout and fittings. Both ships having been awarded the AA's Five Star rating on more than one occasion.

There are many thoughts as to why the Portsmouth operations failed, but these are all in the past and cannot change what ultimatly happened. 


So the day arrived, 30th September 2005.  A cold and wet morning in Portsmouth that seemed to echo the occasion, the mv Pride of Portsmouth was sat at her berth awaiting loading for her final sailing to Le Havre.  The terminal staff and ships crew were in good spirits despite their jobs ending that day and were happy to help and assist to the last.

The ship itself was reasonably loaded with passengers, the majority probably unaware of the significance of the crossing although there were a large proportion of the passengers that were only to aware of what the day meant.  Onboard were a group of press agents, P&O management and of course a large group of Ferry Enthusiasts who had travelled from all over the country and some as far away as Ireland to travel one last time and to wish the crew, many of whom regular travelling enthusiasts considered friends all the best for the future.

The departure saw more than normal amounts of people on deck for the morning sailing to Le Havre, we slipped the moorings on-time at 8.30am and after swinging off the berth in front of Brittany Ferries mv Mont St Michel we headed out through the Naval Dockyard and into the channel. Looking around the ship you could see the pride and professionalism of the crew, the ship was clean, tidy and apart from various shop announcements informing passengers about special discounts for the final sailing to Le Havre you could have been forgiven for mistaking the crossing for a normal everyday occurrence. Mid-way across the channel we passed fellow fleet mate and sister ship the mv Pride of Le Havre as she sailed in the opposite direction to Portsmouth on her final crossing, for she was to begin de-storing upon her arrival that afternoon in Portsmouth pending lay-up on the River Fal at Falmouth, UK.

The departure from Le Havre for the final time was unusally delayed due to industrial action by the port workers. The port workers then lined the berth to wave goodbye as the ship slipped here moorings and pulled away. The open decks of the mv Pride of Portsmouth were full with enthusiasts recording the event and passengers waving back to the port workers. With the flag flying at half mast and to the sound of the ships horn, the ship manoeuvered out into the outer harbour and then through the port entrance. Six hours later, she quietly slipped into a cold and wet Portsmouth harbour having past fleetmate mv Pride of Le Havre and half-sister mv Val de Loire outside of the harbour. The mv Pride of Le Havre anchored and the mv Val de Loire on her overnight crossing to St Malo for Brittany Ferries.

After spending the weekend being de-stored in Portsmouth the ships headed over to Falmouth and lay-up on the River Fal where they were to remain until transfer to their new owners SNAV in January 2006.

During December 2005 the ships were rotated through dry-dock at Falmouth for all the P&O Ferries branding to be removed, the ships were also renamed during this period.

Final Arrival Announcement: Recorded off Portsmouth Harbour, evening 30th September 2005

Audio File kindly donated by Phil. Requires: Realplayer (200k File Size)