MV Lady Cutler
 Lady Cutler | |
| Career (Australia) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | MV Lady Cutler |
| Route: | Sydney harbour ferry |
| Builder: | State Dockyards in Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Laid down: | March 1968 |
| Launched: | 10 August 1968 |
| Commissioned: | re-commissioned 13 January 2008 by Lady Joan Cutler |
| In service: | 1969 |
| Out of service: | 1991 |
| Identification: | IMO number: 6823442[1] MMSI Number: 503334800 Callsign: |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | double-ended ferry |
| Tonnage: | 404 GRT |
| Length: | 38.66 metres (126.8 ft) |
| Beam: | 9.3 metres (31 ft) |
| Depth: | 2.1 m |
| Installed power: | MWM turbo diesel 8 cylinders 510hp |
MV Lady Cutler was a ferry on the Sydney inner harbour run for 22 years. Decommissioned in 1991, she has been refurbished and now operates harbour tours in Melbourne.
Contents
History
MV Lady Cutler was the first of the three Lady Cutler Class Ferries built to operate on Sydney Harbour. She was launched on 10 August 1968 from the State Dockyards in Newcastle, NSW and was followed by two almost identical sister ships, Lady Woodward and Lady McKell on 19 October 1970.[2] She is remembered fondly by many people, both daily commuters travelling from the inner North Shore to the city and as day trippers to Luna Park and Taronga Zoo.
Decommissioned in 1991, she was sold to Hong Kong interests, along with her sister ships but the deal fell through. In 1998 she was sold to Ron Morrison and then to Shannon Harper, leaving Port Jackson and steaming south to Melbourne.[2] In Melbourne, much of the steelwork on her hull and superstructure was replaced. Work was sporadic and stopped in 2004, awaiting more venture capital to bring her back into survey as a cruise ship operating in Port Phillip and the Port of Melbourne.
Jeff Gordon bought the vessel in 2007, providing the funds to complete the project.[2] The deck steelwork was replaced and her steering and engine controls were reinstated. In June Lady Cutler steamed to Portland, where she was slipped and her hull passed through survey. On the return voyage she encountered gale force winds and large seas in the Bass Strait. Her engine broke down and she was towed to her berth.[2] She completed her refurbishment in Melbourne and started her service life again in December 2007.
Layout
MV Lady Cutler is double-ended passenger ferry.
Service
MV Lady Cutler was a passenger ferry on the Sydney inner harbour run for 22 years.
Decommissioned in 1991, she has been refurbished and now operates harbour tours and cruises in Melbourne.[3]
Footnotes
- ↑ "Lady Cutler IMO: 6823442". Shipspotting. http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo-1064890-LADY+CUTLER. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Lady Cutler". Melbourne Showboat. http://www.ladycutler.com.au/the-lady-cutler.php. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
- ↑ "Lady Cutler IMO: 6823442". Shipspotting. http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo-457422-LADY+CUTLER. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
