Ascension : Shrine Is Bound For South Atlantic
Submitted by The Islander (Gavin Yon) 03.04.2008 (Article Archived on 17.04.2008)

A STATUE of the Virgin Mary will be gracing the decks of RMS St Helena when it makes its voyage from Portland to the South Atlantic.

Shrine Bound For South Atlantic
By Miriam Phillips, Daily Echo, www.thisisdorset.net

A STATUE of the Virgin Mary will be gracing the decks of RMS St Helena when it makes its voyage from Portland to the South Atlantic.

The 6,767-tonne ship is the only remaining Royal Mail Ship (RMS) and it is the only ship that carries goods and packages to the South Atlantic island of St Helena.

Captain Andrew Greentree will be bringing the RMS St Helena into Portland Harbour on Easter Saturday where the staff will then have a busy few days unloading and loading cargo before setting off on Wednesday, March 26.

An unusual addition to the cargo this time will be a full-sized statue of the Virgin Mary, which will replace an existing statue on the island that was ruined when an army of ants ate its wooden stand.

To accompany the holy statue will be Catholic priest Canon Michael Griffiths who is to become the only Catholic priest on the island.

Captain Rodney Young will be on the helm as the ship leaves Portland with what a ship spokesman calls a rather special and appropriate item for Easter'.

The RMS is a lifeline to the small island of St Helena as it's the only way goods can get on and off the island because the island has no room for an airfield.

The ship was designed to carry 128 passengers and 1,500 tons of freight, which regularly includes everything from wind turbines, furniture, food, and paint to livestock such as sheep and goats.

During the passage the ship will stop at Tenerife and the Ascension Island en route to St Helena.