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TS Dinard, Viking


Sea trials 1924, British Railways Board, Roy Thornton Collection Steel twin screw turbine ship, built and engined by Denny’s of Dumbarton (Yard No 1164) for the Southern Railway’s Southampton-St. Malo service in 1924. Launched May 9^th, 1924. Technical Data Registry - Southampton (1924 - 1959), Mariehamn (1959 - 1973) IMO Number - 538030 Length on deck - 99.0m (325 ft) (overall) Breadth of hull - 12.53m (41.1 ft) Depth - 4.6m (15.0 ft) Draught - 3.8m (12.6 ft) Tonnage - 2,291 gross (1,769 after rebuild 1946) 1,165 net (588 after rebuild 1946) 370 deadweight (after rebuild 1946) Engines - 4 Denny steam turbines single reduction gearing, in two independent sets, each driving one screw. Boilers - One DE and one SE return tube 182lb/sq in coal/oil Power - 5,200shp (3,935 hk) Speed - 13 knots (service), 19 knots (max) Capacity - 1,500 passengers (1924) 900 passengers, 70-80 cars (1946) Call Sign - OFZV (VIKING) History October 11^th 1923: Ordered. January 23^rd 1924: Keel laid. May 9^th 1924: Launched. July 4^th 1924: Sea trials. July 14^th 1924: Arrived at Southampton. July 16^th 1924: Handed over to Southern Railways. July 1924: Commenced service between Southampton and St. Malo. July 1925: The only time she visited the Channel Islands, when she was acting as yacht for the Southern Railways Directors’ tour of inspection. 1930: Third class accommodation was improved and the open rails of the poop deck were plated in. June 1939: She changed to the Weymouth station. September 1939: Moved to the Southampton - Le Havre service. October 1^st 1939: Left Le-Havre bound for Southampton. October 2^nd 1939: Following the outbreak of war requisitioned and converted to *Hospital Ship No 28* Roy Thornton Collection November 2^nd 1939: Sailed for Newhaven. November 12^th 1939: Sent to Cherbourg where she remained on stand-by until January 5^th 1940 February 23^rd 1940: The vessel operated around the south coast leaving Dieppe for Newhaven. April 23^rd 1940: Left Boulogne for Southampton. May 25^th 1940: Reached Cherbourg to embark wounded, some of whom were survivors of the Dieppe bombing of the hospital carrier MAID OF KENT. May 25^th 1940: Reached Southampton and then left for Dover. May - June 1940: She rescued a number of stretcher cases from Dunkirk. June 16^th 1940: Went to Southampton to serve Cherbourg and then from December served between Belfast - Liverpool. August 17^th 1940: Arrived in Preston. December 7^th 1940: Left Preston for Belfast, en-route colliding with a suction dredger. December 9^th 1940: Arrived Liverpool with patients from Belfast. April 1^st 1941: Lent to the Royal Navy and arrived at Loch Ewe from Preston. April 1941: Based at Scapa Flow as a floating hospital for merchant-seamen. October 3^rd 1941: Went to Newhaven to take part in a negotiated prisoner of war exchange. At the last moment, the German government demanded terms not provided for in the Geneva Convention and in excess of those agreed, so the exchange did not take place. October 7^th 1941: All prisoners disembarked. The ship then went to the Clyde and during the winter was engaged in exercises in embarking casualties by various methods, based at Inveraray in Loch Fyne. March 10^th 1942: Sailed from Scapa Flow to transfer patients from the hospital vessels AMARAPOORA* and ISLE OF JERSEY to Aberdeen.* April 12^th 1942: After leaving Aberdeen, ran aground and required tug assistance to free her. 1942: Engaged in the regular Scapa- Aberdeen medical shuttle service. January 6^th 1943: ran aground just prior to being sent to the Clyde for a refit. April 7^th 1943: While anchored in Gourock Roads she dragged her anchor and was slightly damaged when she collided with MAID OF ORLEANS. January 1943: Went to Glasgow, where she was fitted out for Mediterranean service June 25^th 1943: Left Glasgow via Falmouth for Gibraltar June 30^th 1943: Arrived in Gibraltar. July 11^th 1943: Took part in the invasion of Sicily the until April 1944 she participated in the invasion of North Africa, operating between Sicily and Sodra, Italy. April 7^th 1944: Left Naples and headed for Southampton. April 20^th 1944: Arrived at Southampton, where she was prepared for the Normandy (D-Day) landings. June 6^th 1944: Commencing operations June 7^th 1944: While engaged on this operation that she was badly damaged by a mine off Juno Beach. After all-night efforts to keep her afloat she was successfully towed back to Southampton, arriving there on the 9^th. July 17^th 1944: Emergency repairs were completed, following which she sailed back to France for further duties. September 16^th 1944: Became the first hospital ship to enter Dieppe. October 22^nd 1944: Made three trips between Ostend and Southampton. January - February 1945: Ran a shuttle service between Cherbourg and Southampton. March 14^th 1945: Transferred and arrived back in Dover to handle US casualties from Boulogne. March 22^nd 1945: First sailing to Boulogne. May 23^rd 1945: Arrived in Southampton to be converted to a troop transport. October 1945: Operated troopship duties between Newhaven - Dieppe. May 24^th 1946: Moved to Tilbury to undertake six return crossings to Antwerp. June 15^th 1946: Switched to operate between Calais and Dover. July 11^th 1946: Arrived back at Southampton to service the Channel Islands, she reverted to Southern Railways and her original name of DINARD. Roy Thornton Collection August 19^th 1946: Completely rebuilt by Messrs. Palmer’s of Hebburn-on-Tyne as a car ferry, to sail between Dover and Boulogne. The extensive alterations made include a new bridge and upper works, construction of two car decks, improved accommodation for passengers and crew and a large opening on the promenade deck at the stern to permit he loading and unloading of cars by crane. A turntable on the main car deck worked on the first-on first-off principle. July 1^st 1947: Re-introduced between Folkestone/Dover - Calais/Boulogne. Roy Thornton Collection January 1^st 1948: Registered to British Transport Commission, Railway Executive, Southern Region. February 19^th 1950: Ran into the Eastern Arm at Dover in thick fog and was badly damaged. Repairs were made at Cardiff. March 31^st 1950: Returned to service. Stéphane Poulain Collection 1952: Fitted with hinged stern doors at the end of the main car deck by Messrs. Silley, Cox at Falmouth, for the fist time enabling cars to be driven straight on board instead of being craned on or off. Roy Thornton Collection July 1952: Replaced by the new car ferry LORD WARDEN, and thereafter acted as a relief ship, at the weekends operating a new car ferry service between Southampton and St Malo. July 3^rd 1953: When Dover Harbour Board’s new Car Ferry Terminal at Eastern Docks was opened, it was the DINARD* which opened the new service from there to Boulogne.* August 28^th 1956: Collided with the quayside in Boulogne, there was only minor damage and she was able to continue service. October 1958: Withdrawn for reasons of economy and replaced by the newly built MAID OF KENT II. Roy Thornton Collection April 7^th 1959: Sold to Rederi Ab Vikinglinjen, Mariehamn, Finland for £ 30,000 and renamed VIKING. Leaving Dover on April 21^st in tow of a tug she headed for Aalborg Skipsvaerft A/S, Ålborg, Denmark yard for a refit and alterations upon completion of which she sailed in the Baltic Sea for some years between various Finnish and Swedish ports: - 1959 06 01 - 1959 09 19. between Korpo - Mariehamn - Gräddö. Then laid-up for the winter 1960 05 08 - 1961 09 30. between Korpo - Mariehamn - Kapellskär. 1962 05 06 - 1967 09 03. between Pargas - Mariehamn - Kapellskär. Erik Hag, Andreas Wörteler Collection August 12^th 1970: Laid-up in Mariehamn and remained there until August 1973 August 1973: Sold to Helsingin Romuliike, Helsinki, Finland for scrap. October 12^th 1973: She was altered several times during her surviving period, but finally she was towed from Mariehamn to Helsinki and broken up.
All information is believed to be correct and no responsibility is accepted for errors and omissions. We would like to thank: Stéphane Poulain and Andreas Wörteler for there assistance in producing this feature.

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