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58-571: MV Uhuru1 is a Lake Victoria ferry in East Africa. She is a Kenya Railways Corporation train ferry that operated between Jinja , Mwanza , Musoma and Kisumu . Uhuru means "freedom" in Swahili . Uhuru1 and her sister ship MV  Umoja were built in 1965 by Yarrow Shipbuilders in Scotstoun , Glasgow , Scotland , and entered service in 1966. At over 300 ft (91 m), they were

116-549: A dry dock in Ptolemaic Egypt in the reign of Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-204 BC) on the occasion of the launch of the enormous Tessarakonteres rowing ship. However a more recent survey by Goodchild and Forbes does not substantiate its existence. But after that a Phoenician devised a new method of launching it (the Tessarakonteres ), having dug a trench under it, equal to the ship itself in length, which he dug close to

174-865: A fleet of fast ferries to Lake Victoria to connect major ports on the lake. Later on, the private Earthwise Ferries Ltd with branches in Tanzania and Uganda started to operate the first catamaran passenger ferry on Lake Victoria in 2012, the MV Amani at Port Bell in Uganda, followed by a sister ship in 2018, the Bluebird at Mwanza port in Tanzania. Also in 2010, a Scottish investor, Malcolm Ormiston, founded Globology Ltd in Kisumu, Kenya to build and to operate smaller catamaran passenger ferries to operate on Lake Victoria in Kenya and in Uganda under

232-453: A new state-owned enterprise, Tanzania Electrical, Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency (TEMESA), which received more than a dozen new and locally built and state-owned ro-ro ferries on Lake Victoria to operate them. Also in 2005, the private Rift Valley Railways Consortium (RVR) was selected by the two parastatal railway corporations in Kenya (KRC) and Uganda (URC) to operate their joint railway network from 2006 on. RVR also took over

290-760: A new train ferry to replace Kabalega . However, in September 2009, the Uganda Radio Network said the Ugandan government was unlikely to replace Kabalega soon. Instead, the Minister of Works proposed to improve port facilities at Jinja and Port Bell and let private operators run railway car floats with greater capacity than the ferries. The minister stated that Kaawa and Pemba would be reconditioned and returned to service and that private businesses had expressed an interest in raising Kabalega and restoring her to use as

348-471: A plan. A large basin was excavated at the north end of the Chin-ming Lake capable of containing the dragon ships, and in it heavy crosswise beams were laid down upon a foundation of pillars. Then (a breach was made) so that the basin quickly filled with water, after which the ships were towed in above the beams. Then (breach now being closed) the water was pumped out by wheels so that the ships rested quite in

406-461: A private concession. In October 2009, the Ugandan government reiterated that it would recondition the Pemba and Kaawa and return them to service in 2010 and 2011 respectively. However, except words, no activities followed the announcements. In 2010, new international passenger ferry services based on catamarans were to be launched. A US based company, Earthwise Ventures, announced that it would bring

464-607: A roof above the vessel. The ship is pulled in an upright position by a number of ropes attached to the superstructure. The Saint-Nazaire 's Chantiers de l'Atlantique owns one of the biggest in the world: 1,200 by 60 metres (3,940 ft × 200 ft). The Alfredo da Silva Dry Dock in Almada , Portugal , was closed in 2000. The largest roofed dry dock is at the German Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg , Germany , it

522-515: Is 504 m long, 125 m wide and stands 75 m tall. Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries in Belfast , Northern Ireland , is the site of a large dry dock 556 by 93 metres (1,824 ft × 305 ft). The massive cranes are named after the Biblical figures Samson and Goliath . Dry Dock 12 at Newport News Shipbuilding at 662 by 76 metres (2,172 ft × 249 ft) is the largest dry dock in

580-459: Is a cargo steamer built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1907. She was reported to be laid up as of 2007. SS  Kavirondo is a tugboat built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1912 and launched at Kisumu in 1913. During the First World War, she served as a gunboat. In about 1984, she was laid up at Kisumu and later was used as an accommodation vessel. She later sank alongside, but in 2005

638-590: Is a covered, floating drydock that is also submersible to support the secret transfer of a mechanical lifting device underneath the Glomar Explorer ship, as well as the development of the Sea Shadow stealth ship . The Great Balance Dock , built in New York City in 1854, was the largest floating drydock in the world when it was launched. It was 325 feet (99 m) long and could lift 8,000 tons, accommodating

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696-638: Is able to transport 1180 tonnes of goods or 22 long rail waggons in four lanes (four tracks). In 2018, Umoja and Kaawa were in use between Port Bell and Mwanza, but the two ferries Pemba and Uhuru were suspended. The largest passenger ship on Lake Victoria is MV Victoria , which can transport up to 1200 passengers. These five vessels are between 30-60 years old and state-owned. New Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro multipurpose ferries have continued to come into operation in recent years, built and assembled in Mwanza in Tanzania. These ferries have increased in size and capacity over

754-547: Is planning to build and to operate up to 15 passenger-only catamaran passenger ferries until 2020. The original ships serving the Uganda Railway were built in the United Kingdom as "knock down" ships; that is, they were bolted together, all the parts marked with numbers, disassembled into thousands of parts, transported in kit form by sea to Mombasa and by railway to Kisumu and reassembled. SS  William Mackinnon

812-407: Is still some water left to manoeuvre the vessel. It is extremely important that supporting blocks conform to the structural members so that the ship is not damaged when its weight is supported by the blocks. Some anti-submarine warfare warships have sonar domes protruding beneath the hull, requiring the hull to be supported several metres above the bottom of the dry dock, or depressions built into

870-399: Is that work can take place in any weather; this is frequently used by modern shipyards for construction especially of complex, high-value vessels like cruise ships, where delays would incur a high cost. A floating dry dock is a type of pontoon for dry docking ships, possessing floodable buoyancy chambers and a U-shaped cross-section. The walls are used to give the dry dock stability when

928-782: The East African Railways and Harbours Corporation operated regular sailings clockwise around the lake from Kisumu, using rail ferries that carried rail wagons loaded directly from rail tracks extended on the jetties at Kisumu, Port Bell and Mwanza. The rail network linked to the Indian Ocean ports of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam which allowed countries of the African interior such as Uganda and Rwanda to transport freight to and from world markets. Typical journey times were 13 hours between Port Bell in Uganda and Kisumu in Kenya, and 19 hours between Port Bell and Mwanza in Tanzania. In 1977 EARH

986-534: The Mombasa to Kampala route, as of June 2018. The Citizen (Tanzania) , reported similar information. Dry docks The use of dry docks in China goes at least as far back as the 10th century A.D. In 1088, Song dynasty scientist and statesman Shen Kuo (1031–1095) wrote in his Dream Pool Essays : At the beginning of the dynasty (c. +965) the two Che provinces (now Chekiang and southern Chiangsu) presented (to

1044-556: The 1,000-foot AFDB-1 and the 850-foot AFDB-3 . The latter, an Advance Base Sectional Dock which saw action in Guam , was mothballed near Norfolk , Virginia , and was eventually towed to Portland , Maine , to become part of Bath Iron Works ' repair facilities. A downside of floating dry docks is that unscheduled sinkings and off-design dives may take place, as with the Russian dock PD-50 in 2018. The " Hughes Mining Barge ", or HMB-1,

1102-402: The 1950s, Sybil sank at her moorings but she was raised, restored as a passenger and cargo vessel, and in 1956 re-entered service. In 1967, Sybil was purposely sunk at Kisumu to form a breakwater. SS  Clement Hill was built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1905. She served on the lake from 1907 to 1935. In 1936 she was purposely sunk at Bukakata to form a breakwater. SS Nyanza

1160-502: The 21st century, new Lake Victoria ro-ro ferries were constructed at Mwanza port in Tanzania, in particular through the family-owned and local Songoro Marine Transport Ltd in Tanzania. This added some dynamics to the ferry services sector on Lake Victoria and allowed several private companies to own and/or to operate new ferries, for example the Nyehunge ferries by Mohammed Seif, the owner of Nyehunge IT Support Ltd . In 2005, Tanzania founded

1218-515: The Lake Victoria freight services with the world market. In 2017, the contract with RVR was cancelled in both Kenya and Uganda due to financial irregularities, both KRC and URC restarted the operations on their respective railway networks. URC also restarted the services at the railhead in Port Bell, the train ferry Kaawa was repaired and refurbished and put back into operation. In a similar manner,

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1276-681: The United States. The largest floating-dock in North America is named The Vigorous. It is operated by Vigor Industries in Portland, OR, in the Swan Island industrial area along the Willamette River. A graving dock is the traditional form of dry dock. It is a narrow basin, usually made of earthen berms and concrete, closed by gates or a caisson . A vessel is floated in with the gates open, then

1334-455: The air. When the repairs were complete, the water was let in again, so that the ships were afloat once more (and could leave the dock). Finally the beams and pillars were taken away, and the whole basin covered over with a great roof so as to form a hangar in which the ships could be protected from the elements and avoid the damage caused by undue exposure. The Greek author Athenaeus of Naucratis (V 204c-d) reports something that may have been

1392-576: The borders of Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania and between mainland ports and Lake Victoria islands. The main ports on the lake are in Kisumu in Kenya; Mwanza , Musoma , Bukoba in Tanzania; Entebbe , Port Bell and Jinja in Uganda. Many smaller Lake Victoria ports are also in use, the number of ports served by ferries in Tanzania alone reaches 30. The four ports of Kisumu, Port Bell, Musoma and Mwanza allow dedicated train ferries to dock at railway ferry wharves with jetties for direct rail track access to

1450-482: The brand name Waterbus East Africa . A first small and locally built catamaran, Captain Dan went into operation in 2010. In 2017, Globology intended to start to build 3-5 catamaran passenger ferries per year each with a capacity to transport 120 passengers. As of April 2013, only Tanzania Railways' Central Line was operating freight rail services from Mwanza to Tabora , Dodoma and Dar es Salaam and therefore connecting

1508-457: The earliest description of a floating dock comes from a small Italian book printed in Venice in 1560, called Descrittione dell'artifitiosa machina . In the booklet, an unknown author asks for the privilege of using a new method for the salvaging of a grounded ship and then proceeds to describe and illustrate his approach. The included woodcut shows a ship flanked by two large floating trestles, forming

1566-410: The entrance which had been originally made, he drained the water off again by means of engines (organois); and when this had been done the vessel rested securely on the before-mentioned cross-beams. It has been calculated that a dock for a vessel of such a size might have had a volume of 750,000 gallons of water. Before the 15th century, when the hull below the waterline needed attention, careening

1624-441: The ferries delivered to several operators around Lake Victoria in the 21st century however have been designed and built in Tanzania through construction firms with dockyards and floating dry docks located at Mwanza port. Most new ro-ro ferries on Lake Victoria have been built by local Songoro Marine Transport Ltd , a company with construction services in Mwanza. Outside Mwanza, a new Kenyan company based in Kisumu, Globology Ltd ,

1682-638: The ferries. The track gauge for the transported railway wagons is 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ). In 2018, two of the railway wharves, at Port Bell and Mwanza, were in use. The train ferries connect the Uganda Railway at Port Bell with the Tanzanian Central Line at Mwanza. The Central Line is linked to the Tanzanian Indian Ocean port of Dar es Salaam to transport freight to and from world markets. The rail jetties at Kisumu and Musoma connect to railyards in

1740-428: The floor of the dock, to accommodate the protrusions. Once the remainder of the water is pumped out, the ship can be freely inspected or serviced. When work on the ship is finished, the gates are opened to allow water in, and the ship is carefully refloated. Modern graving docks are box-shaped, to accommodate newer, boxier ships, whereas old dry docks are often shaped like the ships expected to dock there. This shaping

1798-551: The floor or deck is below the surface of the water. When valves are opened, the chambers fill with water, causing the dry dock to float lower in the water. The deck becomes submerged and this allows a ship to be moved into position inside. When the water is pumped out of the chambers, the dry dock rises and the ship is lifted out of the water on the rising deck, allowing work to proceed on the ship's hull. A large floating dry dock involves multiple rectangular sections. These sections can be combined to handle ships of various lengths, and

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1856-427: The gates are closed and the water is pumped out, leaving the craft supported on blocks. The keel blocks as well as the bilge block are placed on the floor of the dock in accordance with the "docking plan" of the ship. Routine use of dry docks is for the "graving" i.e. the cleaning, removal of barnacles and rust, and re-painting of ships' hulls. Some fine-tuning of the ship's position can be done by divers while there

1914-409: The harbour. And in the trench he built props of solid stone five cubits deep, and across them he laid beams crosswise, running the laces whole width of the trench, at four cubits' distance from one another; and then making a channel from the sea he filled all the space which he had excavated with water, out of which he easily brought the ship by the aid of whatever men happened to be at hand; then closing

1972-594: The largest ships of its day. Apart from graving docks and floating dry docks, ships can also be dry docked and launched by: Some dry docks are used during the construction of bridges, dams, and other large objects. For example, the dry dock on the artificial island of Neeltje-Jans was used for the construction of the Oosterscheldekering , a large dam in the Netherlands that consists of 65 concrete pillars weighing 18,000 tonnes each. The pillars were constructed in

2030-470: The longest vessels on any of the East African lakes. The two vessels were owned and operated by the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EARH) until 1977, when EARH was divided between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda . Uhuru was transferred to the new Kenya Railways Corporation and Umoja was transferred to the new Tanzania Railways Corporation . Uhuru was suspended from service in 2007. It

2088-436: The majority of all ferries on Lake Victoria as of 2018. The number of ferries known to be in commercial operation in 2018 was about thirty in Tanzania, five in Uganda, and six in Kenya. The largest ferries for the transport of cargo on Lake Victoria are the train ferries MV  Umoja , MV  Uhuru , MV  Kaawa and MV  Pemba engaged in international services between Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. Each of them

2146-482: The motor vessels listed below, two steam ships more than 100 years old are reported to be still present on Lake Victoria in 2018, both in private hands: SS  Nyanza and SS  Rusinga , though Nyanza is suspended from operation in 2018. The 20th century ferries have almost entirely been designed and built outside Africa, mostly in the UK and Germany but were assembled at Lake Victoria from pre-assembled parts. Most of

2204-638: The port areas, but these are rarely used as there are no operational railways in their hinterlands . Typical journey times were 13 hours between Port Bell and Kisumu, and 19 hours between Port Bell and Mwanza. The most important Lake Victoria port is Mwanza not only because of the port infrastructure, rail and road access to the Indian Ocean but also because of major facilities for ferry operation, service and construction. Dedicated dry docks for ferry repairs exist in or near Mwanza, Kisumu and Port Bell, but only those in Mwanza are consistently used. Much industry in

2262-502: The region has moved to Mwanza. The first ferry on Lake Victoria started operation in 1900s during the British colonial era , from the port of Kisumu. The original steamboats were later replaced by motor ships, some of which still operate on the lake. Almost all ferries (trains, cargo, passenger) in operation at the end of the 20th century were decades old. In 2018, most of them were still in operation. Newer 21st century-built ferries made up

2320-593: The sections themselves can come in different dimensions. Each section contains its own equipment for emptying the ballast and to provide the required services, and the addition of a bow section can facilitate the towing of the dry dock once assembled. For smaller boats, one-piece floating dry docks can be constructed or converted out of an existing obsolete barge, potentially coming with their own bow and steering mechanism. Shipyards operate floating dry docks as one method for hauling or docking vessels. Floating drydocks are important in locations where porous ground prevents

2378-408: The simultaneous transport of passengers, vehicles and goods. Some other ferries are dedicated train ferries , Ro-Ro ferries and cargo ships , as well as catamarans for passenger transport. For most of the 20th century, Lake Victoria ferries were international ferries operating clockwise or counterclockwise around Lake Victoria. In the 21st century, ferries are mostly operating domestically within

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2436-678: The three remaining Lake Victoria train ferries of Uganda and Kenya ( Kabalega sank in 2005), Pemba , Uhuru and Kaawa . RVR suspended Pemba and Kaawa from service indefinitely and also stopped Uhuru from all operations in 2007 after the railway branch line of the Uganda Railway between Kisumu and Nakuru dropped out of operations due to an aging railway infrastructure. The Lake Victoria railheads in Port Bell, Jinja and Kisumu, then also operated by RVR, went out of operation. The remaining Tanzanian train ferry, MV Umoja could only serve Tanzanian rail jetties and became almost suspended as well and

2494-469: The throne) two dragon ships each more than 200 ft. in length. The upper works included several decks with palatial cabins and saloons, containing thrones and couches all ready for imperial tours of inspection. After many years, their hulls decayed and needed repairs, but the work was impossible as long as they were afloat. So in the Hsi-Ning reign period (+1068 to +1077) a palace official Huang Huai-Hsin suggested

2552-568: The train ferry Umoja on the Tanzanian side was repaired and refurbished. In June 2018, the EastAfrican reported that 1180-tonne Umoja began regular service again between Mwanza and Port Bell, plying the route 26 times every month. It is also expected that Kaawa , registered in Uganda, will join Umoja on the route. The Dar es Salaam to Kampala route costs US$ 65 per tonne, compared to US$ 90 per tonne on

2610-478: The use of conventional drydocks, such as at the Royal Naval Dockyard on the limestone archipelago of Bermuda . Another advantage of floating dry docks is that they can be moved to wherever they are needed and can also be sold second-hand. During World War II , the U.S. Navy used such auxiliary floating drydocks extensively to provide maintenance in remote locations. Two examples of these were

2668-716: The war between Uganda and Tanzania that broke out in October 1978 and ended in April 1979. The ferries were assembled after the war at Port Bell and launched in 1983. TRC's Marine Division introduced the ferry MV  Bukoba in about 1979 and the passenger and cargo ship MV  Serengeti in 1988. In 1997, the Marine Division of TRC became a separate company, the Marine Services Company Limited , whose fleet includes Serengeti , Umoja , and Victoria . Early in

2726-522: The years, with the newest additions coming close to the older large train ferries. Two new Tanzanian state-owned Ro-Pax ferries, Misungwi (2016) and Mwanza (2018), can each transport up to 1000 passengers including up to 36 cars or up to 250 tonnes of cargo. The largest privately-owned ferry on Lake Victoria is a new Tanzanian Ro-Pax ferry from 2016, the Nyehunge II with a transport capacity of 284 tonnes of goods or 40 cars and 500 passengers. Apart from

2784-568: Was advantageous because such a dock was easier to build, it was easier to side-support the ships, and less water had to be pumped away. Dry docks used for building naval vessels may occasionally be built with a roof, to prevent spy satellites from taking pictures of the dry dock and any vessels that may be in it. During World War II , the German Kriegsmarine used fortified dry docks to protect its submarines from Allied air raids (see submarine pen ). An advantage of covered dry docks

2842-598: Was built for the Imperial British East Africa Company in 1890 by Bow, McLachlan and Company at Paisley in Scotland but not launched at Kisumu until 1900. In the First World War , she was armed as a gunboat . In 1929, she was withdrawn from service, taken into deep water and scuttled . The sister ships SS Winifred and SS Sybil were built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1901. Winifred

2900-607: Was built in 1959 by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Scotstoun and reassembled for the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation (EAR&H) ship at Kisumu in 1961. When the ship was commissioned, Queen Elizabeth II granted her the " Royal Mail Ship " designation: the only EAR&H ship to receive this distinction. However, since Kenya's independence from the UK, she has operated as MV Victoria . The train ferries MV  Umoja and MV  Uhuru are sister ships built by Yarrow in 1965. Kenya operated Uhuru , but she has been suspended from service since 2007. By 1970,

2958-503: Was commissioned by Henry VII of England at HMNB Portsmouth in 1495. This was a timber-lined excavation, with the seaward end closed off by a temporary revetted bank of rock and clay that had to be dug away by hand (an operation taking typically 29 days, working night and day to accord with the tides ) to allow the passage of a ship. Emptying was by a pump, possibly in the form of a bucket-chain powered by horses. This dry dock currently holds First World War monitor HMS M33 . Possibly

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3016-403: Was dissolved and its assets divided between Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Uhuru was transferred to the new Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) and Umoja and Victoria to the new Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC). In 1978, the new Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) purchased three train ferries from Belgium, MV Pemba , MV Kaawa and MV Kabalega . However their production was interrupted by

3074-516: Was later revived in late 2019 This ferry article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Kenya related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lake Victoria ferries Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships (earlier examples were steamboats ) for ferry services carrying freight and/or vehicles and/or passengers between Uganda , Tanzania , and Kenya on Lake Victoria . Operating ferries on Lake Victoria are mostly Ro-Pax ferries for

3132-516: Was launched on the lake in 1902 followed by Sybil in 1903. In the First World War East African Campaign , they were armed as gunboats. In 1914, Sybil was beached after striking a rock but she was refloated in 1915 and refitted and returned to service in 1916. In 1924, Sybil was converted into a lighter . Winifred was purposely sunk in 1936 to form a breakwater off Luamba Island. Her remains were scrapped in 1954. In

3190-489: Was practised: at high tide the vessel was floated over a beach of hard sand and allowed to rest on one side when the tide receded. An account of 1434 described how a site near Southampton with a bottom of soft mud was selected for the warship Grace Dieu , so that the hull would bed itself in and remain upright at low tide. A timber, brushwood and clay wall was then built up around the hull. The first early modern purpose-built European and oldest surviving dry dock still in use

3248-618: Was raised. Her purchasers intended to lengthen and re-engine her for use as a tanker . The sister ships SS  Rusinga and SS  Usoga were built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1913 and launched on the lake in 1914 and 1915, respectively. They were troop ships during the First World War East African Campaign and passed into civilian service after the Armistice . EAR&H withdrew Rusinga for scrap in 1966, but she passed into private ownership and in 2005

3306-421: Was still in service. Usoga was laid up in 1975, sank at her moorings at Kisumu in the 1990s, and as of 2006 her remains were still there. SS  Buganda and SS  Buvuma were steamers built by Bow, McLachlan & Co in 1925. In the 1980s, Buvuma was laid up and sank at her jetty. Buganda later became additional accommodation at the Mwanza's Hotel Tilapia, where she remains. RMS Victoria

3364-480: Was used for special purposes only. Except from the Tanzanian ferry business, which started to flourish due to the new ferries built and put into operation, the Ugandan and Kenyan ferry business on Lake Victoria appeared to be dilapidated. In May 2008, the Daily Monitor stated that it expected the Ugandan government to announce in that year's budget speech a government allocation of USh  14 billion to buy

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