The
Development of the Ferry
Ever since the first boats were built, humans
have been using them as ferries to transport people and goods across expanses
of water. There is archaeological evidence of the use of rafts or hollowed logs
for water-borne transportation since prehistoric times, and many of these
vessels would have been used as ferries, either under the control of a
ferryman, or propelled by the passengers themselves. Although ferries can be large enough to
carry other vessels – the defining characteristic of a ship – they are designated as boats because
they are generally equipped for trips on inland or coastal waters rather than
the open sea. A modern ferry is defined as a boat which carries people between
two or more destinations and runs on a fixed schedule. There are also car
ferries which people can drive on to, lorry ferries which transport freight and
even train ferries. Other
forms of ferry include the ‘cruiseferry’, which is, as the name suggests, a
hybrid of a cruise ship and a ferry, and usually takes passengers on longer trips
in considerable comfort. Although many ferry routes have been replaced by bridges and
tunnels, the ferry remains a very important method of transportation around the
world and, unlike cars or trains, offers the pleasure of being on the open
water.
The development of the ferry generally follows innovations in the
design of water-borne craft, progressing from the early wooden rafts of the prehistoric era, to
hulled boats from the time of the ancient Egyptians onwards. Since ferries
were designed for carrying a large amount of cargo they were often flat
bottomed and exceedingly wide. This is evident in medieval European ferries, which had access ramps on either side for carriages to board and
disembark, and would be wide enough to accommodate numerous horses as well as
people and vehicles. Ferries were also not usually designed for speed or
dexterity, as this was not required on most routes. Therefore they were
occasionally powered by animals such as oxen, which would use their strength to
make paddles spin on an axis and propel the boats forward. Steam-powered ships constructed out of iron
were developed in the late 18th century and gradually became widely adopted as ferries in the 19th
century, although
many small ferry services continue to use wooden boats to this day.
The steam-powered ferryboats of the early
19th century resurrected the use of paddles, which were perfectly
suited to the lakes and rivers most ferries traversed. These were first deployed on the
Mississippi River in America in 1812, becoming an iconic image of that waterway,
where they are still in use in a updated form today. Steam was largely replaced by diesel and other fuels in the late 19th
and early 20th century, during which time ferries started to become
both bigger and more versatile. Double-ended boats were one notable innovation, since these
allowed ferries to shuttle back and forth between destinations without having
to turn around to dock. These also allowed cars and ferries to drive on and off
with ease. Other
ferries which are designed solely for use with vehicles are called ‘roll-on/roll-off’
ferries, and are primarily used for cargo. More recent advances in
passenger ferries have included the hydrofoil, which can travel at high speeds as their hydrofoils
lift them out of the water, the catamaran, a vessel
powered by a water-jet, and the hovercraft, which travels on top of an air
cushion. Although these new types of ferryboat are common throughout the world,
the simple necessity of the ferry has meant that many basic services still
exist on smaller waterways, or in less developed countries. These include chain
or cable ferries, which propel passengers via a cable attached to either shore,
and pontoon ferries, which can also be moved by chains and are usually used in
lieu of a bridge, to carry vehicles and people across a river.
The longest-running ferry still in service is the Mersey Ferry from Liverpool to
Birkenhead, in England. This was first established in around 1150 by Benedictine
monks who had a priory at Birkenhead. They ran the ferry and collected payments
from passengers as a means of supporting themselves. The largest ferry service in existence is undoubtedly
in Istanbul, where one company operates 87 vessels calling at 86
destinations. Other popular ferry services include the Sydney Harbour Ferry,
which carries 18 million passengers per year, the Staten Island Ferry in New
York, and the Star Ferry in Hong Kong. The largest ferry in terms of size is
the Stena Hollandica, which travels between the Netherlands and the UK, and
carries 230 cars and 300 freight vehicles. It also has 1376 beds, even though
the journey only takes six and a half hours. In contrast, the longest ferry service in
the world goes from Bergen to Kirkenes in Norway, a journey of 1,500 miles,
which takes six days. Norway’s many fjords and extensive
coastline have made it a centre for ferry use for centuries, and the country
will soon introduce one of the most futuristic ferries ever seen. This hybrid passenger
ferry will carry up to 400 tourists between Flåm and Gudvangen along the
Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and will be able to switch to battery
power when it is in the fjord, making it both environmentally friendly and
almost completely silent. As this futuristic vessel reveals, the ferry will
continue to evolve and develop as new technologies emerge, whilst remaining one
of the most fundamental and essential means of human transportation.
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