SS Ardena (1915)

SS Ardena was a minesweeper and escort vessel built as the British Royal Navy HMS Peony in 1915.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Peony.

History
Name:
  • 1915–1920: HMS Peony
  • 1920–1943: SS Ardena
Operator:
Port of registry:
Builder: A McMillan & Son, Dumbarton
Yard number: 462
Launched: 25 August 1915
Out of service: 27 September 1943
Fate: Mined and sunk
General characteristics
Tonnage: 1,092 gross register tons (GRT)
Length: 250.1 feet (76.2 m)
Beam: 33.1 feet (10.1 m)

History

She was built by A McMillan and Son in Dumbarton and launched on 25 August 1915. She entered services as HMS Peony as an Azalea-class sloop minesweeper.

She was acquired by the London and South Western Railway in 1920, reconstructed and placed on the routes to Cherbourg and Caen which re-opened in July 1921.[2] She was taken over by the Southern Railway in 1923 and remained until sold in July 1934.

She went to Navigation Constantine Toyias, Piraeus. On 18 April 1941, during a convoy escort, she collided with the Greek destroyer Leon followed by the explosion of two depth charges. As a result, the stern section of Leon was cut off and two officers were killed.

Ardena was sunk by the Luftwaffe in April 1941 and later raised by the Germans. [3]

On 28 September 1943 she was sailing from Cephalonia to Greece with 840 Italian prisoners of war when she hit a mine off Argostoli and sank. 720 Italian prisoners of war were killed.[3]

References
  1. Duckworth, Christian Leslie Dyce; Langmuir, Graham Easton (1968). Railway and other Steamers. Prescot, Lancashire: T. Stephenson and Sons.
  2. "Southampton-Cherbourg route re-opened". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. England. 8 July 1921. Retrieved 1 December 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. "Ardena". www.historisches-marinearchiv.de. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
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