HSC Stena Lynx III
Encyclopedia
HSC Sunflower 2 is a high-speed ferry
operated by Dae A Express and opearted on Stena Line
's Holyhead
- Dún Laoghaire
route and seasonally on the Fishguard
- Rosslare
service. She was marketed by Stena Line as the Stena Express.
in Australia
, and is one of a series of wave-piercing
catamaran
s to be constructed by the company. Construction began in May 1995 and was completed in May 1996.
as HSC Elite.
In 1998 she was transferred to Stena Line's Fishguard - Rosslare service and renamed Stena Lynx III. She has since operated this route on a seasonal basis, spending the winter laid-up, usually in Birkenhead. Stena Line
purchased the vessel in 2004. The same year, she developed some serious technical problems, and spent a large part of the summer season out of service.
She returned to her seasonal role the Southern Irish Sea on 14 May 2009, for another summer operating alongside the MS Stena Europe
.
Sunflower 2 operated the Holyhead–Dún Laoghaire route running twice daily from 15 March 2010 until the end of May 2010, when the HSC Stena Explorer
operated the route with one round trip per day.
She was then laid up in Dún Laoghaire until 29 June 2010 when the vessel moved to Rosslare. She operated her seasonal summer route from 10 July 2010 until September 2010.
On 15 September 2010, she once again returned to operate the Holyhead-Dún Laoghaire service, after the HSS Stena Explorer was withdrawn from the route for the winter season of 2010. She operated the route until Sunday, 9 January 2011, in which she then had her 2011 refit. She then returned to holyhead, before moving to Dún Laoghaire for lay up until June 2011.
At the end of June 2011, she left Dún Laoghaire to begin her summer seasonal service on the Rosslare - Fishguard route. She began her summer service on the Rosslare - Fishguard route on Friday 1 July, and ended on Sunday 4 September 2011, she then returned to Dún Laoghaire for lay up.
In October 2011 the Stena Lynx III was renamed Sunflower 2. While en route to Asia she suffered a major engine failure in the Bay of Biscay. She is currently undergoing repairs in La Coruna.
High-speed craft
A high-speed craft is a high speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry.The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft, but in the 1990s catamaran and even monohull designs have become popular.Most high-speed craft serve as passenger ferries, but the...
operated by Dae A Express and opearted on Stena Line
Stena Line
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
's Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
- Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
route and seasonally on the Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
- Rosslare
Rosslare Europort
Rosslare Europort is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeastern-most point of Ireland's coastline, handling passenger and freight ferries to and from Wales and France....
service. She was marketed by Stena Line as the Stena Express.
Design and construction
Sunflower 2 was built in 1996 by IncatINCAT
INCAT is a part of Tata Technologies Limited, a company in the Tata Group and operates in the field of Automotive Industry providing Engineering and Design solutions. The company took over a much larger player in the field namely INCAT, a Europe based company, in 2005...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and is one of a series of wave-piercing
Wave-piercing
A wave-piercing boat hull has a very fine bow, with reduced buoyancy in the forward portions.When a wave is encountered, the lack of buoyancy means the hull pierces through the water rather than riding over the top - resulting in a smoother ride than traditional designs, and in diminished stress on...
catamaran
Catamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
s to be constructed by the company. Construction began in May 1995 and was completed in May 1996.
Career
She briefly served on the English Channel for P&O Stena LineP&O Stena Line
P&O Stena Line was formed in 1998 after the merger of P&O European Ferries Ltd and the Dover and Newhaven operations of Stena Line.-History:...
as HSC Elite.
In 1998 she was transferred to Stena Line's Fishguard - Rosslare service and renamed Stena Lynx III. She has since operated this route on a seasonal basis, spending the winter laid-up, usually in Birkenhead. Stena Line
Stena Line
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry operators, with ferry services serving Scotland, Sweden, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Norway, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Stena Line is a major unit of Stena AB, itself a part of the Stena Sphere, a grouping of Stena AB,...
purchased the vessel in 2004. The same year, she developed some serious technical problems, and spent a large part of the summer season out of service.
She returned to her seasonal role the Southern Irish Sea on 14 May 2009, for another summer operating alongside the MS Stena Europe
MS Stena Europe
MS Stena Europe is a ferry owned by Stena Line and operated on their Fishguard—Rosslare service. She was built in 1981 by the Götaverken shipyard in Gothenburg, Sweden as MS Kronprinsessan Victoria for Sessan Line. During the same year Sessan Line passed under the ownership of Stena Line...
.
Sunflower 2 operated the Holyhead–Dún Laoghaire route running twice daily from 15 March 2010 until the end of May 2010, when the HSC Stena Explorer
HSC Stena Explorer
Stena Explorer is a high-speed ferry owned by Stena Line and operated on their Holyhead–Dún Laoghaire service between Great Britain and Ireland. It is a member of the HSS 1500 class of high-speed ferries introduced and developed by Stena Line from 1996 onwards...
operated the route with one round trip per day.
She was then laid up in Dún Laoghaire until 29 June 2010 when the vessel moved to Rosslare. She operated her seasonal summer route from 10 July 2010 until September 2010.
On 15 September 2010, she once again returned to operate the Holyhead-Dún Laoghaire service, after the HSS Stena Explorer was withdrawn from the route for the winter season of 2010. She operated the route until Sunday, 9 January 2011, in which she then had her 2011 refit. She then returned to holyhead, before moving to Dún Laoghaire for lay up until June 2011.
At the end of June 2011, she left Dún Laoghaire to begin her summer seasonal service on the Rosslare - Fishguard route. She began her summer service on the Rosslare - Fishguard route on Friday 1 July, and ended on Sunday 4 September 2011, she then returned to Dún Laoghaire for lay up.
In October 2011 the Stena Lynx III was renamed Sunflower 2. While en route to Asia she suffered a major engine failure in the Bay of Biscay. She is currently undergoing repairs in La Coruna.