M/V Lisa J. formerly a Danish roll-on roll-off passenger ferry from 1960, now in Honduras


This photo of Lisa J. was taken by Capt. Calum Legett in Andros c.2000.

MAILBOAT NAME: M/V Lisa J.

PAST NAMES: Ellen Soby from 2 June 1960 to 15 October 1973, then Runden until 23 April, 1999, then Lisa J.
 
DIMENSIONS: 116 feet (35.18 meters) long, 123.42 feet length overall (LOA), 37.4m, 27.75 feet (8.4m) wide/beam and only 8.6′ (2.6m) deep/draft. 347 tons, 12 knots, 1 MaK diesel engine, single screw, 150 passenger capacity, 25 personal cars, 149.99 BRT, Net tons 126, Net Registered Tons 53.05,  IMO # 8892239, 

Source: http://www.faergelejet.dk/vis.php?id=872  

CONSTRUCTION: steel, launched 2 June 1960, Hull # 78

YEAR BUILT: 1960 by H. C. Christensen’s Staalskibvaerft (Steel ships works), Marstal, Denmark

EARLY CAREER: Danish passenger and vehicle ferry (ro-pax or ro-ro-pax). Served the communities of Soby and Faaborg, Denmark, then Sejero and Havnsoe, also in Demark as the Runden (Round), then from 1999 intended for the route from Napoli Italy (Naples) to Procida, however she was sold to the Bahamas instead and presumably sailed across the Atlantic on her own hull.  

BAHAMAS CAREER: Was on the route from Nassau to North Andros, namely Nicholl’s Town, Mastic Point and Morgans Bluff, departing Wednesday evenings. Appears to have been purchased by Bahamian interests in July 1999 and sold on to Honduran owners by about 2005-2010

CAPTAINS: not known

FATE: owned in Honduras now

OWNERS: in the Bahamas used to be owned by the North Andros Shipping Company Limited – names of owners not known.


NOTES: These rare photos capture this rather unusual ship out of her element ferrying people and cars among the Danish archipelago in Europe, instead on the Andros run across the deep Tongue of the Ocean. 
One anecdote that I have comes from the fall of 2009: I was working and living in the Grand Bahama Shipyard, a yachting facility in Freeport, and a Danish sailor off a yacht marveled to me that he recognized the car ferry that he used to ride to school in in Denmark 30 years before, laid up and rusting in the ship yard! I don’t believe it was the Lisa J. as this still had its Danish name on it, even on the life rings, also it was smaller than this vessel, however it illustrates the extraordinary versatility of these craft. 


This photo of Lisa J. was taken by Capt. Calum Legett in Andros c.2000. The smaller boat “Lady Mango” is off her port bow. 


This photo of Lisa J. was taken by Capt. Calum Legett in Andros c.2000. You can see cargo of cement blocks and bags of cement being, presumably, unloaded from the ship. I appears the man in the foreground is preparing the truck bed to load cement in it.

This seems like quite a historical and unique ship to take a voyage on!


This is the Lisa J. in Denmark in 1989 as the “Runden” with her name clearlky on the side. Photo c/o Finn Johannessen, http://www.faergelejet.dk/vis.php?id=872 

If you look carefully at the funnel or stack you will see the same blue and white shield or crest on the ship in both Denmark and the Bahamas – some things don’t change…