Ben-my-Chree entered service in 1908 on the Liverpool-Douglas route. A contemporary Daily Mail account cast her as the Irish Sea counterpart to Lusitania and Mauretania and expected her to beat the turbine steamer Viking's route record. Three Parsons geared turbines gave an official civilian speed of 24.2 knots, while reports credited her with 26.9 knots. The comparison between her 2,650 gross register tons and the Royal Navy's 3,888-long-ton displacement shows that merchant tonnage measured enclosed capacity rather than weight. She could carry about 2,700 passengers as a steamer, yet only 250 crew in naval service, so speed and internal volume made her well suited to specialist conversion.
Chapter · 10:05-18:20
Ben-my-Chree begins as a fast Irish Sea steamer
The 1908 turbine steamer combined high Irish Sea speed with enough internal volume to carry 2,700 passengers, qualities that later suited a naval conversion.