SS Prinses Astrid

Construction

SS Prinses Astrid was built in Hoboken, Antwerp, Belgium at the Cockerill shipyard in 1929 as a cross-Channel ferry for the Belgian Government. She was launched on 20 July 1929 and completed in April 1930. She made her maiden voyage from Ostend to Dover on 24 April 1930. The ship was 113 metres (370 ft 9 in) long, with a beam of 16 metres (52 ft 6 in) and a depth of 3.6 metres (11 ft 10 in). The ship was assessed at 3,300 GRT. She had 6 steam turbines driving two screw propellers and the engine was rated at 2.779 nhp. She could also carry 2950 tons of cargo as well as 1.400 passengers and 65 crew.

Pre-War Career

From 1930 to 1940, the Prinses Astrid was a cross-Channel ferry which was operated by the Belgian Government and sailed the Ostend-Dover line.

World War II

When Germany invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940, many Belgian citizens fled their country. On 18 May 1940, the Prinses Astrid left Ostend harbor with Belgian refugees on route to Southampton, United Kingdom. From 23 May 1940 forward, the Prinses Astrid sailed for the British Ministry of War Transport and she was used for the evacuation of 1.556 English soldiers from France in Operation Aerial from 12 June to 15 June 1940 following Belgiums surrender. She was also used for the evacuation of the Channel Islands Jersey and Guerney between 20 June and 22 June 1940.

The Prinses Astrid sailed with an Ostend crew until 27 September 1940, on 28 September 1940 she was taken over by the Royal Navy. In January 1941, the ship was taken to the Naval Dockyard in Devonport where she was rebuild to a Landing Ship Infantry and on 26 may 1941, the Prinses Astrid was renamed HMS Prinses Astrid LSI(S) – 4226.

In June 1941, HMS Prinses Astrid sailed to Inveraray to join the fleet which remained stand-by for the Landing in the Azores (Operation Truster). As preparation for the operation in August 1941, the Prinses Astrid was send to Scapa Flow for training. But due to electrical problems, the ship wasn't able to participate in Operation Truster. On 20 September 1941, HMS Prinses Astrid arrives in Inveraray to serve as an accommodation ship for Combined Operations Training Classes.

After other repairs, the ship was ready for Operation Jubilee. The ship left Portsmouth on 18 August 1942 at 20.24pm as part of group 3 on route to Blue Beach in Dieppe. The ship led her landingcrafts with Canadian troops safely down at 2.58am on 19 August before returning to the Solent.

On 10 June 1943, HMS Prinses Astrid left Falmouth for Gibraltar and the North African ports of Oran, Algiers, Bizerta en Philippeville, where she arrived on 7 July 1943.

For Operation Husky, HMS Prinses Astrid picked up U.S. Rangers in the Jos Attack-gebied near Licata on 10 July 1943. She joined The Northern Attack Force and left Tripoli on 6 September 1943 for Operation Avelanche for the landing near Salerno on 9 September 1943. The ship left Algiers on 27 October 1943 on route to the UK and became a Submarine Target Ship.

The HMS Prinses Astrid left the Solent on 5 June 1944 as part of the Assault Convoy S7. On 6 June at 05.42am, the ship lay off Sword Beach Head in order to disembark her troops during the invasion of Normandie during D-day. Afterwards, the ship makes multiple crossings with new troops for the Eastern and Western Task Force with Newhaven and Southampton as main ports.

The ship returned to the Solent and followed the Calais–Southampton line on 26 December 1944. After that, she moved to the Tilbury–Ostend Force Duty. From 17 January 1945 to 12 February 1945, the ship sailed the Harwich-Calais line.

Accidents

The HMS Prinses Astrid was involved in a collision on 16 May 1942 with a landingship for tanks. She was repaired and was at the same time modified to participate in Operation Rutter, better known as the raid on Dieppe. The raid was planned for July 1942, but was cancelled due to bad weather.

On 7 July 1942 at 6.15am, HMS Prinses Astrid was hit by a bomb while in the Solent. The bomb hit C-Deck but bounced off the upper structure of a landingcraft located on the side of C-Deck and exploded in the water.

In February 1943, HMS Prinses Astrid sailed into Dartmouth to take in new landingcrafts. When she sailed into the harbor, she collided with a crane arm which bend all the ships starboardscrewpropellors and a cable was lodged in the pordscrew.

The ship's starboardturbine was sabotaged in January 1944 and she was taken out of service for 4 weeks. On 18 October 1944 HMS Prinses Astrid collided with a dredger, her davids and whaler (canon) were damaged. On 28 November 1944 near Avonmouth, a fire breaks out in the ships kitchen and is quickly put out.

The HMS Prinses Astrid collided with the Seapool off Gravesend on 1 January 1945 and left her starboardside damaged.

On 12 February 1945, the ship collided with the porthead of Calais which left a 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in) by 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in) hole under the ships waterline. Because of this accident, the HMS Prinses Astrid was taken out of service again to be repaired, because of that decision the ship couldn't participate in Operation Nestegg which was the liberation of the Channel Islands.

Return to Belgian Service

On 10 April 1945, having survived many incidents, the HMS Prinses Astrid was returned to Belgium and sailed under a Belgian crew again. She was also renamed SS Prinses Astrid. From 15 February 1946 to 12 July 1946, the HMS Prinses Astrid sailed as a trooptransport ship between Dover and Ostend under the Belgian flag. After a number of renovation works, the ship was returned to service on 7 October 1946 as a cross-Channel ferry sailing the Ostend-Dover line.

Sinking

The SS Prinses Astrid left Ostend, Belgium at 14.30pm on 21 June 1949 with 65 crew members and 218 passengers for Dover, United Kingdom. At 16.20pm a violent explosion rocked through the ship, she had struck a magnetic World War II mine which was still active near the middle of the ship, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) off the coast of Dunquerque, France and began to take on water.

Captain Timmermans sailed the ship into shallow waters in order to prevent it from sinking and ground the ship. Meanwhile, the radio operator send out an SOS call which was picked up by all ships near Dunquerque, all of the ships rushed to the stricken ships aid including the cargo ship SS Cap Hatid, various tugs, the trailer Les trois Frères and a giant lifeboat named Amiral Ronarch.

While the SS Prinses Astrid was steaming to undeep waters, an evacuation was issued by the crew at the orders of the captain. Women and children were lowered first into the lifeboats and later the men and crew. The evacuation proceeded very calm as there was enough room for the passengers in the ships 9 lifeboats and since the evacuation was very well coordinated. The captain was the last to leave the ship at 17.48pm, shattering his leg between the lifeboat and the ship in the process.

At 18.00pm the SS Prinses Astrid gained a 45 degrees list before finally sinking at 18.03pm. Since the ship sank in undeep waters, the SS Prinses Astrid quickly came to rest on a sandbank and her upper deck with the funnels stayed above the water.

There was however loss of life, 5 crew members died in the engine room when the mine exploded and 15 people suffered major burns, 4 others including the captain were slightly injured. In total: 60 crew members and all 218 passengers survived the sinking, most of the survivors were rescued by SS Cap Hatid and brought ashore at Dunquerque.

It was later discovered that the mine that hit the SS Prinses Astrid was one of 8 mines which were never found by the navy. The British Navy however denied this claim and stated that a boiler must have exploded since they had full fate that the bomb squads of the British Navy had successfully cleaned the English Channel of mines.

Wreck

The wreck is still on the sandbank to this day. In the years following the sinking, passing ships could see the ships two funnels sticking out of the water and at low tide even the upper decks. As it lay along a busy sea line it was seen regurarly by passengers of passing steamers and became a sort of monument. The site was however also perfect for robbers, but nothing was ever stolen due to the strong and dangerous currents that surround the wreck. Today a buoy marks the site of the wreck as the ships bow has disappeared completely beneath the sandy sea-bed. Many divers still visit the wreck but can only access the stern since the bow is buried in the sand. Many artifacts such as washbasins and railings can be found around or on the wreck.