SS ''Royal Daffodil II'' was a

Mersey ferry The Mersey Ferry is a ferry service operating on the River Mersey in northwest England, between Liverpool to the east and Birkenhead and Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula to the west. Ferries have been used on this route since at least the 12 ...

, built in 1934 to provide passenger ferry service across the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it h ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1957, she was renamed the ''St. Hilary'', and she was broken up in 1962. ''Royal Daffodil II'' was constructed by

Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

and entered service in 1934. She was named after her predecessor, the , which had gained the "Royal" prefix for her service in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The Roman 'II' was added to her name because of the previous ''Royal Daffodil'' retained that name when she was sold on for further service on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

in 1934. Between October 1939 and 1940, the ''Royal Daffodil II'' was requisitioned by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

for use as an air target. She was subsequently hit by a bomb during the May Blitz and sank at her berth at

Seacombe Seacombe () is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was p ...

on 8 May 1941. She was later raised and returned to service by 1943, with little of her pre-war splendour. In 1957, the ''Royal Daffodil II'' was renamed the ''St. Hilary'', thus making her original name available for use by her successor, which entered service in 1958. In 1962 she was sold for scrap to Van Heyghen Frères of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

in Belgium.

References

External links

Photographs of the SS Royal Daffodil II at the National Museums Liverpool
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Daffodil Mersey Ferries Ships built on the River Mersey 1934 ships