HS Ville de Liege

History
Name	HS Ville de Liege
Builder/Built	1914 Cockerill's of Hoboken, Belgium
Type	Cross - Channel steamer
Displacement	1,365 tons
Speed	21 knots

Remarks

Owned by the Belgium State Railways.

Not long after World War I (1914-1918) was declared she was commandeered for war service as a troop carrier. Her main role was bringing the wounded back from the Western Front.

Following the declaration of Peace, she was the first Belgium ship to return Belgium expatriates to their homeland. The little ship was then returned to Belgian State Railways for the service between Dover and Ostend. On 11 February 1929, the Ville de Liege, sank in Dover harbour. However, she was able to be salvaged and later returned to her cross channel task. In 1936 she was to be retired. but instead was turned into a car ferry, commencing July 1936 now named SS London-Istanbul.

During WW2 she was again commandeered, first as a Hospital Ship, then converted to be a minesweeper depot ship, before being used on the Normandy landings in 1944.

With peace, she again returned to the cross channel function until 1949 when she was scrapped.

France to England 8 August 1917

• Gustaf Adolf Olson

France to England 6 November 1917

• Robert Hastings Joyce

France to England 10 December 1917

• James Anthony Parker

France to England 31 December 1917

• John Henry Ward

France to England 1 April 1918

• John Humphrey Coyle
• Arthur Thomas Orton MM

England to France 9 April 1918

• George Weston Firns

France to England 27 April 1918

• Charles Fielder

France to England 3 May 1918

• Ernest Camp