SS Vienna (1929)

NameVienna

Owner

Operator

1942: Royal Navy
1944: LNER

History

Vienna under way




United Kingdom
Name	Vienna
Namesake	Vienna
Owner	1929: LNER 1944: Ministry of War Transport 1946: Ministry of Transport
Operator	1942: Royal Navy 1944: LNER
Port of registry	1929: Harwich 1944: London
Route	1929: Harwich – Hook of Holland 1944: Tilbury – Ostend 1945: Harwich – Hook of Holland
Builder	John Brown & Co, Clydebank
Yard number	527
Launched	10 April 1929
Completed	July 1929
Commissioned	into Royal Navy, June 1942
Decommissioned	from Royal Navy, October 1944
Identification	UK official number 161034 until 1933: code letters LDKT by 1930: call sign GTBR
Fate	scrapped, 1960


General characteristics
Type	North Sea ferry
Tonnage	4,218 GRT, 1,992 NRT
Length	366 ft 0 in (111.56 m) overall 350.8 ft (106.9 m) registered
Beam	50.1 ft (15.3 m)
Draught	15 ft 3 in (4.6 m)
Depth	26.0 ft (7.9 m)
Decks	2
Installed power	4 × steam turbines; single reduction gearing; 1,520 NHP
Propulsion	2 × screws
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h)
Capacity	Passengers: 444 × 1st class, and 104 × 2nd class
Sensors & processing systems	as built: submarine signalling by 1936: as above, plus echo sounding device by 1946: as above, plus radar
Notes	sister ships: Prague, Amsterdam

SS Vienna was a UK North Sea ferry. She was built in Scotland in 1929 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). In the Second World War she was at first a troopship, and was then the Royal Navy motor torpedo boat depot ship HMS Vienna. After the war, she was a Government-owned troopship for the British Army of the Rhine, plying between the Netherlands and England. She was scrapped in England in 1960.

She was the second of two railway-owned Harwich-based ferries to be named after the Austrian capital Vienna. The first Vienna was built in 1894, and scrapped in 1930.

In 1929 and 1930, John Brown & Co of Clydebank, Glasgow, built three sister ships for the LNER.^[1] On 10 April 1929, Lady Barrie, wife of Sir Charles Barrie, launched yard number 527 as Vienna.^[2] The ship was completed that July.^[3] Yard number 528 was launched on 18 November 1929 as Prague,^[4] and yard number 529 was launched on 30 January 1930 as Amsterdam.^[5]

Vienna's lengths were 366 ft 0 in (111.56 m) overall^[6] and 350.8 ft (106.9 m) registered. Her beam was 50.1 ft (15.3 m), her depth was 26.0 ft (7.9 m), and her draught was 15 ft 3 in (4.6 m).^[3] For overnight crossings of the North Sea she had berths for 548 passengers: 444 in first class, and 104 in second class.^[1] She had twin screws, each driven by two Brown-Curtis steam turbines via single reduction gearing. The combined power of her four turbines was rated at 1,520 NHP,^[3] and gave her a speed of 21 knots (39 km/h).^[1]

Career

The LNER registered Vienna at Harwich. Her UK official number was 161034, and her code letters were LDKT. By 1930 her wireless telegraph call sign was GTBR,^[7] and by 1934 this had superseded her code letters.^[8] From new, she was equipped with submarine signalling.^[3] By 1936, she was equipped also with an echo sounding device.^[9]

Vienna entered service in 1929 on the GER's route linking Harwich and the Hook of Holland. From 1932 to 1939 she also made summer cruises to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Vlissingen, Zeebrugge; and Rouen. For this service, extra lounge space was installed, and her promenade deck was extended. In July 1935, she represented the LNER at the fleet review off Spithead to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of George V.^[1]

In July 1932, the LNER ferry Malines was holed in a collision in the Scheldt. Vienna rescued 131 passengers from Malines, with their baggage, and landed them at Antwerp.^[10]

In the Phoney War from December 1939 until May 1940, Vienna was a troop ship, linking Southampton with Le Havre; and Cherbourg. In June 1940 she evacuated personnel from both Le Havre and Cherbourg in Operation Cycle, and 2,346 servicemen from Brest in Operation Aerial. That July she went to Swansea for conversion into a fleet oiler, but in April 1941 the conversion was discontinued.^[1]

Instead, she was converted into a depot ship for motor torpedo boats, and in June 1942 was commissioned as HMS Vienna. She took part in Allied operations in French North Africa, and in 1943 took part in the Allied invasion of Sicily. She was later based in Bari and Brindisi to support Allied operations in the Adriatic. In October 1944 she returned to the UK, was decommissioned from the Navy, and reverted to being a troop ship.^[1]

However, instead of being returned to her owners, she became the property of the Ministry of War Transport, with the LNER managing her on the MoWT's behalf.^[1] Her registration was transferred from Harwich to London.^[11] At first she carried troops between Tilbury and Ostend. In 1945 she was transferred to her former route linking Harwich with Hook of Holland, carrying personnel of the British Army of the Rhine.^[1] By 1946 she was equipped with radar, and that year the Ministry of Transport succeeded the MoWT as her owner.^[12] By 1948 the railway had ceased managing her for the Ministry.^[13]

In 1960 Vienna was withdrawn from service. On 4 September that year she arrived in Ghent to be scrapped.^[1]

v t e Ships operated by the London and North Eastern Railway
Ex GCR ships	Accrington City of Bradford City of Leeds Dewsbury Lutterworth Macclesfield Nottingham Staveley
Ex GER ships	Amsterdam Antwerp Archangel Bruges Cromer Felixstowe Malines Roulers St Denis
Ships built for, or acquired by, the LNER	Amsterdam Arnhem Brightlingsea Prague Suffolk Ferry Train Ferry No. 1 (renamed Essex Ferry in 1946) Train Ferry No. 2 Train Ferry No. 3 Vienna
Humber Ferries	Grimsby Cleethorpes Brocklesby Killingholme Tattershall Castle Wingfield Castle Lincoln Castle

Career

References

Bibliography

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