The Dartmouth Passenger Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth Steam Ferry, is a passenger ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 which crosses the River Dart

River Dart

The River Dart is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.-Watercourse:...

 in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmouth

Dartmouth, Devon

Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...

 to Kingswear

Kingswear

Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth...

, the others being the Higher Ferry

Dartmouth Higher Ferry

The Dartmouth Higher Ferry, also known as the Dartmouth–Kingswear Floating Bridge, is a vehicular cable ferry which crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon...

 and the Lower Ferry

Dartmouth Lower Ferry

The Dartmouth Lower Ferry is a vehicular and passenger ferry which crosses the River Dart in the English county of Devon. It is one of three ferries that cross the tidal river from Dartmouth to Kingswear, the others being the Higher Ferry and the Passenger Ferry...

. The 630 miles (1,013.9 km) long South West Coast Path

South West Coast Path

The South West Coast Path is Britain's longest waymarked long-distance footpath and a National Trail. It stretches for , running from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, to Poole Harbour in Dorset. Since it rises and falls with every river mouth, it is also one of the more...

 crosses the Dart on either the Lower or Passenger ferries.

The passenger ferry is operated by Dart Pleasure Craft Limited

Dart Pleasure Craft Limited

River Link is the trading name of Dart Pleasure Craft Limited, a ferry, cruise boat and bus operator, based in Devon, England. The company is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, who also own and operate the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway....

, which is owned by Dart Valley Railway plc, the owner of the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway

Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway

The Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the former Kingswear branch line between Paignton and Kingswear in Torbay, Devon, England....

. The ferry connects the Dartmouth water front to the steam railway's terminus at Kingswear railway station. At one time the Dartmouth landing of the ferry was the so-called "Dartmouth railway station

Dartmouth railway station

Dartmouth railway station was a railway station that served Dartmouth in the English county of Devon but was never served by trains – only the Dartmouth Passenger Ferry from Kingswear railway station on the opposite bank of the River Dart.-History:...

", but this has been converted into a restaurant and the ferry now shares an adjacent landing stage with cruise boats also operated by Dart Pleasure Craft under their River Link brand.

History

There are records of a "Kingswear Ferry" as early as 1365. By the 18th century, a second ferry was sailing from Hoodown on the Kingswear side, upstream from Waterhead Creek, which had an easier approach than the steep slipway

Slipway

A slipway, boat slip or just a slip, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats. They are also used for launching and retrieving small boats on trailers and flying boats on their undercarriage. The...

 in the village square.

The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway

Dartmouth and Torbay Railway

The Dartmouth and Torbay Railway was a broad gauge railway linking the South Devon Railway branch at Torquay with Kingswear in Devon, England. It was operated from the outset by the South Devon Railway....

 was authorised by its 1857 Act of Parliament

Act of Parliament

An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

 to establish a steam ferry across the Dart from its station and agreed to purchase the ferries, although this was not completed until 18 November 1873, by which time the railway was a part of the South Devon Railway

South Devon Railway Company

The South Devon Railway Company built and operated the railway from Exeter to Plymouth and Torquay in Devon, England. It was a broad gauge railway built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel-Chronology:* 1844 South Devon Railway Act passed by parliament...

. Within three years it had become part of the Great Western Railway

Great Western Railway

The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...

 who continued to operate the Steam Ferry up until nationalisation into British Railways on 1 January 1948.

The operation was leased to the Dartmouth Steam Packet Company until 1872. The company's first steam ferry was the paddle steamer

Paddle steamer

A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...

 Perseverance that took up duties on 1 October 1864, and so it had operated with their cruisng steamers Louisa (built 1856) and Newcomin (built 1864). The latter was named after local pioneer steam engineer Thomas Newcomen

Thomas Newcomen

Thomas Newcomen was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling. He was born in Dartmouth, Devon, England, near a part of the country noted for its tin mines. Flooding was a major problem, limiting the depth at which the mineral could be mined...

. The Perseverance was not successful and was replaced by a new paddle steamer, the Dolphin, in 1868. The railway took over the operation in 1872 and continued to operate the Dolphin.

A new twin-screw

Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

 steamer The Mew replaced the paddle steamer on 31 May 1908 and she was altered in 1924 to be able to carry the Great Western Railway's road vehicles so as to avoid the heavy payments made for the use of the Lower Ferry. In 1940 she steamed to Dover

Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...

 to take part in the Dunkirk evacuation but was deemed unsuitable for the task and sent back to Dartmouth. She was finally withdrawn on 8 October 1954.

A temporary ferry, the Lady Elizabeth was on station until the two replacement ferries, the Adrian Gilbert and Humphrey Gilbert ready to enter service on 18 March 1957. In 1972 the ferry was sold to Dartmouth Borough Council. After a short time being operated by its successor, the South Hams

South Hams

South Hams is a local government district on the south coast of Devon, England with its headquarters in the town of Totnes. It contains the towns of Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge, Salcombe — the largest of which is Ivybridge with a population of 16,056....

District Council, it was sold to Dart Pleasure Craft Limited, who now trade as River Link.