HS Jan Breydel

HS Jan Breydel

Jan Beydel in razzle dazzle camouflage paint.
History
Name	HS Jan Breydel
Owner	Regie voor Maritiem Transport
Builder	Cockerill's of Hoboken
Yard number	493
Launched	January 1909
In service	7 May 1909
Out of service	4 Nov 1931
Fate	scrappped 1933
General characteristics
Type	cross channel ferry
Tonnage	1,767 ons
Length	108.81m
Beam	12.90m
Depth	7.07m draft 2.90m
Speed	24 knots (44.45 km/h)
Capacity	1,100 passengers

Remarks

Owned by the Belgium company, Regie voor Maritiem (Oostende Lines) and perating on the Oostende - Dover route.. Jan Breydel evacuated Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium and the royal children to Dover on 28 August 1914. She was also carrying some of the Belgium, gold reserve. On 6 Oct 1914 she carried many of the Belgium Diplomatic Corps from Antwerp to Ostend and then to Le Havre.

She was later used as a hospital ship to evacuate wounded from France and Belgium to England, transporting wounded to England and soldiers to France between 18 Oct 1914 and 30 Mar 1915. Jan Breydel was then used as a stationary Hospital SHip in Calais, before resuming her cross channel hospital service. A total of 798 voyages until 31 Dec 1918 carrying 18,133 wounded and 16,841 troops

She carried a Medical staff of 2 Officers, 1 Warrant officer, 4 Nursing Sisters and 28 Medical Corps personnel, and was able to handle 6 Officer casualties, 36 in cots and 116 in berths. She acted asa a Hospital Ship from 27 Aug 1915 until 1 Aug 1919. At the conclussion of hostilities she carried Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig and his staff from Boulogne to Dover and then assisted with the repatriation of British troops until July 1919 when she underwent a refit. On 2 Aug 1919 she was handed back to her owners.

On 24 Sep 1921 she collided in dense fog with the Norwegian ship Salina three miles (5 km) off the South Goodwin Lightship, wih limited damage to herself whle the Salina sank within three minutes. Sold on 4 Nov 1931 to a Tunisian firm and renamed Tourist for a proposed North African coastal service. Underwent an expensive refit that the owner defaulted on and remained n Antwerp until sold by creditors in 1933 to Ghent ship breakers.

List of soldiers carried

France to England 15 July 1916

• Victor Emanuel Durling

Boulogne, France to England 22 July 1916

• Percy Goodall

Boulogne, France to England 8 August 1916

• William Mathews

Boulogne to England 21 August 1916

• Edward Patrick Barker

Boulogne, France to England 1 September 1916

• William (Bill) Hart Post WW1 men

France to England 8 September 1916

• Charles Henry Davis

Boulogne, France to England 17 November 1916

• John Harold Rupert Smith

France to England 3 December 1916

• Samuel Vivian Mortimer

France to England 18 December 1916

• Thomas Edward Tyrell Marshall Post WW1 men

Boulogne to England 7 February 1917

• George Harris

France to England 5 June 1917

• William Rawlinson

Boulogne, France to England 6 June 1917

• William Grenfell

France to England 28 October 1917

• Frank Grundy

France to England 1 February 1918

• Lancel Butcher

Boulogne, France to England 16 February 1918

• † Thomas Hesketh

France to England 24 March 1918

• † Albert Ernest Elkington

France to England 31 March 1918

• Cecil James Clark
• Jack Hayden Gibson

Calais, France to England 2 April 1918

• George Joseph Harris

France to England 5 April 1918

• John Alexander Adamson
• Mervyn Alexander Stalker

France to England 13 December 1918

• Frederick George Gibbs

Boulogne to England 15 Jan 1919

• Sydney Scott

France to England 13 February 1919

• Eric Oswald Strang