Low tide today and I’m waiting for the ferry and saw this old anchor. Don’t believe I’ve seen it before. Anyone know the backstory? It’s litterally by seacome ferry terminal.
Yeah that came up when I looked too. But then o thought, if it was the anchor for the pontoon it would have a chain going through the eyelet but this looks abandoned
I remember an old ships funnel at Seacombe ferry terminal which had what looked like lots of bullet holes in it. Was it from the Iris or the Daffodil which took part in the Zeebruge landings. Has anybody got any information about this.
The object of the British attack was to prevent German submarines from using Bruges as a base, by blocking the Bruges Canal at its entrance into Zeebrugge harbour. As this was to be effected by sinking three old cruisers, which would have to pass batteries on the Mole, it was first necessary to destroy these batteries. The vessels chosen to carry the troops for this attack were the cruiser Vindictive and the two Wallasey ferry boats, Iris and Daffodil. The ferry-boats were chosen because they only drew eight feet six inches of water and therefore could be safely taken over minefields; also, having double hulls, they were practically unsinkable. On reaching the Mole at Zeebrugge the Vindictive’s anchors failed to hold, and the captain of the Daffodil, although wounded, pinned the Vindictive to the Mole by manoeuvring into position against her. The Vindictive’s gangways were then dropped to the parapet and the landing parties stormed across them. In order to keep in position an enormous head of pressure had to be maintained in the Daffodil’s boilers. This was a strenuous effort for her engineers, and it is even more remarkable when it is realised that the engine-room was holed at one point and two compartments flooded.
During this time the Iris was making an unsuccessful attempt to land her troops as the scaling ladders would not hold. Her captain then decided to land his troops via the Vindictive, but no sooner was his ship in position alongside her than the Daffodil sounded the retirement, showing the operation was complete and the Iris, to the bitter disappointment of all on board, was instructed to cast off and make her way home. Turning away northwards, she came within range of the shore batteries and received hits which smashed the port end of the bridge and left her conning positions on fire. By now she was well off course and was once again hit by gunfire off the Mole. These shells crashed through her sides and swept her decks, causing her casualty figures to rocket from three to one hundred and fifty in a few minutes. The only thing which saved her was that Lieutenant G. Spencer, her navigating officer, although wounded, had managed to correct her course in the split second before the shells landed and, as the helm was swung over, the Iris answered. At this point a British ship came between her and the batteries to hide her in smoke. With this momentary respite she was able to set off her damaged smoke canisters and retire behind her own smoke screen, but not before three more shells from the heavy shore batteries had found their target.
Desperately crippled, with an appalling loss of life, a fire raging beneath her bridge which two of the men were finally able to control, and with flooding in her forward compartments, the Iris limped home to Dover. There she found the Daffodil had already arrived, having been towed in by another ship, the Trident. For this heroic service the two ferry-boats were given the proud designation ‘Royal’. The bullet-riddled funnel of the Royal Iris stood for many years on the south side of Seacombe ferry as a memorial. Ultimately, as the rust, spreading from the shell and bullet holes, became uncontrollable, the funnel became dangerous and had to be demolished.
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