© www.dover-kent.co.uk 2024
Dover: Lock and Key of the Kingdom
The Canterbury
The ‘Canterbury’ was ordered by the Southern Railway from
Denny Bros early in 1928. She was to be the ferry link in the
new ‘Golden Arrow’ / ‘Flèche d’Or’ luxury train service between
London and Paris.
Her tall funnel and lofty masts gave her a well-balanced profile,
and she created much interest following her introduction on the
new service between Dover and Calais on 15 May 1929. Initially
she carried only 400 first class passengers. The accommodation
was more luxurious than anything seen before on the Channel,
and included two suites and 18 private cabins, a restaurant
seating about 100 and a palm court.
At first she suffered a number of mechanical problems and
underwent an extensive refit during the winter of 1931/32.
These were the days of the Depression and first class only
service was no longer viable, so during this refit she was also
given second class accommodation. This increased the total
passenger complement to 1400, which gives some indication of
the space originally available to her first class passengers.
In 1935 she was present at King George V’s Jubilee Naval
Review at Spithead.
After the outbreak of the Second World War she served as a
transport for troops and refugees on a number of routes, and
later made five trips to Dunkirk between 25 May and 4 June
1940. After this she served a short term as a Fleet Air Arm
target ship before being converted to a troop landing ship. She
took part in the D-Day landings and ran as a leave ship between
Calais and the Kent ports before being released back to
commercial service.
After a refit she returned to the ‘Golden Arrow’ service on 15
April 1946, being replaced six months later by a new ship the
‘Invicta’. The ‘Canterbury’ switched to the Folkestone-Calais run,
returning to her old service for a six month spell from January
1947. In summer 1948 she moved to a seasonal Folkestone to
Boulogne service where she remained for the next 16 years
until the end of her career.
The ‘Canterbury’ was withdrawn and laid up at Dover after her
final crossing on 27 September 1964. On the 30 July 1965 this
popular ship left the port she knew so well in tow of a Belgian
tug, bound for Antwerp and the shipbreakers.
Denny Bros early in 1928. She was to be the ferry link in the
new ‘Golden Arrow’ / ‘Flèche d’Or’ luxury train service between
London and Paris.
Her tall funnel and lofty masts gave her a well-balanced profile,
and she created much interest following her introduction on the
new service between Dover and Calais on 15 May 1929. Initially
she carried only 400 first class passengers. The accommodation
was more luxurious than anything seen before on the Channel,
and included two suites and 18 private cabins, a restaurant
seating about 100 and a palm court.
At first she suffered a number of mechanical problems and
underwent an extensive refit during the winter of 1931/32.
These were the days of the Depression and first class only
service was no longer viable, so during this refit she was also
given second class accommodation. This increased the total
passenger complement to 1400, which gives some indication of
the space originally available to her first class passengers.
In 1935 she was present at King George V’s Jubilee Naval
Review at Spithead.
After the outbreak of the Second World War she served as a
transport for troops and refugees on a number of routes, and
later made five trips to Dunkirk between 25 May and 4 June
1940. After this she served a short term as a Fleet Air Arm
target ship before being converted to a troop landing ship. She
took part in the D-Day landings and ran as a leave ship between
Calais and the Kent ports before being released back to
commercial service.
After a refit she returned to the ‘Golden Arrow’ service on 15
April 1946, being replaced six months later by a new ship the
‘Invicta’. The ‘Canterbury’ switched to the Folkestone-Calais run,
returning to her old service for a six month spell from January
1947. In summer 1948 she moved to a seasonal Folkestone to
Boulogne service where she remained for the next 16 years
until the end of her career.
The ‘Canterbury’ was withdrawn and laid up at Dover after her
final crossing on 27 September 1964. On the 30 July 1965 this
popular ship left the port she knew so well in tow of a Belgian
tug, bound for Antwerp and the shipbreakers.
