Royal Navy Chartered
SS Ben-my-Chree was chartered by the Royal Navy on 1 January 1915. The next day she began her transformation to HMS Ben-my-Chree, a seaplane carrier, at the shipyards of Cammell Laird in Birkenhead. Part of her superstructure was removed, aft of her second funnel, and a hangar was constructed. This was capable of housing six seaplanes, which were lifted in and out of the water by a derrick. There was also a 60-foot-long (18 m) flying-off platform forward. Her armament consisted of four quick-firing 12-pounder guns, and two 3-pounder guns. Later in May 1916 more 12-pounder guns, and 2-pounder pom-poms, along with 3-pounder guns were added.
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Famous quotes containing the words royal, navy and/or chartered:
“Not to these shores she came! this other Thrace,
Environ barbarous to the royal Attic;
How could her delicate dirge run democratic,
Delivered in a cloudless boundless public place
To an inordinate race?”
—John Crowe Ransom (1888–1974)
“I call to mind the navy great
That the Greeks brought to Troye town,
And how the boistous winds did beat
Their ships, and rent their sails adown;
Till Agamemnon’s daughter’s blood
Appeased the gods that them withstood.”
—Henry Howard, Earl Of Surrey (1517?–1547)
“When he speaks,
The air, a chartered libertine, is still.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)