SS Viking (1905)

SS (RMS) Viking

Company type	Passenger steamer
Industry	Maritime transport
Founded	March 9, 1905 (1905-03-09) at Armstrong Whitworth shipyard, River Tyne, UK
Headquarters	River Tyne , United Kingdom
Products	Passenger transport services
Number of employees	80 (crew)
Parent	Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

SS (RMS) Viking was a steel-hulled passenger steamer featuring triple-screw turbines, operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company from 1905 until 1954.

Construction & dimensions

Constructed at the Armstrong Whitworth shipyard located on the River Tyne, Viking was launched by Miss Woodhead on Thursday, 9 March 1905. It marked the company's inaugural vessel powered by turbine technology.

At the time of her launch, she was hailed as "the finest steamer to ever carry the company's emblem."

Measuring 350 feet in length with a beam of 42 feet and a depth of 17 feet 3 inches, Viking accommodated a crew complement of 80 and was certified to transport up to 2,000 passengers. Passenger facilities included saloon areas positioned aft, while forward sections were designated for steerage passengers.

Powered by engines producing 10,000 indicated horsepower, she achieved a service speed of 22 knots. Her sea trials took place in late May 1905.

The vessel’s propulsion system consisted of three propellers driven by three sets of Parsons direct-acting turbines: a high-pressure turbine at the centre shaft and low-pressure turbines on each wing shaft. Boiler steam pressure was maintained at 160 pounds per square inch. The astern turbines were integrated within the low-pressure casings on the wing propellers. Remaining in operation until 1954, Viking was the last coal-fired passenger ship in the Steam Packet fleet, consuming approximately 60 tons of coal per round trip between Douglas and Fleetwood.

1905–1915

While the official registered speed of Viking was 22 knots (41 km/h) and company records indicated 22.5 knots, she was reportedly capable of reaching speeds up to 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) on certain occasions. It was noted that only the most senior Cunard liners could surpass her speed, making her the swiftest vessel in the Manx route.

On 25 May 1907, Viking achieved the quickest recorded crossing between Fleetwood and Douglas, completing the trip in 2 hours 22 minutes with an average velocity of 23.2 knots (43.0 km/h; 26.7 mph). Later, on 22 July, during the return journey, she completed the passage in 2 hours 24 minutes at an average speed of 22.6 knots (41.9 km/h; 26.0 mph).

Commissioned specifically for service on the Fleetwood–Douglas route, Viking was intended to compete with the Midland Railway Company's turbine steamer Manxman, which operated between Heysham and the Isle of Man.

First World War Service

Main article: HMS Vindex (1915)

On 23 March 1915, the Admiralty requisitioned Viking, later acquiring her outright within the same year. After conversion, she was officially commissioned at Liverpool on 11 August.

File:HMSVindex1915.jpg

HMS Vindex during active duty.

Renamed Vindex by the Admiralty following purchase on 11 October, she was transformed into a Seaplane Carrier akin to the Ben-my-Chree. Initially stationed at the Nore and Harwich, she subsequently deployed to the Mediterranean.

Equipped to carry four Short Type 184 seaplanes along with as many as four Bristol Scout fighters, Vindex accommodated landplanes fitted with wheeled undercarriages. Since these fighters could not land back on board conventionally, they were required to ditch in water and remain afloat using flotation devices until recovered by crane.

Assigned to the Grand Fleet at Harwich in November 1915, Vindex witnessed a pioneering event on 3 November when Sub. Lieut. H. F. Towler launched one of her fighter aircraft from her flying-off platform—later known as a Flight deck. This marked the first occasion a landplane with wheels successfully took off from an aircraft carrier's deck. Towler’s feat paved the way for regular Bristol Scout takeoffs from these compact carrier platforms.

In 1916, Vindex continued conducting airborne trials at sea with positive outcomes. She transported Sopwith 1½ Strutter fighters modified with skids replacing wheels; these skids functioned as slides allowing aircraft to launch from a 64 feet (20 m) forward trackway.

Following her assignments with forces at Harwich and in other parts of the North Sea, Vindex was deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in 1918 where she performed similar duties to those of Ben-my-Chree. She remained active there until hostilities ceased and returned to Plymouth in March 1919.

1919–1939

File:Viking pictured in the Mersey..JPG

Viking seen on the Mersey.

The vessel known as Vindex was sold back to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in April 1919, regaining her original name and rejoining the fleet after being converted back into a passenger steamer by July 1920.

For a decade, she remained the principal ship operating the Fleetwood–Douglas route until the arrival of the Lady of Mann in 1930 led to her replacement on this service. Following the initiation of the Lady of Mann’s Fleetwood sailings, Viking continued to serve that port but also expanded her duties to include more varied assignments.

Second World War Service

At the onset of World War II in September 1939, Viking was requisitioned and assigned as a personnel transport vessel, primarily ferrying troops between Southampton and Cherbourg.

Although she played an active role in moving members and equipment of the British Expeditionary Force to France during the early days of the conflict, Viking was unable to participate in the pivotal Operation Dynamo evacuation because she had recently sustained bomb damage in the Thames Estuary and was undergoing repairs. Nevertheless, she contributed significantly during the later stages of the BEF’s retreat from France.

Under the command of Captain James Bridson, with Edward Gelling as chief officer and Harry Kinley as second officer, Viking took part in Operation Aerial at both Le Havre and later Cherbourg. Subsequently, she was sent to Guernsey to assist with the evacuation during the Occupation of the Channel Islands. Arriving at Saint Peter Port, she embarked approximately 1,800 schoolchildren—nearly all of the island’s youth—and safely transported them to Weymouth.

After this phase, she sailed to Barrow in Furness before being laid up at the Tongue in Douglas Harbour, eventually resuming her civilian duties on the Fleetwood to Douglas route.

Requisitioned once more, Viking initially served on troop transport missions to Orkney and Shetland, then spent seven months from June 1942 acting as a target vessel for the Fleet Air Arm based at Crail.

From December 1943 until 1945, she returned to use as a personnel transport ship.

During the D-Day operations, Viking operated off the French coast. On 28 June 1944, while undergoing maintenance at London's Surrey Commercial Docks within the Port of London, she was struck by a flying bomb.

Her wartime service concluded in June 1945 when she was released from military duties and returned to the ownership of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company.

File:Viking at the Liverpool Landing Stage..JPG

Viking.

Post-war period

After completing her wartime duties, Viking rejoined the Steam Packet fleet in June 1945. The refit she received upon her release from requisition was conducted in haste, necessitating a more extensive overhaul at the Cammell Laird shipyards in 1949. During the winter of 1950 to 1951, she returned to Laird's for additional maintenance, which notably included the reblading of her turbines.

Decommissioning

Viking concluded her service with the Steam Packet on the Fleetwood route on 14 August 1954. Two days later, she departed under her own power for Barrow, where she was dismantled. After nearly five decades of operation, Viking was scrapped by Thos. W. Ward at Barrow.

Trivia

The vessel maintained a strong connection with the Port of Fleetwood. To honor this enduring relationship, on 24 May 1955, the Directors of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company gifted Viking's Ship's bell to the Borough of Fleetwood as a token commemorating the ship’s long-standing association with the town. This engraved bell was prominently displayed for many years in the 'Viking Bar' located on Fleetwood Pier until the pier’s eventual closure.

Official number and code letters

Official numbers are assigned by respective national authorities and differ from IMO ship identification numbers. Viking bore the UK Official Number 118604 and initially used the Code Letters H R C S Template:ICSTemplate:ICSTemplate:ICSTemplate:ICS. Following her Great War Service, these were updated to G P M D Template:ICSTemplate:ICSTemplate:ICSTemplate:ICS.

References

Bibliography

• Chappell, Connery (1980). Island Lifeline T.Stephenson & Sons Ltd ISBN 0-901314-20-X

External links

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