Red Osprey departing Southampton for East CowesPhotographed from Hythe Pier on 12 February 2009.
Red Osprey is the second of three Raptor Class car ferries, and entered service in October 1994. The Raptor Class were all built in Port Glasgow for the Southampton-East Cowes (Isle of Wight) car ferry service. Red Osprey and Red Falcon were both delivered in 1994 and were 2,881 GRT. Red Eagle was delivered in 1996 and is 3,028 GRT. They were all 83.6 m long, and carried 895 passengers and 140 cars/16 trucks. In October 2003, Red Osprey was sent to Poland for lengthening and the addition of an extra car upper car deck. She returned to service in early 2004.
Red Osprey received the advertising livery shown here for a new IKEA store in Southampton in January 2009.
Picture added on 22 February 2009
Added by Dave Forbes on 25 November 2011.