Marie Henriette (paddle steamer)

[shipstamps]

The Marie Henriette, the second ship of the Belgian State to bear this name. She was ordered from the yard of John Cockerill, of Antwerp, in 1892 and entered the service in the following year. On her trials she achieved a speed of 22.2 knots and her cross-Channel voyage took three hours ten minutes. She was the fastest paddle-steamer in the world at that time and naturally held the cross-Channel record. The Marie Henriette was 340ft. in length, 38ft. in breadth and 15ft. in depth and she had a gross tonnage of 1,451. Her career terminated on the night of October 4, 1914, when she ran on the Contentin Reefs while engaged in transporting troops. All the passengers and equipment were saved, but the vessel was a total loss.
SG1175 Sea Breezes 5/50

[aukepalmhof]

Built in 1892/93 as a paddle-steamer under yard No 321 by Societé J Cockerill at Hoboken near Antwerp for the Belgium State Railway.
Launched under the name MARIE HENRIETTE, second vessel under that name by the company.
Tonnage 1.525 gross, 831 net, dim. 108.16 x 11.59 x 2.82m.
Powered by a compound steam engine, 8.300hp, speed 22 knots.
During trial she reached a maximum speed of 22.3 knots, and at that time she was the fastest paddlewheel steamer of the world.
August 1893 completed.

Built for the ferry service between Oostende and Dover.
After leaving Dover in January 1902 during a severe storm she lost the use of her starboard paddle wheel, after drifting out of control for a time, she was towed safely in by the Belgium tugboat LA FLANDRE at Dover after a passage of 64 hours, her normal time was 3 hours and 10 minutes.

During World War I used as a shuttle boat between Calais and Cherbourg with wounded from the Yzer/Ieper frontline.
She was lost on 24 October 1914 on a voyage with on board 650 wounded troops when she grounded on Les Equets Shoals near Cape Barfleur.
She sailed out during the night from Calais to avoid submarine contact, but all coastal navigation lights were extinguished near Cape Barfleur, and the captain of the MARIE HENRIETTE was not informed before sailing.
Crew and wounded all saved by a destroyer, but the vessel was a total loss.

Sources: A Century of Cross Channel Ferries by Ambrose Greenway.
Additional info from Mr. Urbain Ureel