This article is not intended to be a comprehensive history, but a snapshot of the Shields/Tyne ferry scene over the last 60 years or so.

South Shields and North Shields face each other across the River Tyne. South Shields is situated on the south side of the river and is about 3.7 miles down stream from Newcastle on Tyne and dates back to pre historic times. Until the forming of the County of Tyne and Wear in 1974, it had always been part of County Durham.

North Shields is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne and was historically part of Northumberland until the local government re organisation in 1974. The first records of North Shields date back to 1225 when the Prior of the Tynemouth Priory created a fishing port to serve the priory.

Both ports developed through the ages and the first recorded ferry between North and South Shields dates back to 1377, and from 1816 a steam packet operated on the service.

In 1929 there were eleven ferry routes across the Tyne. These were between Newburn in the north and the mouth of the river, however with the opening of the Tyne Tunnel in 1967 this resulted in a huge reduction of ferry traffic. Prior to the tunnel opening the ferryboats in operation across the river carried about 400,000 cars each year as well as countless pedestrians.

Legend has it that the when HM The Queen opened the Tyne Tunnel in 1967 the Mayor of South Shields, seeing that Her Majesty was approaching some thick mud on the road surface, warned “Mind the clarts your majesty.” !

The ferries between North and South Shields during the period 1911 to the present were:-

SOUTH SHIELDS was built in 1911 by Wood Skinner, Bill Quay, yard no. 174. She was 244grt, 110′ x 30′. Steam reciprocating engines developing 140 hp driving twin screws.

She was withdrawn in March 1968 and broken up in July of that year by Clayton & Davie at Dunstan.

TYNEMOUTH was built in 1925 by Philip, Dartmouth, yard no. 691. She was 300grt, 110′ x 34′. Steam reciprocating engines developing 208 hp driving twin screws. The ship was withdrawn in April 1968 and arrived at Dunston to be broken up by Clayton & Davie on 8th July 1969.

NORTHUMBRIAN was built in 1930 by Hawthorn Leslie, at Hebburn, yard no. 573. She was 344grt, 110′ x 34′. Steam reciprocating engines developing 230 hp driving twin screws.

The vessel remained in service until 1972 when she was converted to a Pub/Restaurant and moored further up river at Bill Quay (above). She carried the livery of Vaux Breweries of Sunderland. In 1977 the vessel was towed from the Tyne to Brussels in Belgium to continue her role as a restaurant/bar.

FREDA CUNNINGHAM was built in 1972 by Ryton Marine Ltd. at Wallsend. She was 100grt, with a length of 19.8m. She was the first diesel engined ferry to be commissioned on the Tyne. She was named after the wife of the disgraced Labour Party Leader, Andrew Cunningham, who was jailed for corruption in the mid 1970s. The vessel had a reputation for being unreliable and was often out of service. She was withdrawn in 1993 and sold to Tyne Towage of Newcastle and renamed Anya Dev. A further change of name occurred shortly afterwards when she was re named Lady Laura. In 2006 she was bought by Carbery Isles Ferries of Cork and renamed Mystic Waters. She is still in service from Baltimore, County Cork to Sherkin Island.

SHIELDSMAN was built by Hancock Shipbuilders of Pembroke Dock in 1976. She was 93grt and 24 metres in length. The ship was powered by twin 8LXB Gardiner Diesel Engines and was double ended thus able to work either way across the river. With a capacity for up to 350 passengers in public service which was reduced to 250 for private hire. She was withdrawn from service in 2007 and sold to a private buyer in 2008 in the Portsmouth area. The vessel is now moored on the Adur at Shoreham, after being converted to a houseboat.

PRIDE OF THE TYNE was built by Swan Hunter at Wallsend and entered service in 1993. She is 220gt with a length of 24 metres.

The ship cost £1.5million to build and was a modified version of Shieldsman. Powered by Gardiner 6LXDT Diesel engines with Voith Schneider propellers. The vessel has a passenger capacity of 303 in ferry service and 240 for excursion trips. She was the first ferry to incorporate all of the new safety features introduced after the Thames Marchioness disaster of 1989. She is currently in service.

SPIRIT OF THE TYNE. The hull and superstructure were fabricated at a shipyard in Harlingen, Netherlands before being towed to Portsmouth for fitting out by VT Halmatic, Portchester. She is 174gt with a length of 25 metres. The ferry has capacity for 200 passengers.

HRH Princess Anne, at South Shields Ferry Landing, officially named the ferry on the 1st March 2007.

Spirit has a conventionally shaped bow, whereas Pride has a flat bow and stern. Voith Schneider propellers are fitted at both bow and stern of both ferries. 2 metre-boarding ramps allow easy embarkation and disembarkation for all passengers including prams, wheelchairs and bicycles. The design of the Spirit was adapted from the Gosport ferry that has run between Portsmouth and Gosport for many years.

Normally only one of the ferries is in operation at any one time, however at peak times both vessels sail between North and South Shields

In addition to the cross-river ferries, latterly North Shields became a starting point for ferries to Scandinavia and The Netherlands. The terminal for these ferries was inaugurated in 1928 and known as the Tyne Commission Quay, later named Northumbrian Quay, after the ferry that served the river crossing between 1930 and 1972.

Companies including Bergen Line, Fred. Olsen and Color Line were regular users of the port. Sadly, now only DFDS operate a regular daily service from the Northumbrian Quay, North Shields to Ijmuiden in The Netherlands.

The two remaining Scandinavian Ferries, King Seaways and Princess Seaways sail on a daily basis from North Shields to Ijmuiden in The Netherlands. One can almost set one’s clock when the morning ferry arrives at 0845 and sails at 1700.

KING SEAWAYS was built in 1987 by Schichau Seebeckwerft A.G. at Bremerhaven for Rederi AB Swedcarrier of Sweden as Nils Holgersson for their service between Trelleborg and Travemunde run jointly with the TT-Line of Germany. She is 31,788gt, 161.6 x 27.6 x 6.2 metres. 4 x MaK 8M552 diesels with a combined 19570 kW give a speed of 21 knots. She has a passenger capacity of 1,400 persons.

She was sold to Brittany Ferries and entered service in 1993 after a rebuild as Val de Loire. In 2006 she was sold to DFDS and renamed King Of Scandinavia, then renamed again in 2011 as King Seaways.

PRINCESS SEAWAYS was built in 1986 by Schichau Seebeck-werft, A.G. at Bremerhaven as the Peter Pan for TT-Line. She is 31,360gt, 161 x 27.6 x 6.2 metres. 4 x MaK diesels with a combined 19876 kW give a speed of 21 knots. Her passenger capacity is 1,600. In 1992 she was sold to T.T. Line (no connection) of Australia for the service between Melbourne and Tasmania and renamed Spirit Of Tasmania. She was sold in 2002 to Nordsjoferger K/S, Norway and renamed Spir. Following modification in 2003 she was renamed Fjord Norway and chartered to Fjord Line. In 2005 she operated on the Bergen, Stavanger, Tyne route. In October 2006 she was sold to DFDS and renamed Princess Of Norway remaining on the Norway-Tyne service. In May 2007 she was moved to the Tyne-Ijmuiden route and in 2011 she was renamed Princess Seaways.