Prince Baudouin (1934)

Later names:
HMS Prince Baudouin LSI(S)-488

Builder:

Cockerill Yards
Hoboken, Belgium

Ordered:
1933
Keel Laid:
N/A
Year Built:
1934
Launched:
September 16, 1933
Type:
Passenger
Completed:
August 1934
Fate:
Scrapped in Ghent, Belgium 1967-68.


Owner
Oostende-Dover Line
(Belgian Government)
Oostende, Belgium


Dimensions, machinery and performance

Length:
372' 7"
Engines:
2 Sulzer 12 cylinder diesels
Beam:
49' 11"
Boilers:
N/A
Draft:
12' 1"
Shafts:
2
Gross Tons:
3,049
HP:
17,000
Displacement:
N/A
Speed:
23 knots
Crew:
60 (200 wartime)
Funnels:
1
Passengers:
1,700 (196 troops)
Masts:
2


History
Aug. 1934:
Reached 25.25 knots and claimed a world record, that for the fastest diesel driven ship.
May 18, 1940:

departs Oostende with refugees to Le Havre then to Southampton, and attacked by 2
German aircraft.
May 19, 1940:
Arrived at Southampton.
May 28, 1940:
Transferred Ministry of War, United Kingdom.
June 17, 1940:
Evacuation of Cherbourg, Brest and St. Malo for the Ministry of War Transport.
July 25, 1940:
Transferred Royal Navy and converted into an LSI(S), pennant number LSI(S)-488.
Aug. 1941:
Troop transport to Mediterranean Sea and North Africa.
Jan. 1942:
To Cape Town, South Africa.
Jan. 1943:

Converted as a landing vessel at Green & Silley Weir, Ltd, Tilbury.

June 6, 1944:
Landed the U.S. 5th Ranger Battalion at Omaha Beach, Normandy, France.
July 1944:
Landings in the South of France.
Oct. 13, 1945:
Returned to the Belgian Government at Oostende.
The information on this page was provided by Arne Pyson.



Builder's Data
Page published Aug. 10, 2008