hms ben hms ben woman heart steamer royal_navy seaplane carrier world war originally built vickers intended use route vessel bear day ben holds crossing speed record liverpool douglas steamship hours chartered beginning participated abortive attacks germany ship transferred dardanelles june support aircraft ship launched aerial torpedo attack ship august gallipoli evacuated end year ben flagship egypt seaplane squadron operated performing reconnaissance missions attacking turkish facilities troops sunk turkish artillery anchored recently occupied island early members crew injured ship salvaged broken ben holds distinction aviation vessel sunk enemy action war description construction ben gross register tons grt ship feet long overall feet long perpendiculars beam feet depth feet inches main deck keel ben decks capacity passengers crew ship powered license built parsons direct drive steam turbines driving propeller shaft powered steam provided cylindrical boilers working pressure psi kpa cm2 gave speed knots mph engines burnt long tons coal day expensive ship run ordered built vickers shipyard cost ship launched march completed august ben normally laid expense busiest months year complement passengers royal_navy modifications service ben chartered royal_navy january began conversion seaplane carrier shipyard following day aft superstructure removed replaced hangar aft rear funnel housed aircraft lifted water fore aft foot long flying platform installed forward superstructure equipped rails allow seaplane service ship displaced long tons feet long overall draught feet ben turbines generated shaft horsepower credited speed knots mph speed exceeded service ship carry long tons coal crew consisted approximately officers enlisted men armament consisted quick firing pounder cwt guns vickers pounder guns ben carried rounds pounder rounds pounder pounder gun pounder pounder army carriages added initially assigned command commander cecil took abortive air raid abandoned thick fog unsuccessful mission attack accidentally rammed destroyer thick fog damage slight attempt abandoned heavy fog raid ben attempted launch fore deck engine starter breaking pilot wrist starter handle cockpit dardanelles sailed dardanelles carrying short type torpedo bombers arrived june aircraft mainly involved spotting ships providing naval gunfire support troops ashore conducted reconnaissance missions area august missions spotted turkish ship north coast following day flight commander attacked flying short seaplane left observer flew reduced fuel load aircraft carry inch pound torpedo successfully dropped aerial torpedo distance yards altitude feet turned target beached having torpedoed british submarine followed successful attack august long ton ship flight lieutenant accompanied flight aircraft suffered engine troubles land dardanelles water encountered large steam promptly torpedoed miles able airborne distance ben engine failed permanently september helped rescue australian troops torpedoed ship transferred egypt end gallipoli campaign ben flagship egypt seaplane squadron formed january squadron command general officer commanding egypt primary duty watch turkish positions movements southern palestine collided february badly damaged ship bow permanent repairs took march april commander replaced captain days later lieutenant joined ship observer ben based later loss french troops occupied greek island southwest coast turkey december use advance base turks pleased presence french turks secretly deployed artillery battery millimeter millimeter guns range island french commander requested seaplane carrier conduct reconnaissance area ben sent response arrived january anchored harbor faced mainland turkish guns opened fire hours later hitting carrier shot subsequent shells disabled steering started fire hangar spread upper deck crew ordered abandon ship minutes bombardment remaining motor board officer enlisted men injured killed turks continued bombardment hours ben listed starboard sank shallow water later day captain chief engineer returned ship rescue ship cat dog survived attack ben wreck remained place refloated salvage ship towed port ship proved total loss broken venice italy short career operated type baby short type type
HMS Ben-my-Chree