Painted grey and reinforced with armour plating on the hulls, between them they embarked hundreds of troops and the 22 foot scaling ladders that would be needed to reach the Mole from the ferries. Requisitioned by the war office, the ferries were quietly withdrawn from service on the Mersey and taken to Portsmouth to be made ready for their new role. They had double hulls, a safety feature meaning that the bottom and sides had two watertight layers forming a barrier in case of hull damage, and they also had a low draught in the water meaning they could sail right over the top of enemy minefields. Though not an obvious choice on the surface, the ferries were actually well-suited to their role by nature of their design. It was a daring and audacious plan and to carry it off the Royal Navy needed the assistance of two Mersey ferries. To allow the three block ships to reach the canal, troops transported by the Iris II, Daffodil, and cruiser HMS Vindictive would storm the Mole while an old submarine would be blown up under the viaduct connecting the Mole to the mainland to prevent German reinforcements. The Mole was the harbour wall, complete with warehouses, a quay, and heavily armed German troops. To position the blockships, British forces would first have to get past the Mole. Three obsolete cruisers ( Thetis, Intrepid and Iphigenia) would be used as block ships, sunk in the mouth of the canal to make it impassable. The harbour was an outlet for German U-boats and destroyers based up the canal at Bruges and, as these posed a serious threat to the Royal Navy and the south east coast of England, it had been decided to take drastic action. In 1918 Mersey ferries Iris II and Daffodil were chosen to take part in a daring raid on Zeebrugge harbour in German occupied Belgium. If you step on board and visit the display co-curated by National Museums Liverpool you’ll discover that when the Mersey ferries played their own role in the war, their livery couldn’t have looked more different to the spectacular Dazzle. Designed by Peter Blake to mark the centenary of the First World War, it is reminiscent of the Dazzle camouflage used by thousands of ships in the conflict. It gives an insight into the area and its past and the submarine and the lightship are great to explore.The Mersey ferries Daffodil and Iris II at Dover soon after the vessels returned from the Zeebrugge Raid © IWM (Q 18888)Īnyone who’s looked out across the Mersey in the last couple of years has probably noticed the very colourful Mersey ferry Snowdropin her fabulous dazzle-inspired livery. All in all, Seafront Zeebrugge is worth a visit when you're on the Belgian coast. These lightships functioned like lighthouses and had a large light above the deck. The final part of the attraction was the "Westhinder" lightship, which seemed spacious after the close confines of the submarine. It was narrow so please be aware of this. It was fascinating to see the conditions onboard and read about how the submariners lived on them. This was the first time I've ever seen (and boarded) a submarine in a museum. After looking round the main indoor section, we headed to the Soviet "Foxtrot" submarine. This is good for anyone like me, who is interested in the history of Zeebrugge. The first part of Seafront centred on the local fishing industry and the sea, and its relevance in Zeebrugge. The staff on the entrance were pleasant and polite, and we were given an English language booklet explaining more detail about the exhibits. We visited Seafront Zeebrugge on an afternoon in September.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |