MS Prinsendam Cruise Ship in Fog, Southern Breakwater, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

A grainy, yet atmospheric, zoomed photo of 1600 yards showing the MS Prinsendam crossing Dover Harbour from east to west in front of the Southern Breakwater on Sunday, 6th of June, 2010:


(Click this MS Prinsendam Cruise Ship text link to see the largest size)

Western Docks at Night
The Clock Tower

The Prinsendam is on its way to berth at Cruise Terminal 2 on the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks. Previously, the passenger ship had left Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA, on Monday, 17th of May 2010, and then made a transatlantic crossing to Le Havre, France, arriving on June 5th.

This was not a good weekend for taking cruise ship photos (even without the fog!) owing to the Prince of Wales Pier - the usual vantage point - being closed in preparation for firework displays commemorating the centenary of Charles Stewart Rolls' non-stop return flight across the English Channel on Thursday, June 2nd 1910 (1).

Unable to get any nearer to the ship, this distant view was taken from the Clock Tower end of Dover's seafront promenade, near the King Charles II Restoration of the Monarchy memorial, at 7.20 am while on a morning cycle ride (2).

The Prinsendam stayed until about 5.30 pm and then sailed for Amsterdam (Holland/Netherlands) via IJmuiden and the North Sea Canal. The ship subsequently called at Travemünde (Travemunde, Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), and Tromsø (Tromso, Norway).

Video - An advertiser has added an opening and closing credit to what is otherwise an official Prinsendam video:

MS Athena Cruise Ship and Tugs in the Western Entrance, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

Stormy weather ahead: a gunmetal-grey early morning view of the MS Athena, survivor of a famous maritime disaster (see below), in the process of berthing at Cruise Terminal 3 (CT3) on the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks:


(Click this MS Athena Cruise Ship text link to see the largest size)

The bow of the MS Athena (alt. MV Athena) is pointing towards the Western Entrance with the Straits of Dover and English Channel beyond; the Cliffs of France can be seen on higher resolutions.

The Western Entrance is formed by the Southern Breakwater, out-of-shot to the left, and the Admiralty Pier behind the ship on the right.

This Dover Harbour photo was taken at 6.31 am on Tuesday, 7th of September, 2010, from the lighthouse end of the Prince of Wales Pier.

The two Dover Harbour Board bollard-pull tugs assisting the Athena, DHB Dauntless (on the left) and DHB Doughty (on the right), along with the DHB David Church dredger, berth in the Tug Haven of the Tidal Harbour.

The MS Athena, chartered by tour operator Page and Moy for the 2010 summer season, has just finished "A Taste of Europe", her last summer cruise this year, which began in Dover on Friday, the 3rd of September with the following itinerary: Dover - Amsterdam (Netherlands, Holland; Anne Frank house, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum) - Zeebrugge (Belgium; for Bruges or Ghent) - Honfleur (France; Saint Catherine Church, Monet's Garden at Giverny, or Paris) .

---

MS Athena (1)

MV Princess Daphne

MS Athena, like the MS Princess Dapne, is a cruise ship owned and operated by Classic International Cruises (CI Cruises) of the World Cruises Agency. She was built in 1948 as the MS Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line (SAL). Since her career with SAL she has sailed under the names MS Völkerfreundschaft, MS Volker, MS Fridtjof Nansen, MS Italia I, MS Italia Prima, MS Valtur Prima and MS Caribe, before beginning service under her current name.

As Stockholm, the MS Athena was best known for colliding with the SS Andrea Doria in 1956, resulting in the sinking of the latter ship:

MS Saga Ruby Cruise Ship and a God of the Night, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

At top-right, the fiery eyes of some departing God of the Night blaze down in rage as a last-minute prey achieves sanctuary upon entering the harbour:


(Click this MS Saga Ruby cruise ship text link to see the largest size)

The unsuspecting ship, the MS Saga Ruby cruise liner, is shown framed in the Eastern Entrance of Dover Harbour, formed by the Eastern Arm pier on the left and the Southern Breakwater on the right.

The structure on the end of the Eastern Arm pier is the Dover Port Control building; beyond the Eastern Entrance lie the dangerous waters of the Straits of Dover and English Channel.

The photo was taken from near the lighthouse end of the Prince of Wales Pier at 6.17 am on Wednesday the 11th of August, 2010.

Another Saga Cruises ship in port this day was the Spirit of Adventure (photographed during an earlier visit in June).

Later, the Saga Ruby left Dover at the start of the "Treasures of the Anglo-Celtic Isles" cruise that called at various ports in England, Scotland, Wales, Nothern Ireland, and Eire (Ireland).

Full itinerary (1):

MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage, Kent, UK

The MS AIDAsol cruise ship entered Dover Harbour on Wednesday, 13th of April, 2011 (closely followed by fog!) via the Eastern Entrance and is shown in front of the White Cliffs of Dover and Eastern Arm pier:


(Click this MS AIDAsol cruise ship text link to see the largest size)

The passenger ship is now heading towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks to berth at CT2 (Cruise Terminal 2).

The photo was taken at 8.49 am approximately 1300 yards away from near the lighthouse and cafe end of the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side).

In the English Channel, sea fog can occur at any time of the year but seems to be more common in the late Spring and early to mid-Summer when the water inshore is still fairly cold (1).

The maiden voyage of the MS AIDAsol had the following itinerary: Kiel (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), Dover (England), Le Havre (France), Amsterdam (Netherlands/Holland), and Hamburg (Germany).

Dover Castle under Snow, Winter 2009, from the Western Heights, Kent, UK

This panoramic view, taken on December 22, 2009, is a 'winter edition' of the autumnal Dover Town and Dover Castle from the Western Heights photo uploaded on November 5th of that year:



Left of centre on the snow-covered skyline is the Norman Keep, or Great Tower (night view), of Dover Castle; further left are three masts (originally four, now reduced to two) of the Second World War early-warning Swingate Chain Home radar station.

Right of centre on the skyline are the Pharos (a 1st Century AD Roman watchtower, or lighthouse) and adjacent Saxon church of St Mary-in-Castro.

Just below the skyline towards the right-hand edge of the photo is an end view of the Victorian Officers' Mess (or Officers' New Barracks).

Stretching across the lower half of the photo is the row of large terraced houses of Victoria Park, to the left of which lies the southern entrance to the Zig Zags park; if you know where to look, the West Wall of Old St James Church is also visible (bottom right, in a line under the end houses of Victoria Park).

Within 5 to 150 yards of where this photo was taken from are: Cowgate Cemetery Nature Reserve, the Court's Folly, the 64 Steps, and the Drop Redoubt.

Many of the above-named locations are Victorian.

Filming of the 2009 North Entrance video began here. See:

Panorama of Balmoral Cruise Ship at the Admiralty Pier and Dover Harbour, Western Heights, Kent, UK

This snow-covered panorama of the Western Docks and English Channel was taken from the access road leading to the Commando Entrance of the Drop Redoubt on Saturday, 19th of December, 2009:



Also in view: the Fred Olsen Cruise Line's MS Balmoral Cruise Ship, the Victorian Clock Tower, Dover's RNLB 17-09 City of London II lifeboat rescue craft and Lifeboat Station, Crosswall Quay, Dolphin Hard Jetty, the old Hoverport, Lord Warden House (ex-Lord Warden Hotel and ex-World War II Royal Navy HMS Wasp shore station), the old Dover Marine railway station, Granville Dock, the Tidal Harbour and Tug Haven.

The barbed-wire fence of Drop Redoubt Road in the foreground leads to the Napoleonic Grand Shaft.

More information (including sources used) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

Panorama of Balmoral Cruise Ship at the Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour, Western Heights

Also see:

MS Balmoral Cruise Ship at Sunrise, Western Entrance, Dover Harbour

All photos are indexed under the MS Balmoral category label.

A Western Heights photo.

Click to see all Cruise Ship, Tug, and Workboat photos.

Clickable thumbnails of all Dover Harbour- and Western Heights-related photos from the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog at Port of Dover Page and Western Heights Page (also linked to at the top below the blog title).

The main site Panoramio photos are each accompanied by a Google Earth satellite map. However, the images are smaller than those on the Images of Dover Blog and the captions are less well formatted.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

MS AIDAcara Cruise Ship in an Early Morning Sea Mist, Dover Harbour, Kent, UK

Behind the MS AIDA Cara (left to right) are the Eastern Arm pier and Eastern Entrance to the English Channel; the Southern Breakwater is out-of shot to the right:



Pre-fog photo taken from the Prince of Wales Pier.

From Le Havre (France), going to Hamburg (Germany).

Ship's details:

Name: AIDAcara
Owner: AIDA Cruises
Operator: AIDA Cruises
Port of registry: Italy
Builder: Kvaerner Masa-Yards (Finland)
In service: June 1996
Refit: 2005
IMO: 9112789
Call Sign: IBNR
MMSI: 247117300
Tonnage: 38,531 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 634.2 ft (193.30 m)
Beam: 90.5 ft (27.58 m)
Draft: 20.3 ft (6.19 m)[1]
Decks: 11 total, 9 passenger
Installed power: 2 diesel-electric (21,720kW)
Speed: 20-knot (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Capacity: 1,186 passengers
Crew: 360 crew

A Dover Harbour photo.

More information (including sources used and a Google Earth satellite map) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

MS AIDAcara Cruise Ship in an Early Morning Sea Mist, Dover Harbour

Also see:

MS AIDAcara Cruise Ship at Sunset, Admiralty Pier, Western Docks, Dover Harbour
MS AIDAcara Cruise Ship, Western Docks, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour
MS AIDAcara Cruise Ship near Cruise Terminal 1, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour

A new vessel from AIDA Cruises for 2011:

MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

Click to see all Cruise Ship photos (related tags: Boats, Ferries, Lifeboats, Navy, Sailing Ships, Ships, Tugs, and Workboats).

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town

MS AIDAaura Cruise Ship crossing Dover Harbour in Early Morning Fog, Kent, UK

The MS AIDA Aura cruise ship entered Dover Harbour via the Eastern Entrance and is now making its way across the Outer Harbour towards the Admiralty Pier of the Western Docks where it will berth at CT2 (Cruise Terminal 2):



On the left of this post-sunrise photo, the Eastern Arm pier juts out from the Eastern Docks (the cross-channel ferry terminal, not in view) with the Southern Breakwater bracketing the other side of the Eastern Entrance to the right of the ship.

The photo was taken at 6.14 am on Tuesday, 18th of May, 2010, from a point mid-way between the Porthole Shelters and the Lighthouse on the Prince of Wales Pier (eastern side).

MS AIDA Aura General Characteristics:

Tonnage: 42,289 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 665.3 feet (202.78 m)
Beam: 92.2 feet (28.10 m)
Draft: 20.3 feet (6.19 m)
Decks: 12 total, 10 passenger
Installed power: Diesel-electric (27,150kW)
Speed: 19.4-knot (36 km/h; 22 mph)
Capacity: 1,300 passengers
Crew: 418 crew
Notes: 6 elevators
Operator: AIDA Cruises
Port of registry: Italy
Builder: Aker MTW (Germany)
Cost: $350 million
Christened: April 12, 2003 in Warnemünde
Maiden voyage: October 27, 2008 to Wilmington (North Carolina, USA)
In service: April 15, 2003
Identification: IMO 9221566
Call: Sign IBNZ
MMSI: 247117400

From Hamburg in Germany on a "British Isles Cruise".

More information (including sources used and a Google Earth satellite map) can be found on this photo's original webpage at:

AIDA Aura Cruise Ship crossing Dover Harbour in Early Morning Fog

Also see:

MS AIDA Aura Cruise Ship at Cruise Terminal 2, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour
MS AIDA Aura Cruise Ship after Sunrise, Western Entrance, Dover Harbour

A new vessel from AIDA Cruises for 2011:

MS AIDAsol Cruise Ship in Dover Harbour on her Maiden Voyage

Links to the main Images of Dover website:

Click to see all Cruise Ship photos (related tags: Boats, Ferries, Lifeboats, Navy, Sailing Ships, Ships, Tugs, and Workboats).

A Dover Harbour photo.

John Latter / Jorolat

Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town