HMS Princess Beatrix
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The Prinses Beatrix in 1948
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands
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| Name: | MS Prinses Beatrix |
| Namesake: | Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands |
| Owner: | Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland |
| Ordered: | December 1937 |
| Builder: | De Schelde, Vlissingen |
| Yard number: | 210 |
| Laid down: | 7 May 1938 |
| Launched: | 25 March 1939 |
| In service: | 3 July 1939 |
| Out of service: | 1 September 1939 |
| Fate: | Requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport, 15 May 1940 |
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Princess Beatrix |
| Acquired: | 15 May 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 22 January 1941 |
| Decommissioned: | 16 February 1946 |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Returned to the Netherlands, 13 April 1946 |
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Netherlands
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| Name: | MS Prinses Beatrix |
| Acquired: | 13 April 1946 |
| In service: | 31 May 1948 |
| Out of service: | 1968 |
| Fate: | Scrapped in Antwerp, 1968 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Tonnage: | |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 47 ft (14 m) |
| Draught: | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Decks: | 5 |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Sulzer diesel engines, 12,500 shp (9,321 kW) |
| Speed: | 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph) |
| Capacity: | 1,800 passengers |
| Crew: | 58 |
| Armament: |
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HMS Princess Beatrix was a commando troop ship of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Built as a civilian passenger liner in 1939 by De Schelde at Vlissingen, she was named the MS Prinses Beatrix, after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, and operated by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ) (The Zealand Steamship Company) between Flushing and Harwich, along with her sister ship, MS Koningin Emma. After fleeing to Britain after the German invasion in 1940, she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport, renamed HMS Princess Beatrix and converted to a troopship at Harland and Wolff's yard in Belfast. During the war her main role was transporting British Commandos, and she participated in the Lofoten Islands Raid and the Dieppe Raid. She had the advantage of a high speed that allowed hit and run operations. Later designated as a landing ship, infantry (medium) she took part in the landings in North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, and southern France. In 1946 Princess Beatrix was returned to her owners and continued to operate as ferry from Hook of Holland until 1969, when she was scrapped in Antwerp, Belgium.
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