SS Train Ferry No. 1
| Company type | Freight vessel / Train ferry |
|---|---|
| Industry | Maritime transport |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Founder | Armstrong Whitworth (builder) |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1957 |
| Headquarters | Newcastle upon Tyne (built) , United Kingdom |
| Products | Roll-on/roll-off freight ferry services, landing craft carrier |
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 continental Europe during World War I. Following the conflict, it served civilian roles until the outbreak of World War II, when it was adapted to carry and deploy landing craft.
Post-war, the vessel resumed ferry operations before being dismantled in 1957.
History
Built by Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle upon Tyne, the ship was launched in 1917. Together with her sister ships, SS Train Ferry No. 2 and SS Train Ferry No. 3, she formed the pioneering fleet providing scheduled rail freight services between Britain and mainland Europe. Commissioned by the British Army, these ferries transported rail vehicles from the military hub at Port Richborough to continental ports, enhancing efficiency by expediting loading and unloading processes. The train deck featured four parallel rails, and a link span facilitated loading operations while docked.
After military use ceased in 1922, ownership transferred to the Great Eastern Railway, which relocated the vessel to Harwich International Port#Harwich where the landing stage from Port Richborough was reconstructed[lower-alpha 1]. This enabled a ferry route 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 inherited its stake in this ferry enterprise. The service commenced on 24 April 1924, officially opened by the Prince George, Duke of Kent.
On 13 December 1924, she was involved in a collision with two river barges near Antwerp, though no casualties resulted.
In 1934, following the liquidation of the Great Eastern Train Ferry Company, ownership passed fully to LNER.
Requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1940 and renamed Iris, the ship played a role in evacuating civilians from the Channel Islands. In 1941, she underwent conversion into a Landing Craft Carrier; this modification included merging her twin funnels into a single stack. She was renamed again in 1942 as Princess Iris.
As Princess Iris, she could accommodate fourteen landing craft on her train deck and an additional four on the upper deck. The lower deck craft were deployed via a stern chute—hence her classification as a "Landing Ship Stern Chute"—while those on the upper deck were handled with cranes. Throughout wartime service, her primary function was transporting landing craft.
Returning to LNER control in 1946, she was renamed Essex Ferry. She operated under British Railways from 1948 until her withdrawal in 1956, after which she was briefly called Essex Ferry II before being scrapped at Grays, Essex in 1957.
Notes
- ↑ The original Port Richborough portal frame remained operational as of 2019 Template:Cite needed
References
Bibliography
- Anderson, Richard M. (1990). "Re: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 107. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Atherton, D. (1990). "Re: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 108–110. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Dittmar, Fred (1990). "Re: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 107. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Heine, Paul J. (1990). "Re: Mystery Photo No. 97". Warship International. XXVII (2): 107–108. ISSN 0043-0374.