HMS Prince Charles was a ship taken up from trade

STUFT

STUFT is a nautical acronym for Ship Taken Up From Trade, and applies to civilian ships requisitioned for government use.The Falklands conflict of 1982 saw a diversity of Ships Taken Up From Trade...

 in the Second World War. Built as the Belgian cross-channel ferry Prince Charles, it was requisitioned by the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 and used as a Landing Ship, Infantry

Landing Ship, Infantry

Landing Ship, Infantry was a British term for a type of ship used to transport infantry in amphibious warfare during the Second World War...

, before being returned in early 1945.

Civilian service

Prince Charles was originally ordered by the Belgian government in 1929 as part of a series of four fast ferries for cross-channel use, and was completed in 1930. The ship was named after Prince Charles of Belgium

Prince Charles of Belgium

Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Prince of Belgium was the second son of Albert I, King of the Belgians and Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. Born in Brussels, he served in lieu of his older brother King Leopold III from 1944 until 1950 as Prince Regent until Leopold could return to Belgium and...

.

After the war, Prince Charles resumed her cross-channel service without incident before being scrapped in December 1960.

Operation Jubilee

Prince Charles was used in the ill-fated landings at Dieppe

Dieppe Raid

The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...

 in 1942, along with her sister ships, Prince Leopold, Prince Albert and Princess Astrid. All four ships originally served on the same pre-war Ostend

Ostend

Ostend  is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....

–Dover

Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...

 route.

Operation Archery

Prior to commencing Operation Archery, the operation's task force assembled at Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow

right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...

 and travelled from there to Sullom Voe

Sullom Voe

Sullom Voe is an inlet between North Mainland and Northmavine on Shetland in Scotland. It is a location of the Sullom Voe oil terminal. The word Voe is from the Old Norse vagr and denotes a small bay or narrow creek...

, arriving at 13:30 on 25 December 1941. During the passage both Prince Charles and another transport, reported several defects, resulting in the forward compartments of Charles being flooded to a depth of 14 feet (4.3 m). At 16:15, the decision was taken to delay the operation by 24 hours because of the seaworthiness of Prince Charles, and the expected poor weather en route. Prince Charles was assisted in having water pumped out by , and as a result all repairs were completed by 14:00 hours on 26 December. The force set sail at 16:00 hours on the same day.

Omaha Beach landings

Prince Charles also took part in the D-Day landings, transporting 300 US Rangers to Omaha Beach, and carrying wounded soldiers back to the UK. During the landings, it lost three of its attached landing craft.