Sjaelland (Princess Selandia), Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria - Landlocked Boats on Waymarking.com

The Sjaelland lost her royal title, Dronning Ingrid, when she left service as a Baltic train ferry, in 1979. The ship was built for Danish Railways in 1951 and operated across the Baltic Sea on many routes. Until Danish TV rented her as a studio in 1985. In 1988 she became a museum and restaurant.
Then in 2002 she was sold and towed to Tilbury in England. In 2004 bought again and towed to Buccleuch Dock, Barrow-in-Furness, and renamed Princess Selandia. After a £2+ million refit, she was used as a night club and restaurant with beer garden. A fire in October 2010 has halted any further use.

A ship can change her name and flag state through time, but the IMO number remains the same through the hull's entire lifetime. Therefore, it's useful to identify a ship through her IMO number.

This hull's history is summarised best as.

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IMO 5093959
From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
This ship has been given several names:
Dronning Ingrid: 1951-1979
Sjælland: 1979-2002 (since 1982 out of service, 2002 sold)
Selandia: 2002-2004 (out of service, Chatham/GB)
Princess Selandia: 2004-2010 (restaurant, Barrow in Furness/GB)

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from (visit link)

Wikipedia (visit link)
This blogspot has a good summary. (visit link)

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Built as a train ferry at the Helsingor Shipyard in Denmark, she was launched on November 24, 1950 with the name M/F Dronning Ingrid (the Motor Ferry Queen Ingrid). After a long and busy career on the Storebaelt and the Baltic she had to give up her Royal title in August 1979 and took the name Sjaelland.



In 1982 she was taken out of service and as she was the last of a lovely and classic class of ship, much effort was put into preserving her. Among her many subsequent roles was the setting for the Danish television series Berth 114 which was broadcast in 1985. Three years later, and following a thorough renovation, the Sjaelland was returned to the real Berth 114 as a floating restaurant and entertainment centre.

In 2002 she was sold to British interests who moved her to Tilbury and later Barrow. It took five days to tow The Princess Selandia from London to Barrow and she arrived on May 31, 2004, staying round the dock basin for the 12 months it took to fit her out and move her to the berth, ready to start the latest chapter in her life.

And eventually she was given a royal title (albeit in name only) once again.
Owners Jacky and Rick Lucas, who are reported to have invested £2.5million in The Princess Selandia, concentrated their efforts on getting the restaurant deck ready first. Jacky was keen to restore her to her former regal glory, working off a series of old photographs she found on board to recreate the ship’s original splendour and give her an air of luxury and elegance from by gone days.
“We’d found these old photographs and thought we would like to take her back to when she was built rather than modernise her because I think so much can be lost when you modernise. You lose that feeling and the opulence of it all,” Jacky explains.
The restaurant deck was ready by late 2005 and is now open from 11am-1am
seven days a week, offering an unusual and unique experience for all its visitors, whether they are just popping in for morning coffee, a break from shopping, for afternoon teas, for a relaxed evening meal or for more formal dining in the beautifully decorated 1950s-style a la carte restaurant. Christenings, birthdays retirements and other private celebrations are catered for, while Sunday lunches are so popular that booking is advisable, with people making a special trip to dine on board.

Maybe it was just the old fashioned grandeur of it all, but there’s an undeniably romantic feel about The Princess Selandia 30 couples were married on board. There is a choice of reception and ceremonial rooms, from the Royal Suite with its nostalgic, seafaring 1950s style; the elegant and oh-so-romantic Princess Suite; the Consort Suite which gives a feeling of being out at sea, with natural light filtering in from windows leading out on to the Promenade Deck, and then there is The Bridge, arguably the ship’s most romantic setting, overlooking the bow.

Once the restaurant deck was completed, the owners turned their attention to the cavernous train deck, which he has transformed into a trendy nightclub boasting six bars, a quirky array of marine-themed decorations, pole dancing podiums and DJ booths retirements and other private celebrations are catered for, while Sunday lunches were very popular in the restaurant.

Sadly the ship closed for trade on 16th August 2010 and has been advertised for sale for just £650,000 a value in excess of likely scrap value but it is hoped a future use can be found for the ship.

Key facts

Turnover for year end 31/10/06 £1,704,280 inc vat
£1,459,457 net of vat with a GROSS PROFIT of £1,055,309 (73%)
Sales split – 65% Wet – 14% Dry – 21% Door inc
Top deck and seating area licensed for 900
Restaurant deck and fine dining 690
Self contained nightclub 2,400
Banqueting suite 200
Two fully equipped catering kitchens
Promenade deck and coffee lounge
Private royal dining room 12
Two private bedroom suites (currently undergoing renovation)
Further private meeting or dining room 20

The ship has a first class location at present alongside the Town Quay with ample parking. There is a plan to develop the quay further through the local authority creating a marina and further leisure facilities at a budgeted cost of £200,000,000 placing the Princess Selandia at the heart of the development and a centre piece that the council clearly had in mind when granting the permissions necessary for the operation of this fine leisure complex.

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Is there a tour: no If boat is a garden what was planted in it: Not listed

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