ABOVE: The starboard side promenade on Express Milos, complete with 1980s Sealink bench-type seating. The doorway on the left hand side led into the aft lobby on this (originally A) Deck. The stairway in the foreground led up from what remains of the B Deck side loading aperture, whilst the double doors at the far end led into the forward lobby. Also visible is the slight incline in the deck, just before the first of the benches. This is an original feature and appears to have been designed to add height to the aft garage on the deck below. |
Further details of the following areas are available on separate pages: General overview The A Deck Britannia Bar and Verandah Bar The A Deck Cafeteria The B Deck Forward Lounge The B Deck Side Lounges The B Deck Aft Garage (later Aft lounge) The C Deck Cabins The Train/Vehicle decks |
Vortigern as built did not boast a wealth of outside deck space - in their review of the new vessel, one shipping journal complained, "does the modern ferry passenger shun open deck space? The area allotted to this on Vortigern is minimal..." The spaces that were available were as follows: - On A Deck, a pair of open side promenades ran from the forward lobby on that deck to a nearly square area aft (albeit with a section on either side cordoned off for life rafts). - On Bridge Deck above, reached by a single stairway from astern on A Deck, an area as far forward as the aft of the funnel. Passengers could also often be seen standing on the deck right aft on B Deck, outside the original car garage amongst the deck machinery, but this does not appear to have ever been designated officially for passengers. Both the A Deck (aft) and Bridge Deck areas were fitted with fibreglass deckseats supplied by Thames Launchworks Ltd. In 1978, at the same time as the B Deck garage received its conversion to a lounge, there was a re-organisation of the lifesaving appliances. With the increase in passenger capacity, extra life rafts appeared which necessitated the aft lifeboat on either side to be moved even further astern. In association with this, an amount of extra steelwork appeared which extended the Bridge Deck to the sides of the vessel on either side at it's aft end. Meanwhile, to increase access to the upper deck the original single, starboard-side stairway leading up from A Deck aft was replaced by a pair of new stairways, one either side of the centreline. At some stage, passenger access was also extended to the area alongside and forward of the funnel and more of the fibreglass seating was installed between the funnel and the Bridge Deck accommodation. After moving to Greece as Milos Express, the deck space was quite considerably increased, not least due to the extension of the decks aft. The side promenades on A Deck remained in part, although they were curtailed by the addition of new cabins aft. The astern space on this deck remained and was extended virtually to the stern with a new deck bar added. This space was however effectively under-cover as the uppermost (originally Bridge) deck was also taken to the stern, itself covered by the awnings typical of Greek ships. Forward, the entire deck was available for passengers, leading right up to the bridge. |
ABOVE: The aft deck space on A Deck on Nisos Limnos, looking forward/across to starboard. As built, this area was uncovered, but the extension In Greece of the Bridge Deck above enclosed it. On the right hand side is the deck bar, still with Hellas Ferries' Everest branding a year after being sold, whilst the set of stairs leading up dated from the 1978 refit. |
BELOW: Another view of the same area, this time from slightly further aft and looking forward/to port. The stairway in the foreground was added in 1978 (to match an original on the port side) although both, as can be seen, were rather submerged by the additional deck space. As built, the staircase marked the furthest extent of this deck. The seating visible here was all added by the Greeks. |
BELOW: Shyly hiding behind the clutter of latterly-added awnings, the Nisos Limnos' proud Rogan-design BR/Sealink funnel retained its functional elegance right to the end of the ship's career. |
BELOW: An overall view, looking aft, of the deck space at the stern of the Bridge Deck. The stairway is the top half of the port-side one seen in the previous picture. In the foreground, one of the standard Sealink fibreglass deck seats remains, identical to that found on almost all ex-Sealink ships of the 1980s. This was the scene on board Nisos Limnos in July 2004 and the slightly tatty state of the awning and the deck itself are evidence of reduced maintenance as the ship's final days approached. |
ABOVE: A view looking astern on the port-side promenade on Nisos Limnos in 2004, with the aft end annexed by additional cabin areas after the ship moved to Greece. As built, it was possible to walk from this area, around the stern deck area to the same space on the starboard side, all on the same deck and without going inside. |
BELOW: The same space on board Nisos Limnos in July 2004, this time looking aft. |
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e-mail: matt@hhvferry.com |