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SS ''Binnendijk'' was a Dutch steel cargo ship lost off Portland Bill in the English Channel in 1939. The ship has become locally known as 'The Benny' and its wreck remains a dive site. ==History== The ship was built by a sub-company of the ship building tycoon Bonn & Mees; Werf De Noord N. V., Ablasserdam of Rotterdam during 1921, as part of a large order from the Holland and America line known as Nederlandsche-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart. The ''SS Binnendijk'' was a type "B" class ship. With a gross tonnage of 6875, the ship was powered by 3 steam turbines with double reduction gearing (single screw) and had a shaft horsepower of 3000, giving the ship a max speed of 12.5 knots. The engine was built by Harland & Wolff Ltd., of Belfast & Glasgow. The ship was 121.9 metres in length, 16.5 metres in beam and 11.9 metres in draught. Shortly after finishing this order Bonn & Mees were forced into liquidation by trade union strikes. Holding a crew of 42, the captain was W.P.J. Morée.〔http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?1290〕 During September 1939, the ship set sail from Boston in New York and was bound for Rotterdam. Upon her arrival into the English Channel the Royal Navy requested the ship to dock in either Weymouth or the Isle of Portland (Portland Harbour) for an inspection due to suspicion of the ship carrying contraband. On 7 October 1939 the ship travelled to Portland, where captain Morée requested the ship drop her anchor off of the Shambles Sandbank as the sun was setting. By 10pm the ship struck a newly developed German magnetic mine, which had been laid by the German submarine ''U-26'' on 10 September 1939. This occurred around 2.5 miles south east of the Shambles light. The mine, which was one of the first types used in combat, caused the ship to become ablaze before sinking slowly. At the time of sinking ''SS Binnendijk'' was alight from stem to stern. The ship sank about 1 mile north of the Lightvessel at 2am the next day. The wreck was dispersed by explosives on 10 October.〔http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/58.html〕〔http://www.mareud.com/Timelines/1939-1945.htm〕〔http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-3910-07OCT01.htm〕 As reported in the Liverpool Daily Post of 9 October 1939, there were no fatalities on the ship, and all 41 survivors landed in a lifeboat which stood by all night. Morée was revealed to have been on the bridge when the explosion put the engines and wireless out of action. He was quoted as to stating ''"The ship began to sink very slowly and when we fired rocket signals, they were answered... Later an examination vessel came alongside and making fast to our ship, took us off. There were 41 officers and crew, we had no passengers."''〔 ''Binnendijk'' had a total of seven sister ships: ''Bilderdijk'', which was torpedoed by a submarine on 19 November 1940 sailing from Halifax to Liverpool, ''Burgerdijk'', ''Blijdendijk'', ''Blommersdijk'', ''Breedijk'', ''Boschdijk'' and ''Beemsterdijk'', the latter which hit a mine off Pembrokeshire in 1941 with 40 lives lost.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SS Binnendijk」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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