Challenging the established Isle of Man Steam Packet on the Irish Sea during the late 1970's was the one ship operation of ManxLine - running between Douglas and Heysham, a port abandoned by Steam Packet a few years earlier. Significantly it also provided the Island with its first ro-ro service, whilst maintaining the service was the almost new MONTE CASTILLO, renamed MANX VIKING by its new owners. Subsequently ManxLine was absorbed into Sealink under the Sealink-ManxLine name, the ship being repainted into Sealink colours, albeit retaining the Three Legs of Mann symbols on both funnels.
During the following years the Steam Packet retracted both services and ships, and by 1985 the operation of both SPCo and Sealink-ManxLine had merged. MANX VIKING's planned repaint into a largely all-white livery (for which publicity had already been prepared) subsequently did not take place and the ship was sold not that long afterwards.
MANX VIKING is still fondly remembered as one of the most comfortable ships ever to sail on the Manx service. In this view the vessel is departing from Heysham harbour, bound for Douglas. [Photo Mike Hams
