HMS Ben - my - Chree HMS " Ben - my - Chree " ( Manx : " Woman of My Heart " ) was a packet steamer and a Royal Navy ( RN ) seaplane carrier of the First World War . She was originally built in 1907 by Vickers for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and was intended for use on the Liverpool to Douglas route . She was the third vessel to bear her name . To this day " Ben - my - Chree " holds the crossing speed record from Liverpool to Douglas for a steamship at under three hours . She was chartered by the RN at the beginning of 1915 and participated in several abortive attacks on Germany in May . The ship was transferred to the Dardanelles in June to support the Gallipoli Campaign . One of her aircraft made the first ship - launched aerial torpedo attack on a ship in August . After Gallipoli was evacuated at the end of the year , " Ben - my - Chree " became flagship of the East Indies and Egypt Seaplane Squadron that operated in the Eastern Mediterranean performing reconnaissance missions and attacking Turkish facilities and troops . She was sunk by Turkish artillery while anchored at the recently occupied island of Kastellorizo in early 1917 , five members of her crew being injured . The ship was salvaged in 1920 and broken up in 1923 . " Ben - my - Chree " also holds the distinction of being the only aviation vessel of either side to be sunk by enemy action during the war . Description and construction . SS " Ben - my - Chree " had a tonnage of . The ship was long overall and long between perpendiculars . She had a beam of and a depth of from her main deck to the top of her keel . " Ben - my - Chree " had five decks and a capacity of 2 , 549 passengers with a crew of 119 . The ship was powered by three license - built Parsons direct - drive steam turbine s , each driving one propeller shaft . They were powered by steam provided by four cylindrical boilers at a working pressure of that gave her a speed of . Her engines burnt up to of coal a day , which made her an expensive ship to run . Isle of Man Steam Packet Company service . " Ben - my - Chree " was ordered in 1907 by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and was built at the Vickers shipyard in Barrow - in - Furness at a cost of 112 , 000 . The ship was launched on 23 March 1908 and completed on 8 August . The ship was ordered because of the great success of the " Viking " , built three years earlier . The company quickly decided that a larger and more powerful turbine ship should be ordered for the Liverpool - Douglas service . However , " Ben - my - Chree " was normally laid up , because of her expense , except for the three busiest months of the year when she had a full complement of passengers . She was the fastest and most powerful ship ever built for the Steam Packet Company and an outstanding success during her short life ; proudly described by the company as the " fastest and most luxurious appointed channel steamer afloat . " Her normal service speed approached , but she achieved 25 knots on extended trials . In her first season between Liverpool and Douglas , her average time between the Bar Lightship and Douglas Head was 2 hours and 24 minutes . A year later she reduced this average by one minute . The " Ben - my - Chree ' s " exceptional speed caused several stories to circulate about her . She was widely said to of achieved , although her fastest run on trials over the measured mile was . It is most probable that the vessel only approached 27 knots in most unusual conditions and it is only known that she achieved on a favourable tide . Royal Navy modifications and service . SS " Ben - my - Chree " was chartered by the Royal Navy on 1 January 1915 and she began her conversion into a seaplane carrier at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead the following day . Part of her aft superstructure was removed and replaced by a hangar , aft of her rear funnel , that housed four to six seaplanes . The aircraft were lifted in and out of the water by derrick s fore and aft . A dismountable flying - off platform was installed forward of her superstructure ; it was equipped with a trolley and rails to allow a seaplane to take off . In RN service the ship displaced , was long overall , and had a draught of . " Ben - my - Chree " s turbines generated and she was credited with a speed of although that speed was exceeded in service . The ship could carry of coal . Her crew consisted of approximately 250 officers and enlisted men . Her armament consisted of four quick - firing ( QF ) 12 - pounder 18 cwt gun s , and two Vickers three - pounder AA guns . " Ben - my - Chree " carried 130 rounds per 12 - pounder and 64 rounds for each three - pounder . In May 1916 , one 12 - pounder AA gun , a three - pounder , and a 2 - pounder " pom - pom " , each on army carriages , were added . She was initially assigned to the Harwich Force , under the command of Commander Cecil L ' Estrange Malone , where on 3 May she took part in an abortive air raid on Norddeich that had to be abandoned because of thick fog . On 6 May , while on another unsuccessful mission to attack Norddeich , she was accidentally rammed by the destroyer in thick fog , although damage was slight . Another attempt was made on 11 May , but was again abandoned because of heavy fog . During this raid , " Ben - my - Chree " attempted to launch her Sopwith Schneider from a trolley off the fore deck , but the engine backfired , wrecking its starter , and breaking the pilot ' s wrist as the starter handle was in the cockpit . To the Dardanelles . In May 1915 , she sailed for the Dardanelles , carrying two Short Type 184 torpedo bomber s , and arrived at Lesbos on 10 June . Her aircraft were mainly involved in spotting for ships providing naval gunfire support for troops ashore , although they also conducted reconnaissance missions of the area . On 11 August , one of these missions had spotted a Turkish ship off the north coast of the Sea of Marmora and , on the following day , Flight Commander Charles Edmonds attacked it flying a Short 184 seaplane . He left his observer behind and flew with a reduced fuel load to lighten his aircraft enough to carry a , torpedo . He successfully dropped his aerial torpedo at a distance of about and an altitude of . It turned out that his target had been beached after having been torpedoed by the British submarine . This was followed by a successful attack on 17 August against a ship by Edmonds . Flight Lieutenant George Dacre accompanied Edmonds on his flight in his own aircraft , but suffered engine troubles and had to land in the Dardanelles . He was taxiing on the water when he encountered a large steam tugboat , which he promptly torpedoed . After taxiing for several miles he was able to get airborne again and was within gliding distance of " Ben - my - Chree " when his engine failed permanently . On 2 September , she helped to rescue Australian troops from the torpedoed troopship HMT " Southland " off Lemnos . The ship was transferred to Port Said , Egypt after the end of the Gallipoli Campaign . " Ben - my - Chree " became the flagship of the East Indies and Egypt Seaplane Squadron when it was formed in January 1916 . The squadron was under the command of the General Officer Commanding , Egypt and its primary duty was to watch Turkish positions and movements in southern Palestine and the Sinai . collided with her on 11 February and badly damaged the ship ' s bow . Permanent repairs took were made at Suez from 13 March to 25 April . Commander Charles Samson replaced L ' Estrange Malone as captain on 14 May . A few days later , Lieutenant William Benn joined the ship as an observer . " Ben - my - Chree " was based at Aden later in 1916 . Loss . French troops occupied the Greek island of Kastellorizo , off the southwest coast of Turkey , on 20 December 1916 to use it as an advance base against the Turks . Not pleased at the presence of the French , the Turks secretly deployed an artillery battery of four and twelve guns within range of the island . The French commander requested a seaplane carrier to conduct reconnaissance in the area and " Ben - my - Chree " was sent in response . She arrived on 11 January 1917 and anchored in the harbor which faced the mainland . The Turkish guns opened fire about two hours later , hitting the carrier with their third shot . Subsequent shells disabled her steering and started a fire in her hangar that spread across her upper deck . The crew was ordered to abandon ship after about forty minutes of the bombardment using the only remaining operable motor lifeboat of the three stowed on board . One officer and four enlisted men were injured , but no one was killed . The Turks continued their bombardment for five hours until " Ben - my - Chree " listed to starboard and sank in shallow water . Later in the day , the captain and the chief engineer returned to the ship to rescue the ship ' s mascots , a cat and dog which had both survived the attack . " Ben - my - Chree " s wreck remained in place until 1920 when it was refloated by the salvage ship " Vallette " and towed to the port of Piraeus . The ship proved to be a constructive total loss and was broken up in Venice , Italy in 1923 . During her short career she operated Sopwith Type 860 , Schneider , and Baby , as well as Short Type 830 and Type 184 floatplanes .