The London Brighton and South Coast Railway operated a number of cross channel ferry services, between its ports of Shoreham

Shoreham-by-Sea

Shoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort in West Sussex, England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is away...

, Newhaven

Newhaven, East Sussex

Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...

 and Littlehampton

Littlehampton

Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....

 to Dieppe

Dieppe, Seine-Maritime

Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...

, Honfleur

Honfleur

Honfleur is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie...

, and Jersey

Jersey

Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...

. The profitable Newhaven-Dieppe service was operated in conjunction with the French Western Railway (Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest

Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest

The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest , often referred to simply as L'Ouest or Ouest, was an early French railway company.- Birth of the company :...

).

After 1880 the railway became a partner with the London and South Western Railway

London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...

 to form the South Western and Brighton Railway Companies Steam Packet Service (SW&BRCSPS) which bought out the existing operators between Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

 and the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

.

In 1884 the Isle of Wight Marine Transit Company started a rail freight ferry link between the Hayling Island Branch Line at Langstone

Langstone

Langstone is a village near Havant, Hampshire in the south east of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It has good railway connections to London, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton, from the nearby Havant railway station. There are many large gated detached houses on the main road,...

 and the Bembridge branch line at St Helens

St Helens, Isle of Wight

St. Helens is a village and civil parish located on the eastern side of the Isle of Wight. The village is based around village greens. This is claimed to be the largest in England but some say the Village Green is the second largest. The greens are often used for cricket matches during the summer...

 quay. To provide the link the rail ferry Carrier

TF Carrier

TF Carrier was a train ferry introduced by the Edinburgh & Northern Railway, later incorporated into the North British Railway, to cross the River Tay as part of its route between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.-Scotland:...

, designed to carry railway trucks, was moved from Scotland. The project was unsuccessful and despite being acquired in full by the LB&SCR in 1886 ended in 1888

Ships

Ships operated by the LB&SCR and (after 1863) Chemin de Fer de l'Ouest were:

Ship	Launched	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
	1863	325	Sold in 1883 to C Daniel, London.
	1900	1,067	Built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Fitted out as a troopship 1914. Scrapped 1934.
	1839	169	Bought in 1851 from J Southern, Liverpool. Sold later that year.
	1865	419	Sold in 1890 to Bull & Co Ltd, Newhaven.
	1847	273	Sold in 1850 to Italy.
	1878	531	Collided with Dieppe Pier and sank January 1893. Salvaged and sold out of service in 1893.
	1903	1,129	Built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Fitted out as troopship and then an ambulance ship. Sold 1930 for conversion to a private yacht, renamed Roussalka. Wrecked 25 August 1933.
	1882	605	2500 hp Horsepower Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the... . Sold to Liverpool and Douglas Steamers Ltd in 1902. Scrapped at Preston in June 1904.
	1910	618	Sold to London and South Western Railway London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...  in 1912, renamed Aldershot in 1933, sold to Italy in 1936 and renamed Hercules. Torpedo Torpedo The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for... ed on 24 November 1941 by at Heraklion Heraklion Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....  Harbour, Crete Crete Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits... .
	1894	570	Cargo vessel, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Sold in 1901 to General Steam Navigation Co Ltd, renamed Alouette.
	1845	250	Bought in 1851 from Denny Bros. Sold back to them the same year.
	1847	123	Sold in 1849 to Bermuda.
	1855	270	Out of service c1870.
	1905	1,210	Built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Used as military transport 1914, later a hospital ship and troopship. Sold 1933 for conversion to a private yacht, renamed Rosaura.
	1899	729	Became troopship 1914. Scrapped in 1923.
	1853	341	Sold in 1860 to Italy, renamed Generale Garibaldi.
	1856	244	Scrapped in 1885.
	1897	978	Sold in 1913 to Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, renamed Le Verdon.
	1864	32	Sold in 1885 to Jones, Liverpool.
	1847	123	Sold in 1849 to Aberdeen, Leith, Clyde & Tay Shipping Co Ltd.
	1911	1,655	Became troopship 1914. Scrapped in 1947.
	1882		2500 hp Horsepower Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the... . Sold to Liverpool and Douglas Steamers Ltd in 1902. Sold to Red Funnel Line Red Funnel The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...  in 1903, scrapped in 1909.
	1910	618	Sold to London and South Western Railway in 1912. Torpedoed on 25 January 1918 and sunk off Cape La Hague.
		270	In service 1856, Scrapped 1878.
	1852	238	Wrecked in 1863 off Jersey.
	1875	488	Resold in 1888 to builders.
	1888	785	Designed William Stroudley William Stroudley William Stroudley was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers of the nineteenth century, working principally for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway... , built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the... , 3500 hp Horsepower Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the... . Sold in 1912 to the Shipping Federation.
	1913	1,774	Became minelayer 1914. Bombed and sunk at Dunkirk in 1940.
	1896	578	Sold in 1901 to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between... , renamed Deal.
	1837	180	Purchased in 1851 from Roxburgh, sold to Denny Bros. in the same year.
	1853	260	Out of service c1868.
	1888	785 900	Built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the... , 3500 hp Horsepower Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the... . Sold in 1903 to Barrow Steam Navigation Co Ltd, renamed Duchess of Bucchleugh.
	1912	1,656	Became auxiliary scout 1914, torpedoed 1916, salvaged and employed as a military transport. Scrapped in 1949 at Dieppe Dieppe, Seine-Maritime Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled... .
	1892	997	Designed John Biles, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Sank off Newhaven after collision with SS Lyon.
	1891	808	Sold in 1906 and renamed Celia.
	1896	1,565	Designed John Biles, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Became troopship 1914, torpedoed 1916, and salvaged. Sold in 1920 to Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... , renamed Aghia Sophia. Scrapped in 1921 following fire damage.
	1891	953	Scrapped in 1913.
	1894	570	Cargo vessel, built Denny & Co. Dumbarton. Sold in 1901 to the South Eastern and Chatham Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between... , renamed Walmer.
	1921	1,903	Scrapped in 1945.
	1878	531	Wrecked at Dieppe Dieppe, Seine-Maritime Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...  with the loss of 19 lives.

The company also operated a number of ships on the Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

 service jointly with the London and South Western Railway

London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...

.

Ship	Launched	Tonnage (GRT)	Notes
Duchess of Connaught	1884	342	Scrapped in 1910.
Duchess of Edinburgh	1884	342	Scrapped in 1910.
Duchess of Fife	1899	443	Scrapped in November 1929 at Bolness.
Duchess of Kent	1897	399	Sold to New Medway Steam Packet Co Ltd in 1933 and renamed Clacton Queen. Sold to Mersey & Blackpool Steamship Co Ltd in November 1935 and renamed Jubilee Queen. Sold to Jubilee Shipping Co and then S B Kelly in July 1936. Scrapped in June 1937 at Barrow in Furness.
Duchess of Norfolk PS Duchess of Norfolk Duchess of Norfolk was a 381 GRT paddle steamer which was built in 1911 for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and London and South Western Railway, who operated a joint service to the Isle of Wight. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for use as minesweeper HMS Duchess of Norfolk...	1911	381	Requisitioned by Royal Navy Royal Navy The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...  in 1916 as . Returned to owners in 1920. Sold in 1937 to Cosens & Co Ltd, renamed Embassy. Requisitioned by Royal Navy in 1939 as . Returned to owners in 1945, renamed Embassy. Scrapped in 1967 at Boom, Belgium.
Duchess of Richmond	1910	354	Struck a mine on 28 June 1919 and sank.
Lymington	1882	204
Mayflower	1866	69	Purchased from the Solent Steamship Co Ltd in July 1884. Scrapped 1910
Princess Margaret	1893	260
Solent	1902	161
Victoria	1881	366	Scrapped in 1900 at Bolness.