| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ben-my-Chree |
| Owner: | 1927–1965: IOMSPCo. |
| Operator: | 1927–1965: IOMSPCo. |
| Port of registry: | Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird |
| Cost: | £200,000 |
| Yard number: | 926 |
| Launched: | 5 April 1927 |
| Out of service: | 13 September 1965 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1965 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 2,586 gross tons |
| Length: | 111.56 m (366.0 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.02 m (46.0 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × steam turbines |
| Speed: | 22.5 knots (25.9 mph) |
| Capacity: | 1st class passengers: 1642 2nd class passengers: 853 |
Ben-my-Chree was a passenger ferry operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between 1927 and 1965.
The Ben-my-Chree was built in 1927 at the Cammell Laird shipyard, Birkenhead. She was the first steamer built post-World War I for the Steam Packet Co and averaged over 20 knots on the Liverpool-Douglas run. She was painted white with green boot topping for the 1932 season and was very popular with passengers with her luxurious interior.[1]
Requisitioned at the beginning of World War II, she attended the Dunkirk evacuation and saved over 4,000 troops before a collision caused her to withdraw. She sailed on transport duties between Iceland and Britain until 1944 when she was converted to a landing ship, for the forthcoming invasion of Europe. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, she and her landing craft saw action off Omaha Beach, landing American troops of the Ranger Assault Group at Pointe du Hoc. She continued as a transport until 1946 when she returned to service with the Steam Packet Fleet until disposed of in 1965 after 38 years service.[1]
The Ben-my-Chree was the first of three similar vessels built for the company between the wars.[2] The second vessel was the Barrow built Lady of Mann followed by the larger Mona's Queen in 1934.
|
||||||||||