HMS Ben-my-Chree (Manx: "Woman of My Heart") was a British packet steamer originally built in 1907 by Vickers for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. She measured 390 feet (118.9 meters) overall in length, with a beam of 46 feet (14.0 meters) and a depth of 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 meters). Her gross register tonnage was 2,651 GRT. Powered by three Parsons direct-drive steam turbines fed by four cylindrical boilers operating at 170 psi, she achieved a speed of 24.2 knots, although her engines consumed up to 95 long tons of coal daily, making her an expensive vessel to operate. The ship had five decks and could accommodate 2,549 passengers with a crew of 119. Originally intended for passenger service on the England–Isle of Man route, she was launched on 23 March 1908 and completed by August of that year. She was typically laid up due to operational costs, except during the peak summer months. In January 1915, she was chartered by the Royal Navy and converted into a seaplane carrier at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. Her aft superstructure was modified to include a hangar for four to six seaplanes, and a 60-foot flying-off platform was installed forward for aircraft take-offs. Her armament during wartime included four quick-firing 12-pounder guns and two Vickers three-pounder anti-aircraft guns, with additional armaments added in 1916. Ben-my-Chree played a notable role during World War I, participating in early attempts at naval air raids, reconnaissance missions, and supporting the Gallipoli campaign. Her aircraft conducted attacks, including the first ship-launched aerial torpedo attack, and she served as flagship of the East Indies and Egypt Seaplane Squadron. In December 1916, she was sent to Kastellorizo to conduct reconnaissance but was hit and sunk by Ottoman artillery on 11 January 1917. Her crew abandoned ship after a fire onboard, with injuries but no fatalities. The wreck was salvaged in 1920, but she was deemed a total loss and dismantled in 1923. HMS Ben-my-Chree remains significant as the only aviation vessel sunk by enemy action during the war, reflecting her unique role in naval aviation history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.