HS Pieter de Coninck
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HS Pieter de Coninck |
| Owner | Belgium State Railways |
| Builder | Cockerill Yard, Hoboken, Belgium |
| Launched | 7 Mar 1910 |
| In service | July 1910 |
| Out of service | 1931 |
| Fate | broken up 1932 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Channel ferry |
| Tonnage | 1,767 tons |
| Length | 108.81m |
| Beam | 12.19m |
| Depth | 7.07m draught 2.90m |
| Propulsion | triple screws |
| Speed | 24 knots (44.45 km/h) |
| Capacity | 1,100 passengers |
Contents
- 1 Remarks
- 2 Soldiers carried
- 2.1 France to England 5 May 1917
- 2.2 France to England 18 May 1917
- 2.3 France to England 19 July 1917
- 2.4 France to England 16 October 1917
- 2.5 France to England 18 October 1917
- 2.6 France to England 30 October 1917
- 2.7 France to England 30 November 1917
- 2.8 France to England 11 December 1917
- 2.9 France to England 13 January 1918
- 2.10 France to England 17 April 1918
- 2.11 France to England 13 June 1918
- 2.12 France to England 5 September 1918
Remarks
The Pieter de Coninck was owned by the Belgium Government's railway service (Regie voor Maritiem Transport) and operated a cross channel service to Dover from Ooustende. With the outbreak of war it began a service to Dover, and later Folkestone. On 6 Oct 1914 it carried Belgium officials to Dover to escape German occupation, followed by other evacuees to Dover between 10 and 12 Oct 1914. Finally it carried Belgium Government Ministers to Le Havre.
On 18 Dec 1915 the Pieter de Coninck began providing a Hospital ship service from Calais to the UK. Her management taken over by the British in February 1917, she continued as a hospital ship based in Dover, transporting large numbers of wounded in one direction and troops in the other until 28 Mar 1919, having completed 292 trips. It was staffed by 4 Medical Officers, one Warrant Officer, 4 Nursing Sisters and 26 other ranks, and could transport 387 casualties at a time - 19 officers, 38 in cots and 320 in berths. Following the end of hostilities she assisted with the repatriation of British troops.
Handed back to her owners on 29 Mar 1919, on 19 Jun 1919 she resumed the Ostende to Dover service and continued to do so until she was withdrawn in November 1931. In 1932 she was broken up at Simopn's Scheepssloperij, Pernis, Holand.