TSS ''Train Ferry No. 3'' was a roll on/roll off freight vessel built for the British

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

in 1917.

History

The ship was built by Fairfield Govan and launched on 12 September 1917. Along with her sister ships and , they were the first vessels to offer regular transport between Britain and continental Europe for rail freight vehicles. They were ordered by the British Army to provide rail freight transport from Richborough harbour to the continent to sustain the war effort. They had four sets of rails along the train deck and used a link span to load when in harbour. On 1 February 1919 she was involved in the rescue of British and American soldiers from the American transport USS ''Narrangansett'' which had gone ashore on Bembridge Point,

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. After their use by the British Army ended in 1922, they were purchased by the

Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern R ...

The Great Eastern Railway was taken over by the

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...

company in 1923 with its interest in the Great Eastern Train Ferry Company. The new service was inaugurated on 24 April 1924 by

Prince George, Duke of Kent Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...

. In 1934, the Great Eastern Train Ferry Company was liquidated and she was bought by the

. In 1940 she was requisitioned by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and renamed HMS ''Daffodil''. In 1941 she was converted to a Landing Craft carrier. She was sunk on 18 March 1945 off

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...

in northern, France.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Train Ferry No.3 1917 ships Steamships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde Ships of the Great Eastern Railway Ships of the London and North Eastern Railway World War II amphibious warfare vessels of the United Kingdom Train ferries