Ben-my-Chree was a passenger ferry operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company between 1927 and 1965.

History

The Ben-my-Chree was built in 1927 at the Cammell Laird

Cammell Laird

Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...

 shipyard, Birkenhead

Birkenhead

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...

. She was the first steamer built post-World War I for the Steam Packet Co and averaged over 20 knots on the Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

-Douglas

Douglas, Isle of Man

right|thumb|250px|Douglas Promenade, which runs nearly the entire length of beachfront in Douglasright|thumb|250px|Sea terminal in DouglasDouglas is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,218 people . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and a sweeping...

 run. She was painted white with green boot topping for the 1932 season and was very popular with passengers with her luxurious interior.

Requisitioned at the beginning of World War II, she attended the Dunkirk evacuation and saved over 4,000 troops before a collision caused her to withdraw. She sailed on transport duties between Iceland and Britain until 1944 when she was converted to a landing ship, for the forthcoming invasion of Europe. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, she and her landing craft saw action off Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II...

, landing American troops of the Ranger Assault Group

Ranger Assault Group

The Ranger Assault Group was a provisional regiment of U.S. Army Rangers that was formed for the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, in World War II.- Formation :...

 at Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop location on the coast of Normandy in northern France. It lies 4 miles west of Omaha Beach, and stands on 100 ft tall cliffs overlooking the sea...

. She continued as a transport until 1946 when she returned to service with the Steam Packet Fleet until disposed of in 1965 after 38 years service.

Sister ships

The Ben-my-Chree was the first of three similar vessels built for the company between the wars. The second vessel was the Barrow

Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...

 built Lady of Mann

TSS Lady of Mann

TSS Lady of Mann was a passenger ship was built by Vickers Armstrong for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company at Barrow-in-Furness in 1930, at a cost of £249,073. Certificated to carry 2873 passengers and 81 crew, she was commissioned to operate on the Island's busy Douglas - Liverpool; Douglas -...

 followed by the larger Mona's Queen

Mona's Queen (1934)

TSS Mona's Queen was a ship built for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in 1934, and was the third vessel in the Company's history to bear the name...

in 1934.