BARROW’S civilian passenger ferries go to war next month in a talk by naval military specialist Professor Eric Grove.

He is the latest guest speaker in a series of free public lectures organised by Furness engineering groups. Everyone is welcome and there is no need to book.

His talk, called “Barrow-built Isle of Man Packet ships at war”, can be heard from 7.30pm at the Forum, in Duke Street, Barrow, on Wednesday, May 3.

The forerunner of today's Isle of Man Steam Packet Company was born on 30 June in 1830 when the new Mona’s Isle sailed from Douglas to Liverpool.

Until January 1832, the company was known as the Mona's Isle Company and assumed its present name in July 1832

It is the oldest continuously operating passenger shipping company in the world,

Vessels and crews of the company were involved in both world wars.

King Orry was attached to the British Grand Fleet and led the German High Seas Fleet into Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands at the end of the First World War.

Another vessel, Viking, was converted to become a seaplane carrier, serving as HMS Vindex.

During the First World War, 11 out of a total fleet of 15 Steam Packet ships were requisitioned by the Admiralty.

One of the more unusual conversions on a Barrow passenger ship was to Ben-my-Chree.

It was built by Vickers for £112,000 and launched on March 23 in 1908 for use on regular Manx services but was turned into a seaplane carrier.

Modifications took three feet off the length but pushed the weight up to 3,888 tons.

It was fitted with four quick-firing guns with 12lb shells and a pair of Vickers anti-aircraft guns firing three pound shells.

It could carry up to six seaplanes and had a Royal Navy crew of around 250.

As a carrier the ship used Sopwith Type, 860, Schneider, and Baby and Short Type 830 and Type 184 floatplanes

Ben-my-Chree was sent to the Dardnalles to support the Gallipoli Campaign against Turkish forces.

One of its aircraft made a piece of military history, making the first ship-launched aerial torpedo attack on a ship on August 11 in 1915.

In the Second World War, 10 of the fleet of 16 Steam Packet ships were commandeered for active duty, four of them were lost.

Eight company ships took part in Dunkirk evacuation, rescuing a total of 24,699 British troops – one in fourteen of those brought to safety.

Three of the line's ships were lost.

Mona’s Queen hit a mine off Dunkirk on 29 May;

Fenella was sunk by an air attack on 29 May;

King Orry sustained heavy damage in several air attacks on 29 May and sank off the beaches the following morning.

Prof Grove is to give another free lecture this Thursday, April 27, from 7.45pm as part of a University of Cumbria First World War Commemoration Series.

It is being held on the university’s Lancaster campus in the Hugh Pollard Lecture Theatre.

Call the University of Cumbria reception on 01524 384384 to reserve a place.

The talk has the title “The Unrestricted U-Boat Campaign 1917” and looks at the effects of attacks on shipping of Britain and its allies by German submarines.

In April 1917 alone, the attacks claimed 850,000 tons of shipping.

A spokesman said: “There are so many aspects to the subject, it should be a fascinating lecture by this country’s pre-eminent naval historian.”