VIKING ferry 1924

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aukepalmhof
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VIKING ferry 1924

Post by aukepalmhof » Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:34 pm

Built as a ferry under yard No 1164 by William Denny & Bros Ltd., Dumbarton, Scotland for the Southern Railways Co., Southampton.
11 October 1923 ordered.
23 January 1924 laid down.
02 May 1924 launched under the name DINARD one sister the ST. BRIAC.
Tonnage 2.291 gross, 939 net, dim. 99.05 x 12.63 x 3.80m. (draught).
Powered by four steam turbines, manufactured by William Denny & Bross, 5.276hp., speed 19 knots.
Accommodation for 1.300 passengers, 354 berths available.
04 July 1924 trials.
14 July 1924 sailed from the yard to Southampton.
16 July 1924 delivered to owners.

After delivery used in the night service from Southampton to St Malo, France.
September 1939 after completing her summer sailings between Southampton to St Malo, she was transferred to the Southampton to Le Havre service.
02 October 1939 after arrival in Southampton she was requisitioned for fitting out as a hospital ship.
Renamed in HM Hospital Ship No 28.
From 05 January 1940 standby at Cherbourg.
23 February she made her first crossing with 229 patients from Dieppe to Newhaven.
23 April 1940 she made her second crossing with patients this time from Cherbourg to Southampton.
25 May she made a crossing from Cherbourg to Southampton with on board 118 stretcher patients and 135 walking patients.
Then she was used in the evacuation from France to the UK, took on board 271 patients in Dunkirk for Newhaven, thereafter regular made crossings with patients from France to the U.K. till 17 August.
December 1940 she made one voyage from Belfast with patients to Liverpool where she arrived on 09 December 1940.

1941 Lent to the Royal Navy for use as a hospital ship in Loch Ewe where she arrived on 1 April.
03 October she was send to Newhaven to embark 95 badly wounded Germans for a prisoner change between Germany and Great Britain.
But the Germans government demanded terms not provided for the Geneva Convention and the prisoner swap fell through, the patients were disembarked on 07 October.

Thereafter used to transfer patients from the hospital vessels AMARAPOORA and ISLE OF JERSEY from Scapa Flow to Aberdeen.
In Aberdeen fitted out with wider doors for stretcher transport and davits to hoist stretchers on board.
12 April after sailing from Aberdeen she grounded and needed tugs to refloat her.
The rest of the year used in the shuttle service from Scapa Flow to Aberdeen with patients.
06 January 1943 she grounded again.
After refloating send to the Clyde for a refit for a new operating theatre, a reception ward and power-operated davits.

Thereafter send to the Mediterranean and took part in the landings.
Left 25 June 1943 the Clyde and on 10 July arrived in Bizerte, Tunisia took part in the landings of Sicily, Salerno and Anzio; she carried wounded men from the battle fields to North Africa.
April 1944 her Mediterranean service came to an end when she was needed for the Normandy landings and she sailed for the U.K.
During the preceding 15 months had she visited 30 ports tended 7.577 patients and had steamed over 30.000 miles.

30 May she sailed from Southampton after a refit, but after a collision with a landing craft she had to return. Then at anchor off Seaview till D-Day.
07 June at 13.10 she sailed for Normandy but she kept not in the swept cannel and hit a mine at 1805 in which she got extensive damage forward, all her medical personnel was taken off by HM trawler SWITHA, and the DINARD was towed to the French coast by HM trawler GAIRSAY, the next day she was towed to the Solent, the weather was bad and extra pumps were installed off the Isle of Wight.
09 June she reached Southampton for repair, which took till 17 July.
Thereafter she made several crossings from the Normandy beaches with casualties.
Till the end of the year she had made 37 round trips between the European mainland and Great Britain in which she had carried 6.709 patients.
The first two months of 1945 used in a shuttle service between Cherbourg and Southampton, then she sailed from Dover to handle US casualties from Boulogne.
She made four crossings with USA soldiers which were transferred in Dover to the hospital Ship NEW BEDFORD
23 May arrived back at Southampton after 5½ year in service as a hospital ship.

After a refit in London used for troop transport between Newhaven and Dieppe till 24 May 1946, then she made six crossings from Antwerp to Newhaven.
15 June 1945 transferred to the service between Calais and Dover.
From July 1945 used by Southern Railway in the service between Southampton to the Channel Islands.
19 August 1946 arrived by Palmer’s Hebburn Co. Ltd., Tyne for a refit.
Fitted out as a motor car transport with accommodation for363 passengers and 70 cars. The cars were loaded with a crane.
01 July 1947 used in the service between Dover and Calais or Folkestone and Boulogne.
01 January 1948 transferred to the British Transport Commission.
1952/53 She received modifications; a stern door and ramp were fitted, allowing her to load the cars via this ramp.
1958 Out of service and used as reserve ship at Dover.
07 April 1959 sold to Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen, Mariehamn for £30.000, renamed in VIKING.
21 April 1959 sailed from Dover for a refit to the Aalborg Skibsværft A/S, Aalborg, Denmark.
01 June 1959 till 19 September 1959 in the service between Galtby (Korppoo),-Mariehamn-Gräddö, during the winter laid up.
08 May 1960 till 30 September 1967 in service between Galtby-Mariehamn and Kapellkär.
06 May 1962 till 03 September 1967 in service between Pargas-Mariehamn and Kapellskär.
From 1965 the Vikinglinjes works together with Rederi Ab Slite.
1966 The name of the company was altered to Rederi Ab Solstad, Mariehamn, Finland.
1966 Rederi Ab Sally bought Solstad the company was thereafter a subsidiary.
30 July 1996 the company name was altered in Viking Linjen (Viking Line).
07 August 1967 during severe weather conditions the VIKING got rudder problems, and entered Houtskär for repair.
From 04 September 1967 used in the service between Nådendal-Mariehamn and Kapellskär.
12 August 1970 last sailing from Nådendal on arrival at Mariehamn renamed in VIKING 1.
August 1970 laid up at Mariehamn.
12 August 1973 sold to Helsingin Romuliike, Helsinki, Finland for scrapping.
12 October 1973 under tow sailed from Mariehamn to Helsinki where she arrived on 16 October 1973 for scrapping.

Åland Islands 2009 sg?, scott?

Source: Railway and other steamers by Duckworth and Langmuir. Short Sea: Long War by John de S Winser.
http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz http://www.faktaomfartyg.se/dinard_1924.htm
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