Iris returns to Liverpool after the Zeebrugge Raid | |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name |
|
Owner |
|
Builder | Robert Stephenson and Company, Newcastle upon Tyne |
Launched | 1906 |
Christened |
|
Identification | UK Official Number 123971 |
Fate | Scrapped 1961 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Tonnage | 491 gross register tons (GRT) |
Length | 159 ft (48 m) |
Draught | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) |
Propulsion | Steam engine, 2 shafts |
Capacity | 1,735 passengers |
SS Royal Iris was a Mersey Ferryboat built in 1906 for Wallasey Corporation. She was built as Iris for service on the River Mersey. In 1918 she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for action during the Zeebrugge Raid. She was renamed Royal Iris in recognition of her part in this action and returned to civilian duties. She was sold in 1931 and renamed Blarney in 1946. She was scrapped in December 1961.
Iris was built by Robert Stephenson & Sons of Newcastle. She was launched in 1906 and completed in June 1906. [2] She was put into service as one of the Mersey ferries operating between Liverpool and Wallasey.
In 1918 Iris was requisitioned by the Royal Navy to take part in the Zeebrugge Raid, being renamed HMS Iris II. On St George's Day 23 April 1918, Iris along with another Mersey ferry, Daffodil, was towed across the English Channel to Zeebrugge by Vindictive. Embarked were four platoons - known as "A" Company (or "The Chatham Company") of the Fourth Battalion of Royal Marines, and a storming party of sailors - known as "D" Company - commanded by Major Eagles and Lieutenant Commander George Nicholson Bradford respectively. They were supported by two Vickers machine-gun sections and two Stokes mortar crews. [3]
When the ship neared the Zeebrugge Mole she cast the two ferries aside. Iris endeavoured to pull up to the mole under heavy fire in order to off-load the raiding parties which were on board. The first attempt failed as the grapple-hooks were not large enough. Two naval officers, Lieutenant Commander Bradford and Lieutenant Hawkings bravely climbed ashore and under heavy fire attempted to secure the ship. Both were killed and Bradford received a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Iris continued to sustain heavy fire and at one point a shell burst through the deck into an area where 56 marines were preparing to land. 49 were killed and the rest seriously injured.
After the war, a brass plaque, listing those who died aboard the Iris was mounted on the vessel. When she was decommissioned, the plaque was given to the Imperial War Museum collection. [4] [5]
Iris and Daffodil returned to the Mersey on 17 May 1918, to a heroes' welcome. After repairs at Chatham, both vessels returned to service on the Mersey. [6]
After the raid, she was renamed Royal Iris on command of King George V [7] and returned to the Mersey. In 1923 she was converted for use as a cruise ship, and in October 1931 she was sold to Palmer's of Dublin. In 1946 she was sold again, to the Cork Harbour Commissioners, and renamed Blarney. She was eventually sold for scrap at Passage West in December 1961. [8]
Merseyside is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral and the city of Liverpool. Merseyside, which was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, takes its name from the River Mersey and sits within the historic counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
The Mersey Ferry is a ferry service operating on the River Mersey in north west England, between Liverpool to the east and Birkenhead and Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula to the west. Ferries have been used on this route since at least the 12th century, and continue to be popular for both local people and visitors.
Lieutenant-Commander Arthur Leyland Harrison, VC was an English Royal Navy officer, and World War I recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Merseytravel is the passenger transport executive, responsible for the coordination of public transport in the Liverpool City Region in North West England. Merseytravel was established on 1 December 1969 as the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive. From 1 April 2014, with the creation of the Liverpool City Region, Merseytravel expanded its area of operation from the metropolitan county of Merseyside to also include the Borough of Halton.
Bidston Dock was a dock at Birkenhead, in England. It was situated to the west of the Great Float, between Bidston and Poulton.
Lieutenant Commander George Nicholson Bradford VC was an officer in the Royal Navy and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. His brother, Roland Bradford, was also awarded the Victoria Cross, making them the only brothers to be awarded the medal during the First World War.
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2011 Census, the population was 60,284.
Daffodil is the common name for the plant genus Narcissus and any of its individual species.
MV Royal Daffodil is a former ferry based on the River Mersey, England. From launch until a major refit in 1998 /1999, she was named MV Overchurch, she began service for Birkenhead Corporation Ferries in 1962 and was in regular service on the river until her withdrawal in December 2012. Despite her extensive re-build in 1999, the ship still retains a similar profile to that of her original design. After her withdrawal, the vessel remained idle since her dry docking and survey in January 2013. In April 2019 a new home was confirmed for the ship in the form of a new floating leisure attraction, in Liverpool's Canning Dock.
The Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The British intended to sink obsolete ships in the canal entrance, to prevent German vessels from leaving port. The port was used by the Imperial German Navy as a base for U-boats and light shipping, which were a threat to Allied control of the English Channel and southern North Sea. Several attempts to close the Flanders ports by bombardment failed and Operation Hush, a 1917 plan to advance up the coast, proved abortive. As ship losses to U-boats increased, finding a way to close the ports became urgent and the Admiralty became more willing to consider a raid.
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Iris after the Greek mythological figure Iris or after the flower by that name. A ninth was planned but renamed before entering service:
Royal Daffodil may refer to:-
The MV Royal Iris of the Mersey is a Mersey Ferry in operation on the River Mersey, England. From launch in Devon in 1959 until a major refurbishment in 2001, she was named MV Mountwood.
HMS Vindictive was a British Arrogant-class cruiser built at Chatham Dockyard. She was launched on 9 December 1897 and completed in 1899. The vessel participated in the Zeebrugge Raid.
The MVSnowdrop is a Mersey Ferry in operation on the River Mersey, England. From launch until a major refit in 2003, she was named MV Woodchurch.
MV Royal Daffodil was built in 1939 and scrapped in 1967. In the late 1950s and early to mid 1960s she was used for "no passport" trips to France, which enabled people to drink outside normal licensing hours as these did not apply at sea.
SS Royal Daffodil was a Mersey ferry, built in 1906 and scrapped in 1938. She was built as Daffodil but renamed Royal Daffodil in recognition of her service under requisition during the 1st World War.
A number of Royal Navy ships have been named Daffodil.
The MVRoyal Iris is a twin screw, diesel-electric, Mersey Ferry. The vessel was built by William Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton and launched in December 1950, costing £256,000.
TSS Train Ferry No. 1 was a roll on roll off freight vessel built for the British War Office in 1917 to transport rail freight to Europe during the First World War. After the war, it was used for civilian purposes until the Second World War. During the war it was converted to carry and launch landing craft
THE [66] OFFICERS & MEN WHOSE NAMES APPEAR BELOW DIED IN ACTION ON THIS VESSEL AT ZEEBRUGGE FIGHTING GLORIOUSLY FOR KING & COUNTRY APRIL 23RD 1918......