SS Binnendijk

SS ''Binnendijk'' was a Holland America Line (NASM) cargo steamship. She was one of NASM's "B" class ships: the company's first cargo ships to be powered by steam turbines. ''Binnendijk'' was built in South Holland in 1921, and sunk by a mine in the English Channel in 1939. She was the first ship that NASM lost in the Second World War. Her wreck off the coast of Dorset, England is now a wreck diving site, nicknamed "The Benny".

Some sources anglicise the ship's name to ''Binnendyk''. However, Lloyd's Register always recorded her as ''Binnendijk''.

"B" class turbine steamships

Until 1920, every NASM cargo ship was propelled by a reciprocating steam engine; in most cases triple-expansion. However, in April of that year C. van der Giessen & Zonen's shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel laid down the first of a class of new ships of about for NASM. Each member of the class was to be driven by two Brown-Curtis steam turbines, driving a single screw via double-reduction gearing.

Van der Giessen launched the first ship in October 1920 as ''Burgerdijk'', completed her in June 1921, and went on to build three more members of the class. Industrieële Maatschappij 'De Noord', on the Noord river in Alblasserdam built two, including the final member of the class, ''Boschdijk'', which was completed on October 1922. Boele's Scheepswerven & Machinefabriek in Bolnes in South Holland built one, and Maatschappij voor Scheeps- en Werktuigbouw Fijenoord in Rotterdam built one.

Building ''Binnendijk''

'De Noord' built ''Binnendijk'', which was the third member of the class to be completed. She was yard number 131, and was launched on 30 June 1921. Harland & Wolff built her turbines, so she was towed from the Noord to Belfast, Ireland, where she arrived on 1 October for them to be installed. She was completed on 18 December.

Her lengths were overall and registered. Her beam was and her depth was . Her tonnages were , and . Her holds had capacity for of grain, or of baled cargo. She also had three berths for first class passengers.

The combined power output of ''Binnendijk''s turbines was rated at 648 NHP or 3,000 SHP. They gave her a speed of .

Career

NASM registered ''Binnendijk'' at Rotterdam. Her code letters were NHBK. She began her maiden voyage on 24 December 1921.

In December 1929 ''Binnendijk'' was in Philadelphia when she was seriously damaged by fire. She returned to Rotterdam for repairs.

By 1934 the call sign PDDB had supreseded ''Binnendijk''s code letters. Also in 1934, her accommodation was increased to carry seven passengers. By 1937 she was equipped with wireless direction finding.

Loss

In September 1939 ''Binnendijk'' left New York carrying general cargo, bound for Rotterdam. On 7 October she was in the English Channel when the Royal Navy ordered her to put into Portland Harbour to allow her cargo to be inspected for contraband. It was sunset, so ''Binnendijk''s Master, Captain WPJ Morée, requested permission to anchor for the night near the Shambles Sandbank, off Portland Bill.

A month earlier, on 8 September, had mined the area. By 22:00 hrs ''Binnendijk'' had detonated a magnetic mine about southeast of the Shambles lightship. Captain Morée was on the bridge at the time. The explosion put her engines and wireless telegraph out of action, and she caught fire. Her crew fired rocket flares, which were answered. A British examination vessel came alongside and rescued all 42 members of her crew.

The ship was burning from stem to stern when she sank the next day, at position , about north of the lightship. Sources disagree as to whether she sank at 02:00 or 14:00 hrs. On 10 October the Royal Navy used explosives to disperse her wreck.

Fate of "B" class sister ships

In 1930 ''Blijdendijk''s cargo caught fire in the Gulf of Suez. She was declared a constructive total loss, and towed to Italy to be scrapped.

In 1940 sank ''Burgerdijk'' and sank ''Bilderdijk''. In 1941 was sunk by a mine, killing 39 of her crew. ''Boschdijk'' was burnt out in the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, and towed to the Baltic in 1942, where the Luftwaffe sank her as target practice. Also in 1942, sank ''Breedijk'', killing her Master and a member of her crew.

''Blommersdijk'' was the only "B" class ship to survive the Second World War. In 1957 an Italian shipping company bought her and renamed her ''Vivara''. She was scrapped in 1959.

Wreck

''Binnendijk''s wreck is on Lulworth Banks at a depth of . The wreck is now much broken up, but parts stand above the seabed. As of 2012, many of her frames and hull plates were still intact. The most intact part was the stern. Enough of her engine room was extant for penetration diving. Parts of her cargo were still visible, including tyres, and copper wire. The wreck provides habitat for lobster, spider crabs, conger eel, pouting, pollock, and tompot blenny. The site is relatively sheltered by Portland Bill, but is near Portland Race, so can be subject to strong currents.

References

Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Binnendijk
1921 ships
1937 fires in the United States
Cargo ships of the Netherlands
Maritime incidents in 1937
Maritime incidents in October 1939
Ship fires
Ships built in the Netherlands
Ships of the Holland America Line
Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II
Ships sunk by mines
Steam turbine-powered ships
Steamships of the Netherlands
World War II merchant ships of the Netherlands
World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel
Wreck diving sites in England