Graffiti on the Duke of Lancaster...

This is a rusting old ocean liner at Mostyn, North Wales. This oriental lady is on the stern of the ship and can only be seen properly from the sea.

There is an enlargement of her here

There are more graffiti photos I took from round the ship
here
here
here
here
here
here
here
here
and
here

On August 10th in 1979, this former Sealink passenger ferry called “The Duke of Lancaster" was beached at Llanerch-y-Mor in North Wales with the intention of turning it into a floating leisure and retail complex called The Fun Ship but the project never materialized due to many long running battles with the local council.

The ship was beached and the hull was sealed and surrounded by a vast amount of sand taken from the Dee estuary. Initially it was possible to visit her bridge and engine room. Conversion for use as a 300-room hotel didn't go beyond preliminary planning stages. The use of her as "The Fun Ship" was short-lived and it was finally closed to the public because the only access to the ship is via a bridge under the railway line, which is too low for emergency vehicles. Even I have to walk under this bridge bent over to get under it. Over the years, the ship has become increasingly derelict and rusted. It has deteriorated badly in the last four years from when I last walked near it.

The Duke of Lancaster, until it was converted into a car ferry, was one of the finest ocean liners afloat at the time. She had superb first class quarters in the late fifties and early sixties with silver service restaurants, state rooms and luxurious cabins. Because the facilities and the accommodation on board The Duke of Lancaster were exceptional, she was frequently taken out of her regular ferry service and used as a cruise liner with regular annual cruises around the Mediterranean as well as Scotland and Scandinavia.

There are some fabulous photos (not mine!) here with the first one being an out of the world photos taken of the oriental lady from the sea. The only way to appreciate this work of art.

Sadly I do not own a boat to take a similar shot......

Ah I forgot to give details of the graffiti project by the owners. If you look at the Mail online here you will find more info on the graffiti artists and more brilliant photos here.

The oriental lady can only be seen if you clamber over some sea defenses and over concrete debris if the tide is out. She cannot be seen from the coastal path...

Here is some info on the Captain painted on the ship...my pic here and the info on the ship's first Captain is here