SS Essex Ferry (1917)
| Company type | Freight vessel / Landing craft carrier |
|---|---|
| Industry | Maritime transport |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Headquarters | Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom |
| Products | Rail freight ferry service, landing craft transport |
TSS Train Ferry No. 1 was a Roll-on/roll-off freight vessel constructed in 1917 for the British War Office to facilitate rail freight transport to mainland Europe during World War I. Following the conflict, it transitioned to civilian service until the outbreak of World War II, when it was adapted to carry and deploy landing craft.
Post-war, the vessel resumed ferry operations until its dismantling in 1957.
History
Built by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle upon Tyne, the ship was launched in 1917. Together with its sister ships SS Train Ferry No. 2 and SS Train Ferry No. 3, it represented one of the earliest vessels to provide scheduled rail freight transport between Britain and continental Europe. Commissioned by the British Army, these ferries enabled rail freight movement from the military facility at Port Richborough to Europe, enhancing loading and unloading efficiency in port through four parallel rails on the train deck and use of a link span during harbor operations.
After military service concluded in 1922, ownership transferred to the Great Eastern Railway, which relocated the vessel to Harwich International Port. There, the landing stage was reconstructed[lower-alpha 1] to establish a connection to Zeebrugge, operated jointly with the Federal Government of Belgium via the Great Eastern Train Ferry Company. When the Great Eastern Railway merged into the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923, LNER assumed its stake in this joint venture. The ferry service officially commenced on 24 April 1924, inaugurated by the Prince George, Duke of Kent.
On 13 December 1924, the vessel was involved in a collision with two river barges near Antwerp, an incident that resulted in no casualties.
Following the liquidation of the Great Eastern Train Ferry Company in 1934, ownership passed fully to LNER.
In 1940, the Royal Navy requisitioned the ship and renamed it Iris. It played a role in evacuating civilians from the Channel Islands that year. The following year, it underwent conversion into a Landing Craft Carrier; its dual funnels were merged into a single stack. In 1942, it received another renaming to Princess Iris.
As Princess Iris, it could accommodate fourteen landing craft on its train deck and an additional four on the upper deck. The train deck craft were deployed via a stern chute—hence its classification as a "Landing Ship Stern Chute"—while those on the upper deck were handled by crane. Throughout wartime operations, its primary function was transporting landing craft.
Returning to LNER control in 1946, it was renamed Essex Ferry. The vessel served under British Railways from 1948 until being withdrawn in 1956, after which it was renamed Essex Ferry II before being scrapped at Grays, Essex in 1957.
Notes
- ↑ The original Port Richborough portal frame remains operational as of 2019 Template:Cite needed
References
Bibliography
- Anderson, Richard M. (1990). "Response: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 107. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Atherton, D. (1990). "Response: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 108–110. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Dittmar, Fred (1990). "Response: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 107. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Heine, Paul J. (1990). "Response: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 107–108. ISSN 0043-0374.