In today’s Urbandoned video, we are exploring the abandoned TSS Duke of Lancaster shipwreck, which has sat beached on the
banks of North Wales for 20 years. The famous vessel’s interior has
never been properly documented, and during the challenging mission
required, we would find out why. Like seeing more of the behind the scenes of our explorations, similar to this video? We have three
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link in our description on our website! Alistair: It’s crazy that we’ve never
been here before after 5-6 years of exploring. It’s such a classic place.
Maybe, we’re feeling more confident these days into doing something like this, but yeah, this is our first ever recce. Alex: Yeah, initial scout of the Duke. We’ve got a very complex plan to get in. Obviously, we were in the area so we’re going to have a little look to see what we think. Maybe run on, get caught, spot where all the cameras are. Alistair: Well, I can see one or two cameras, there. Alistair: Wow, she’s some vessel. We do have a plan in mind, but we’re just taking this time to see what things look like in real life, because it’s always a lot different than in Google Maps. Alex: I don’t see the caravan
anymore that I thought secca was in. Alistair: Okay, so maybe, they’re further to the right. Alex: They must be. That means
they’re only responding to cameras. Our first scout of the impressive ship had gone further than we ever anticipated. With the Duke being notoriously sealed and protected by 24/7 security and multiple cameras, we had only casually suggested rough ideas on how we would get onboard. However, liking what we saw on this visit,
soon we were around the back without alerting the surveillance poles,
assessing a potential route up. Alistair: This is what we’re looking at
from the back. Made it here undetected which is a good sign, and we have
our plan ready. I expect the next time you see us is probably in
training for this ascension. At this stage, it still felt like a mammoth task, but our confidence and ideas had definitely increased. Alex: After our little look around the boat, we decided we want to do it with a bit of style, we want to abseil off it, so me and Theo are here to do a little bit of training. I know what I’m doing, I think. Theo: I hope so, because your life is in my hands. Alex: Right, let’s go for it Theo. Theo: We’ve done a safety test
because safety is paramount. Alex: You’ve had one or two goes
now, so should be fairly confident. Theo: Alex is the climber climber, I’m the guinea pig so he’s the man behind the ropes, because I’ve not really taken to ropes as much anymore. This is our little test. It’s a techy test, isn’t it? Alex: Yeah. Theo: It’s not realistic to how the boat will be, but it makes you think about what you are doing to get down this little walk. This bit here, for someone that also doesn’t like heights is quite a horrible section. Alex: It’s really hard to make it look good. Theo: Yeah, it probably looks really awful. Alex: Yeah, it’s because you’re scrambling over these rocks. At this last section when you are hanging, it feels a lot more comfortable, so that’s why I feel it’s good
to show people on this bit. Theo: This is the steep drop and we’re in! With Alex and Theo experienced with the climbing equipment, we were ready to attempt the ship itself, so that night, we found ourselves back in North Wales for the real thing. Alistair: Okay, this is the morning
of our mission to get onboard the Duke of Lancaster. The time is currently 6.22am. Theo: That is correct. Alistair: Still dark for another couple hours. How are we feeling? Theo: Feeling good this morning. We’ve had a lovely three hours sleep. Plenty of breakfast down our gullets - Alistair: Enough chatter from you.
Alex, you’re the mastermind of this one. Alex: I’ve not had any breakfast. I’m feeling fresh, though. Got a heavy bag full of rope and the Duke is waiting for us. Alistair: Currently approaching the boat. It’s very dark down these country paths, but we’re in high spirits. We’re quite confident with the planning and preparation we’ve done. I feel like if we do our job properly, we
should be on her within an hour or so, and then we just have to wait for sunrise. The stars are out. There’s not much traffic around here, so it’s very atmospheric, as well. It feels like we’re doing something a lot more serious than a ship, but lo
and behold, all this is for a big boat. Alistair: We’re coming off path now to go on the rocks around the side of the ship.
This is where the explore begins. Cloaked in darkness, we would sneak between the camera’s channels. Unknowing whether we had been seen or not, we began our ascension. Alistair: Do you want me to take
your bag? Watch that barbed wire above you. If you stand up on the
rail, you can shuffle to the left. One by one, we reached the ship’s frosty deck. Alistair: We’re aboard the Duke of Lancaster. The tension was nowhere near over, as we had to find a way inside the vessel before sunrise, when our chances of being spotted would quadruple. Alistair: There’s the infamous camera
poles. The wind is coming in now. Alistair: As daylight breaks, our next task is to find a way inside before it gets too light and we get too obvious. It’s already lighter than we had hoped for to be at this stage. Alistair: What you don’t expect
when you get on here is for it actually to be sealed. There’s the fin
and these are the really old lifeboats. Searching for an entry point, the sun gradually peaking over the horizon, we started to find gaps in abundance, however, internal blocking proved most efforts to be unsuccessful. Theo: The worm returns unsuccessful. Alistair: I’m going to basically hug you. Oli, I might need you as a stomach support. Theo: I’ll just film. Smile and wave. Alistair: I’m completely horizontal. Theo: It’s quite a good group shot, this. Alistair: Oli, I need stomach support. Alex, you move forward and walk that way. Oli, enter stomach support. Stomach support! Do you know what a stomach is? Belly! Not with your head! Oli: What do you want me to support? Alistair: Legs, Oli, grab legs! Alex: ‘Grab leg.’
Alistair: It’s a painful one on the knees. Oli: They call him the ballerina. Thankfully, a glorious sunrise coincided with one entrance finally working out for us. As daylight broke over the North Wales coastline,
we were inside the Duke of Lancaster. The abandoned ship is truly a spectacle to behold, famous in the region visible from the nearby trainline and roads for miles. At a length of more than 110m, once able to inhabit 1200 passengers, it is colossal and after knowing about
it for years, we felt extremely fortunate to be within it’s seemingly impenetrable walls ready to explore it in it’s entirety. Theo: Finally inside after a
long entry. Beginning on some of the upper levels that are actually quite bare. Alistair: It’s decaying, isn’t it? It’s a lot
more decaying than I thought it was going to be. Theo: It’s very decayed. Little whiffs
you could get from open doors are stuff, you could tell it was going to be. Alistair: This looks like it was covered up, this section. Theo: Yeah, it was, I think. I don’t think there’s anything of interest beyond it. That looks cool. Alistair: I’ll let you go check
out that. Is it like an office? Theo: No, little bedrooms by the looks
of things. This one’s in really good condition. The woodwork is moulding and it stinks, but everything is still intact. I think this room is even nicer. The
blue colour scheme is very fitting. Alistair: Got our first sighting of
the security guard. He’s on the phone strolling about. He just looks like he’s doing a casual patrol if anything around the back, but it’s interesting to see that he’s
not just stationary in the cabin. Oli: I’ve lost him.
Alistair: He’s to the right. He’s coming past now. He doesn’t look like he’s at panic
stations, so I think we’re good. Oli: I’ve lost him. Alistair: He’s going to the left. Going back towards the cabin. This empty level would have once hosted an arcade, and the many machines had been left when the boat was vacated, yet had been removed in 2012, after local collectors purchased the
arcade games from the Duke’s owners. Alistair: It’s a cool staircase. Theo: Very 80s. Alistair: ‘Amusement arcade.’ This is a lot more interesting, already. Theo: This is what I was hoping for. Alistair: So cool. The little seating areas for people. Theo: This blue panel work as well.
Alistair: Yeah, I love the way it curves. It wouldn’t be fair to infiltrate the
Duke of Lancaster, without touching on its fascinating history. How and why is a gigantic passenger ship sat permanently beached on the
North Wales coast? What went wrong? She was built at Belfast between 1955
and 56, designed to operate as a cruise ship and a passenger ferry running
from Heysham to Belfast. However, she ended up travelling all over, completing similar journeys in the Scottish Islands, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Norway and Denmark. In the mid 1960s, passenger ships like the Duke of Lancaster were losing footfall, gradually being replaced by car ferries. In fact, she was amongst the last passenger railway steamer along with her sisters, the Duke of Argyll and the Duke of Rothesay, to be constructed by British Railways,
who operated ferries in this era. The company decided to convert the Duke of Lancaster to accommodate vehicles, enabling her to carry 105 cars and 1200 passengers whilst her cruise ship period ceased, and the boat would operate short crossings until November 1978, when she was retired. The Duke arrived in North Wales in
1979, where she was permanently beached, bricked into a bank next to the River Dee. Here, her intended use was as a static leisure centre called ‘The Fun Ship’ where visitors could come onboard and enjoy various restaurants, bars, leisure facilities, markets and even visit the vessel’s old engine room and bridge. However, there were frequent legal
battles with the council and in 2004, the owners walked away, and subsequent owners have found a similar fate. Since then, the ship has remained abandoned, rusting for more than 20 years, a wondrous attraction for passerby’s who often stop for dog walks and photographs, but nobody is allowed onboard. Theo: Entering B-deck just off of the main reception. Instantly, I’m met with a bright decaying room, just looks like it’s got storage items in here. These look like arcade coins, old slips titled ‘Fun Ship.’ The admission slip, ‘TSS Duke of Lancaster.’ This was definitely a staff room, though, during its operating years. Can see hooks where they’d hang the ‘Pirate bar’ keys, ‘arcade, pool room keys,’ and more. Alistair: It’s really decaying. This room
is totally empty compared to the one before that Theo is in. I think this would have been a bathroom or changing room. Old clock on the wall. Alistair: Just got to be careful because you can never be sure how much weight water is putting on floors. This looks like a big room, but there’s nothing in here. Old painting. Actually, this is quite cool. I imagine this would have been a games room. You’ve got three pool tables and then a couple of Fussball tables,
as well. You’d imagine there would be a lot of seating here, as well, but they’ve
been dismantled and left in that corner. Exiting the staff areas, we were
coming into the areas of the fun ship that would have been open for
the public, such as this recreational space. It was a promising sign with
furniture and old signage remaining. Alistair: The decay on the ceiling is
so cool. It’s unlike anything you see in regular abandoned buildings, I think because of the sea breeze attacking the old ship. Theo: B-deck continues onwards. Luckily, this bit has got natural light, so we don’t have to worry about the torchlight too much. ‘Picnic area,’ I presume that’s this. Oh wow! That is really nice. Airport like, I’d like to say.
Three a berth seats - it’s definitely very public transport design, but the natural light in here coming through is stunning. Alistair: Old advert on the wall. So interesting. Imagine all our effort for an empty ship, it was fitting that the Duke of Lancaster has mostly been left as a time capsule from 2004. We don’t often see structures with as little vandalism and everything left anymore, but perhaps the high security has been the reason why the ship is in an encapsulating condition. Theo: In this unassuming room, there’s this beautiful old wooden desk full of papers. A very disgusting newspaper that’s actually dated 1981 at the top corner. Wonder whether this would have resided originally because it definitely didn’t suite this room, judging by the fact it’s on a deck, as well. You would have thought this would have been in an office. ‘Fax transmission,’ don’t see many of those anymore. It’s about production figures - so cool. Blacked out windows and a bunch of seats ahead, can probably only mean one thing and that’s a cinema. Judging by the decaying numbers on the front of the seats, I would presume that is the case. I assume the screen would be on the back of the door once it shuts. It’s full of cobwebs. Very decaying. Alistair: These are the left and
right staircases for people going up and going down that you often see on ships for fire safety. ‘Blue lounge.’ Theo: That’s behind us. What on
earth is that? Kitchen appliance. Alistair: Looks massive. Theo: It is, yeah. Pool in here,
unfortunately all the tables are gone. Alistair: Look at that sign, there, that’s really cool. I wonder if there’s any of them left. Theo: Judging by the theme so far, I doubt it. Sadly not. Alistair: It’s very flooded in here.
I can see a couple more pool tables at the far end like the ones that were
upstairs, but no dartboards. Jesus Christ! It’s a bit unsettling being in a boat that’s flooded. Theo: This appears to be the cafeteria, which looks incredible. Completely left, as I squeeze through this gap. Look at that sign, there - ‘trays.’ Could out your trays under the table, which is a really neat little trick actually, don’t see that anymore. How cool is this? Oli: So cool. It feels very American. Theo: That was literally my next line, especially how it’s all left like this. Something you’d see in a mall in America. Even all the signs - oh my god and that’s a model as well on the counter, and all the menu is still written.
You just can’t ask for much more. Oli: Look at that: ‘beef burger 99p with chips.’ Theo: Yeah, you can tell it’s dated just by the prices. Oli: That’s insane. ‘Fish and chips £1.25.’ Alistair: The problem is with this place is that a lot of doors are locked and welded shut, as we’re finding, so this is becoming quite common practice. We’re obviously not including most of it though to make the video more interesting. With camera on, as well! Oli: Do you want to take the world’s longest tripod through? Alistair: There it goes! Alistair: Right, that’s dealt with, now we continue. Here’s the sign for the Sea View cafeteria that we were just in. Theo: I really like the hung sign, actually. Alistair: All the signs in this place have been really cool, so far. Theo: Can tell this is a bit more
service tunnel-esque from when it was an operating ship, and not
something that was publically open. Alistair: There’s another restaurant,
apparently. I wonder why this is cordoned off. Theo: Pausing the action. Alistair: Watch the step. This is cool. Theo: This is really cool, it’s gone back to that - Alistair: - retro look. Theo: Yeah, exactly, that we first saw. Alistair: Look at the glasses up. Theo: Oh wow! And the signage again. Alistair: This is that staircase that we started at. This one’s padlocked but it’s missing. Theo: Is this the lounge? Alistair: Yeah.
Theo: Oh my days… Alistair: This is crazy. Theo: Unlike the rest of the place, this is hardly decaying, as well. This is basically able to get back in use right now. Alistair: Yeah, this is awesome - just totally untouched. This bar and others we would find, one which was locked up for good, were likely kept traditional for 80s and
90s visitors of the fun ship to experience how life was in a cruise ship of the 50s. We are fairly confident this very room was the first class suite during the Duke’s
operational period as a passenger ferry. Alistair: Behind the bar. Even the mugs are still here. This just looks outdated though, or maybe that’s just what they had to deal with because it was on a ship. I’ve never seen taps that look this tacky, I
guess you’d say. Just awesome! Last place I’ve seen like this was Station Hotel
I think, it’s very reminiscent of that. Alistair: The menu for this bar. It’s quite small. It’s interesting to compare the prices. ‘Soup of the day. Fruit Juice. Roast beef. Grilled pork and grilled lamb chops,’ and here, look ‘Chicken and chips, served with salad, roll, butter £1.60. Beef burger and chips £1.50. Jumbo sausage 90p with chips and salad and bread.’ It’s just unheard of. Cheese and biscuits for 50p?! That’s what I would go for. It’s mental, though, I love comparing stuff like this now and then. You get a tea for 20p, like P&O, you should be watching this. Alistair: Here’s another one, all boarded up and padlocked, but someone has took the window out. Glancing through, it
is really cool in there, as well. Theo: Yeah, this is the restaurant. It’s a bit of a tighter squeeze than the prior. It’s so retro, everything about it. Alistair: It’s just the way that if this wasn’t on this ship, it would all be mismatched and all the chairs and furniture would just be everywhere. Theo: I know and that’s what is so special about it. Alistair: It’s the way it looks like it was literally just left yesterday and then abandoned for 30 years… Theo: …yet these rooms are so immaculate. Bit of a further look. More unbroken glassware. It’s so strange why these rooms are so immaculate and untouched. You’ve got to say, the American theme is very strong, here. I love the lighting. Look at these, I’ve never seen these before. I’ve just noticed a bunch of menus for ‘The Dolphin Restuarant: The Captain’s Table.’ Look at the prices. All of the pizzas: £2.76, the most expensive being £3.32. It’s absolutely incredible how prices have changed, and there’s the front cover. Theo: I presume this is the central kitchen. There’s not many appliances left anymore. We’ve already seen one scattered about the place. Every kitchen that is abandoned has the same smell about it and this is no exception. I don’t think there’s anything special, but definitely not a small operation for the kitchen staff, here, running the restaurant, the cafeteria behind us that we’ve
already been through and everything else. Alistair: It’s very decayed through
here, with these symbols on the wall, and all of these would have had photos in. See some of them are still there. I don’t think this is Duke related, but it’s
still cool. There’s text under this one: ‘Connah’s Quay: The grain elevator tugged by ____, 1926.’ Very interesting. This one is also Connah’s Quay, but 1959, can
see cooling towers in the background. Theo: We’re now at ground floor, which means we’ve got to be a little bit quieter because security are patrolling. Alistair: It’s like they just stored all the
cr** here. These, here, are the doors they use. Theo: You can tell, can’t you? This is all stuff that someone could come in and get. This bit definitely doesn’t feel as abandoned, although there’s still items and stuff. Alistair: There’s not really anything interesting down here. Theo: Weird assortment - I mean, why’s there a trolley down here and then a bunch of refurbished benches? Either
way, it’s cool to be at the bottom of the ship, it gives you a full free run from each end and shows you really how big it is. Alistair: We’re now back on the deck just about to leave, but we’re just having a look during the day because it’s a bit different to how it looked in the early morning. We tried to get into the control room, which is here, but unfortunately, it was all sealed. I imagine I’ll insert some old video footage of how it looked, because it still is like that, we can just about make it out through the glass. You can tell when you’re onboard walking around the ship how destroyed it is. All the foliage growing on these walkways, the rust, the water damage that’s making the wood rot. It’s not really safe to be on and I mean, you saw what the inside was like. The plan is now to make our interesting descent, this time in broad daylight and see if we can make it off this boat without detection, and then it is mission success. It was time to put our training into practice as we prepared to abseil off the ship’s stern. Alistair: The time has come. Oli: Call me the piglet. Alistair: The guinea pig. The time has come. We’re preparing the gear. We’re actually using the boat to our advantage with these large, metal things that we can attach the ropes to. We’ll see how this goes. We’ve practiced, but we’ve never done this properly in a real life situation. Theo: You’re all happy, there, aren’t
you? Sweet. Go to your instructor. Oli: Feel like I’m wearing the tightest thong. Alistair: You look like you’ve got a nappy on! Oli: Right, so if I fall now, what does the harness do? Alistair: It just becomes a little bungee jump, you know. Oli: Oh, in that case…
Oli: This is scary now. Theo: Lean back when there’s tension. Alistair: You can hold the rope, can’t he? Oli: I just start walking? Petrifying. Oh my god! Theo: Keep walking. Oli: This is f***ing cool. It’s scary as sh**. Theo: Alistair is going in. This man is not afraid of heights so he should be fine. As you can see, as he stands freely on top of the bannister with the death drop behind him. A lesson that you can never take Urban Exploration for granted until you are well and truly in the clear. The plan was for myself and Oli to leave separately to Theo and Alex, purely to get a drone shot of them descending off the ship. However, with the tide further in and perhaps a bit of carelessness after spending hours on the boat, we were spotted by one of the cameras. This would mean that when Alex and Theo eventually came down, pointlessly later because it was too windy to fly the drone, that they wouldn't have the time and focus I and Oli had during the abseil. Theo: We all good? Oh sh** - he’s here. Sorry mate, we’re getting down now. We’re on our way down now mate. We’ll get out your way. Security: How many of you are up there?
Alex: Just us. Theo: Will this hold me now? Alex: Yeah. Security: Are you going to answer me or no? Alex: Yeah, we’re just getting him down safely, mate. Security: Why are you up there? Alex: We were just taking photos, mate. We like history. Security: So you’re explorers, yeah?
Alex: We are. Theo: It’s not moving. Alex: Just pull it, it’s going, it’s going. There you go. Theo: I’m still not moving. Alex: There you go. Keep feeding it through. Security: They’re sixty years old, those things you are leaning on. Eventually, Theo was able to get down and now it was only Alex left onboard the Duke of Lancaster. Security: Hope you had a great day here smashing all the windows and the doors. Alex: We don’t break anything, mate. We don’t break anything. Security: Are you in the vehicle?
Alex: We’re not in a vehicle, no. Despite the security guard being relatively calm, he wasn’t alone and was about to be joined by another man. Meanwhile, Alex was forced to focus on his first ever solo descent,
putting all else aside for the time being. Theo: I get that. We’ve not broken anything. Man: I don’t give a f***. What are you doing? Theo: We’re leaving. Security: They can’t answer that. I’ve asked them that. Theo: Do you want to get off here?
Alex: Yeah, I’ll get off here. Man: Are you in a car? Are you in a car? Are you in a car? Theo: No, we’re not. Man: That’s fine. I’ve got Jimmy coming round that way. Theo: We’re leaving. Honestly, we’re leaving. Man: So what’s your name? Theo: My name? I don’t have to say my name. Security: But you don’t have to break in, here? Theo: I know. I get that. It’s a bit of a sticky one, isn’t it? Man: If I come round your house and break into your f***ing house, what would you say? Theo: I wouldn’t like it. Security: They know they’re wrong
because they haven’t got a f***ing answer. Have you brought a knife to cut those ropes? Alex: No, we’ll pull it down. Security: No, we want to cut them. Theo: If you want to cut them, cut them. Are you jumping? Alex: Yeah. Man: Okay, well, you’re going to f***ing leave that, here. Alex: We’re not leaving the rope, mate. Man: Yes you are, are you? Alex: No we’re not. Man: Yes you are. Listen, you need to go now mate. Alex: Yeah, we’re going, but you’re not leaving with our rope. Man: Yes we are. Yes we are. Yes we are. Alex: This is technically stealing, mate. Man: What? You’re on my f***ing
property and I’m f***ing stealing? Alex: We’re sorry, mate. Man: You’re f***ing sorry? Alex: If you let go of the rope, it will just be us leaving. Theo: We’ll never see you again. Man: No, I’ll f***ing see you again, alright?
Theo: Yeah. We are going. Lady: Ant, just let them go.
Security: Let it go, Ant. Theo: We are going. All good? Security: All good? You’ve done nothing but upset all of us. Man: You’ve come and took the p***. And you think it’s f***ing funny, don’t you? Alex: I’m not laughing. I take this quite seriously. Our exploration was one of our favourites we have ever done, mainly because of the fame surrounding the mysterious boat, yet we haven’t seen comprehensive coverage of its interior in recent years. It is the perfect place that we enjoy documenting firsthand and additionally required a strenuous
amount of dedication to see it succeed. The Duke of Lancaster will tragically
continue to rot on the Welsh shores, despite various plans in the last
decade for a 300 bedroom hotel, paintballing arena and a dockside
attraction. Legal battles progress to this day that seem to mostly focus on a small bridge on the access road to the ship, that the council claims is too weak to hold fire engines, hence it becoming a fire safety concern. It is a one of a kind abandoned site
that we will remember for decades to come for many reasons, and we would like to think that this documentary can prove a resource to anyone with any intrigue into the silhouetted ferry besides the River Dee. Hopefully, these seemingly unsuccessful talks will result in something happening to the shipwreck soon, or it will remain a fascinating
blight on the Welsh coastline forever. Here are some of our photographs captured at the Duke of Lancaster. If you like the look of them, check out our Instagram page in
the description where we share images from our explores months
before they are seen on YouTube. Thanks for watching! We really hope
you enjoyed one of our favourite videos we have ever made. Remember to check out our magazine on our website for more amazing explorations
like this. See you next time!
