HMY Alexandra

HMY Alexandra
History
United Kingdom
Name	Alexandra
Namesake	Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom
Owner	His Majesty's Government
Operator	Royal Navy
Builder	A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow
Yard number	280
Launched	30 May 1907
Completed	April 1908
Maiden voyage	June 1908
Out of service	June 1922
Fate	Sold to the Norwegian shipping company Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab in May 1925
Norway
Name	Prins Olav
Namesake	Prince Olav of Norway
Owner	Nordenfjeldske Dampskibsselskab
Port of registry	Trondheim
Route	Coast of Norway/North Cape cruises (1925–1930) Edinburgh–North Cape (1930–1935) Hurtigruten (1937–1940)
Cost	£25,000
Acquired	May 1925
Maiden voyage	Bergen–North Cape, beginning on 5 July 1925
Refit	Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted (1925-1926) Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted (1936-1937)
Identification	Code letters: LCVM
Fate	Sunk by German bombers on 9 June 1940
General characteristics as built
Type	Royal yacht (1908–1922) Hospital ship (c. 1914–1918) Cruise ship (1925–1935)
Tonnage	2,113 tons (gross) 1,135 tons (net)
Length	90 m (300 ft)
Beam	12.2 m (40 ft)
Draught	13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion	Three Parsons turbines with 4,035 ihp
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h)
Capacity	100 passengers (after 1925 rebuild)
General characteristics after 1937 rebuild
Type	Hurtigruten passenger/cargo ship (1937–1940) Troop ship (1940)
Tonnage	2,147 tons (gross) 1,247 tons (net)
Propulsion	3,500 ihp four-cylinder compound engine
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h)
Capacity	450 passengers

HMY Alexandra was a steamship built as a British royal yacht, completed in 1908. Normally transporting Britain's royal family to European ports, Alexandra served as a hospital ship during the First World War. After 17 years of British service, she was sold to Norwegian commercial interests in 1925. Renamed Prins Olav, she was first used as a luxury cruise ship on trips to the North Cape, she was converted to take more passengers and cargo. In 1937 she began sailing as a Hurtigruten passenger/cargo ship along the coast of Norway. After being requisitioned by the Norwegian government following the 9 April 1940 German invasion of Norway, she transported troops for the Norwegian war effort. Prins Olav was sunk by German bombers on 9 June 1940, while attempting to escape to the United Kingdom as the Norwegian Campaign was coming to an end.