 As HMSCanterbury in wartime service | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner | 1929–1942:Southern Railway |
| Operator |
|
| Route | |
| Builder | William Denny and Brothers,Dumbarton |
| Yard number | 1218 |
| Launched | 13 December 1928 |
| Identification | Official number: 161199 |
| Fate | Broken up 1 August 1965 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Turbine Steel Steamship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 329.6 ft (100.5 m) |
| Beam | 47.1 ft (14.4 m) |
| Draught | 12.0 ft (3.7 m) |
| Depth | 16.9 ft (5.2 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 screw |
| Speed | 22 kn (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
TSSCanterbury was a ferry completed in 1929 to link theGolden Arrow andLa Flèche d'Or trains to form the prestigeLondon–Dover–Calais–Paris service.[2]
The ship was built as first class only passenger ferry byWilliam Denny & Bros ofDumbarton,Scotland for theSouthern Railway.
The ship entered service simultaneously with theGolden Arrow rail service.[2] At this time she was first class only, and while having a capacity of 1700, her projected loadings were expected to be less than 400.[2]
The ship was modified to accommodate two classes of passengers from May 1931, at the same time as third class carriages were introduced on theGolden Arrow train.[2]
Following theGolden Arrow's last trip after the declaration of the Second World War,Canterbury was converted to a troop ship.[2] On 29 May 1940 after departing the east pier atDunkirk at 16:50 with 1960 troopsCanterbury was badly damaged by a bomb near miss but was able to reach Dover.[2][3] Following repairs she continued with the evacuation on 3 June 1940 completing five trips for the evacuation.[2][4] She then performed some sailings fromSouthampton evacuations toNormandy andBrittany until the middle of June before resting on theRiver Dart and serving as a target practice ship of theFleet Air Arm and a period on theStranraer–Larne route.[1]
From June 1942, she undertook an eight-month conversion to a troop landing ship and took part in the June 1944Normandy landings.[1][4]
Postwar, she initially returned to theGolden Arrow service, but was replaced in October 1946 by the Southern Railways flagshipSS Invicta following that ship's refurbishment.[4]Canterbury served on theFolkestone–Calais run, and in 1948 moved to the Calais–Boulogne route until retirement in 1964. In 1948,Canterbury became the firstEnglish Channel ferry to be equipped with radar.[4]
The ship was broken up in 1965.
The ship's bell and a Second World War memorial plaque are held by theNational Railway Museum.[5][6]
In 1951 she made an appearance as the cross-channel ferry in the British comedy filmThe Lavender Hill Mob.[7]