MV ''Ulster Prince'' was a passenger ferry operated across the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

between 1929 and 1940. She became a total loss in Greece while a

troop ship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

during WWII.

History

''Ulster Prince'' was the last of three 3700ton motorships built by

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

for the Belfast Steamship Co. between 1929 and 1930. She and her sisters, and , were pioneer diesel-propelled cross-channel passenger ships. The trio provided a reliable and regular overnight service between

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, which was marketed as the Ulster Imperial Line. Their original grey hulls were later changed to black. ''Ulster Prince'' was used as a troop ship during WWII, and became H. M. T. ''Ulster Prince''. In 1940, she landed troops in

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

for the

occupation of Iceland The Occupation of Iceland during World War II began with a Invasion of Iceland, British invasion in order to occupy the island and deny it to Germany. The military operation, codenamed Operation Fork, was conducted by the Royal Navy and Royal ...

. In April 1941, during the evacuation of Greece, she ran aground off

Nafplio Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

, Greece. The following day, she was bombed and became a total loss. After the war, she was replaced on the Liverpool - Belfast service by the British and Irish ferry (renamed ''Ulster Prince'' (2)).

Service

(1930 - 1940) *wartime troop ship (1940–41)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulster Prince Ferries of the United Kingdom 1929 ships Ships built by Harland and Wolff Troop ships of the United Kingdom