HMS Ben-my-Chree
HMS Ben-my-Chree
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | Ben-my-Chree |
Namesake | Manx ben ma chree, "woman of my heart" |
Operator | Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. |
Port of registry | Douglas, Isle of Man |
Route | England–Isle of Man |
Builder | Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness |
Laid down | 1907 |
Launched | 23 March 1908 |
Completed | 8 August 1908 |
Fate | Chartered by the Royal Navy, 1 January 1915 |
United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Ben-my-Chree |
Acquired | 1 January 1915 |
Commissioned | 23 March 1915 |
Fate | |
General characteristics (as passenger ship) | |
Type | Packet |
Tonnage | 2,651 GRT |
Length | 390 ft (118.9 m) (o/a) |
Beam | 46 ft (14.0 m) |
Depth | 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) |
Decks | 5 |
Installed power | 4 × cylindrical boilers |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 24.2 kn (44.8 km/h; 27.8 mph) |
Capacity | 2,549 |
Crew | 119 |
General characteristics (in RN service) | |
Type | Seaplane carrier |
Displacement | 3,888 long tons (3,950 t) |
Length | 387 ft (118.0 m) (o/a) |
Draught | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
Installed power | 14,500 shp (10,800 kW) |
Speed | 24.5 kn (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) |
Crew | 250 |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 4–6 × seaplanes |
HMS Ben-my-Chree (
She was chartered by the RN at the beginning of 1915 and participated in several abortive attacks on Germany in May. The ship was transferred to the
Description and construction
SS Ben-my-Chree had a tonnage of 2,651 GRT.[5] The ship was 390 feet (118.9 m) long overall and 375 feet (114.3 m) long between perpendiculars. She had a beam of 46 feet (14.0 m) and a depth of 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) from her main deck to the top of her keel. Ben-my-Chree had five decks[6] and a capacity of 2,549 passengers with a crew of 119.[2]
The ship was powered by three license-built
She was ordered in 1907 by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and was built at the
SS Ben-my-Chree was chartered by the Royal Navy on 1 January 1915 and she began her conversion into a
In RN service the ship displaced 3,888 long tons (3,950 t), was 387 feet (118.0 m) long overall, and had a draught of 16 feet (4.9 m). Ben-my-Chree's turbines generated 14,500 shaft horsepower (10,800 kW) and she was credited with a speed of 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) although that speed was exceeded in service. The ship could carry 502 long tons (510 t) of coal. Her crew consisted of approximately 250 officers and ratings.[5]
Her armament consisted of four
She was initially assigned to the
To the Dardanelles
In May 1915, she sailed for the
On 2 September, she helped to rescue
Loss
French troops occupied the Greek island of Kastellorizo, off the southwest coast of Turkey, on 20 December 1916 to use it as an advance base against the Turks. Not pleased at the presence of the French, the Turks secretly deployed an artillery battery of four 155-millimetre (6.1 in) and twelve 77-millimetre (3.0 in) guns within range of the island. The French commander requested a seaplane carrier to conduct reconnaissance in the area and Ben-my-Chree was sent in response. She arrived on 11 January 1917 and anchored in the harbour which faced the mainland. The Turkish guns opened fire about two hours later, hitting the carrier with their third shot. Subsequent shells disabled her steering and started a fire in her hangar that spread across her upper deck.[3] (See Mustafa Ertuğrul Aker)
The crew was ordered to abandon ship after about forty minutes of the bombardment using the only remaining operable
Ben-my-Chree's wreck remained in place until 15 August 1920 when it was
During her short career she operated
Notes
- ^ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 18 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
Footnotes
- ^ Dotan, p. 133
- ^ a b c d e Caruana, et al., p. 297
- ^ a b c d e f g h Caruana, et al., p. 298
- ^ a b c d Layman, p. 44
- ^ a b c d e f Layman, p. 43
- ^ a b "Launch of the Ben-my-Chree"
- ^ a b Friedman, p. 32
- ^ King, p. 82
- ^ Bruce, p. 9
- ^ MacPherson, p. 289
- ^ Bruce, p. 10
- ^ Preston, p. 68
- ^ Caruana, et al., pp. 298–99
- ^ Somner, p. S224
References
- Bruce, J. M. (2001). The Short 184. Windsock Datafile. Vol. 85. Berkhampstead, UK: Albatros Productions. OCLC 295877455.
- Caruana, J.; Field, Andy; Head, Michael; et al. (December 2012). "Question 33/48: British Seaplane Tender Sunk by Turkish Artillery". Warship International. Vol. 49, no. 4. International Naval Research Organization. pp. 297–299. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Chappell, Connery (1980). Island Lifeline. Prescot: T. Stephenson. ISBN 0-90131420-X.
- Dotan, Yossi (2007). Watercraft on World Coins, Volume 1: Europe, 1800–2005. Brighton, UK: Alpha Press. ISBN 9781898595496.
- ISBN 0-87021-054-8.
- King, H. F. (1981) [1980]. Sopwith Aircraft, 1912–1920. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30050-5.
- "Launch of the Ben-My-Chree". Manx Quarterly. 1 (4). S. K. Broadbent. April 1908.
- Layman, R. D. (1989). Before the Aircraft Carrier: The Development of Aviation Vessels, 1859–1922. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-210-9.
- MacPherson, K., ed. (1968). "Turncoat Carriers". Warship International. Vol. 5, no. 4. pp. 285–94. ISSN 0043-0374.
- ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Somner, Graeme (April 2022). "Company History and Fleet List: Stelp and Leighton Ltd. Part 1". Marine News Supplement. 76 (4): S223–S242. ISSN 0966-6958.
Further reading
- Blackburn, Charles John (1923). "The Ben-my-Chree". How the Manx Fleet Helped in the Great War. Douglas, UK: Louis G. Meyer. OCLC 12076508.
- Hart, Peter (2000). "Gallipoli: The Air War" (PDF). Imperial War Museums. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2007.