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Duke of Lancaster: Appeal after alleged burglary of abandoned ship

NWP One of the men scaling the shipNWP
This police photo shows one man scaling the ship

Police say they want to speak to two men after an alleged burglary at a huge abandoned ship in Flintshire.

The dry-docked Duke of Lancaster, on Coast Road, Mostyn, has been beached for more than 40 years.

North Wales Police said they believed the incident took place sometime between 3-4 September, and items are reported to have been stolen.

The Duke of Lancaster, which is near the A548 Flint-Prestatyn coast road, has not been used since the 1980s.

According to enthusiasts, it ferried passengers between Heysham to Belfast in the 50s and 60s before being converted into a car ferry.

In 1975 it was used briefly on the Fishguard-Rosslare ferry service before running between Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire until it was retired in 1978.

NWP The two men who Police wish to speak to in connection with the burglaryNWP
Police released this photo of two men they want to speak to

A year later it was docked at its present location.

Its final purpose was as the home of a market and leisure complex.

Earlier this month WalesOnline reported that the Duke of Lancaster's owner criticised "urban explorers" who he said broke into the ship by scaling an anchor chain.