The new ‘Somerset’ at the new Ro-Ro terminal, Royal Dock, Grimsby 1966.

An image from the original 1966 negative.

In the 1960s, DFDS commissioned three Ro-Ro ships specifically to handle the bacon trade from Esbjerg, Denmark to Grimsby. The ‘Somerset’, ‘Stafford’ and ‘Surrey’ carried bacon and butter in refrigerated containers. The vessels were designed to fit through the narrow lock at Grimsby. The ships served into the 1980s and were affectionately known as the ‘butterboats’.

The ‘Somerset’ later became a livestock carrier.