Pride of Hampshire

The Pride of Hampshire was a ship built in 1974 for Townsend Thoreson. She sailed under the name "Viking Venturer" from Southampton to Le Havre/Cherbourg. When the company were renamed P&O Ferries, she was also renamed as "Pride of Hampshire" and was repainted from her traditional orange hull to a blue one. She later transferred to Cherbourg in 1994 when two new larger ships were purchased. The "Pride of Hampshire" eventually became a well-loved ferry by her regular passengers despite her rather unattractive appearance due to extensive "jumboisation" in the mid 1980s. This work added an extra deck to the ship making it appear rather top heavy. She was sold off in 2002 after 27 years service on the English Channel; at the time she was the eldest cross-channel ferry sailing from the country.