continued until January 1944, when she was moved to North Shields. Ben-my-Chree was then converted to a Landing Ship Infantry (Hand Hoisting) vessel with a carrying capacity of six landing craft assault, and after her conversion she made passage to the Channel to begin her preparations for D-Day. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, as headquarters ship of the Senior Officer of the 514th Assault Flotilla, Ben-my-Chree and her landing craft saw action off Omaha Beach, landing American troops of the Provisional Ranger Group at Pointe du Hoc. She then continued as a transport, until she was released for reconditioning in May 1946, and returned to Birkenhead in a very poor condition. Post-war service Rejoining the Steam Packet Fleet, Ben-my-Chree returned to service with a shortened mainmast, a shipyard strike having prevented the fitting of a normal one. A further re-fit in the winter of 1946/47 included the shortening of her funnel, the cravat being removed in 1950. Employed only during the summer season, Ben-my-Chree continued to give reliable service to and from the many ports then in the company's list of destinations. Her remaining life was trouble free, and she continued in service until September 1965. Her final weekend was a busy one, typical of the Steam Packet schedule of that time. On Friday 10 September, she sailed from Douglas to Ardrossan, then left for Belfast to take a charter to Liverpool overnight. Returning to Belfast from Liverpool on Saturday night, she sailed to Douglas on Sunday morning, and then made her last journey to Liverpool as the 01:00hrs from Douglas on 13 September, with 156 passengers on board. After a long service she was laid up in Birkenhead awaiting a purchaser, until she was bought by Van Heyghen Freres of Antwerp. Ben-my-Chree was taken under tow by the tug Fairplay XI leaving Birkenhead on Saturday, 18 December. She arrived at Bruges on 23 December, for breaking. Gallery References External links 1927 ships Ferries of the Isle of Man Passenger ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Mersey Ships of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Steamships of the United Kingdom Steamships