HMS Princess Beatrix HMS Princess Beatrix HMS "Princess Beatrix" was a commando troop ship of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Built as a civilian passenger liner in 1939 by De Schelde at Vlissingen, she was named the MS "Prinses Beatrix", after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, and operated by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland (SMZ) (The Zealand Steamship Company) between Flushing and Harwich, along with her sister ship, MS "Koningin Emma". After fleeing to Britain after the German invasion in 1940, she was requisitioned by the British Ministry of War Transport, renamed HMS "Princess Beatrix" and converted to a troopship at Harland
HMS Princess Beatrix the Commander in Chief of the western Mediterranean. During her time in the Mediterranean "Princess Beatrix" transported 15,700 men, including a large number of German and Italian POWs while sailing 12,000 miles. "Princess Beatrix" was then attached to the ships of "Operation Husky", the invasion of Sicily. The ship was attached to Force B and sailed with convoy SBF-1. On board were men of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and a Special Forces group, which were to raid a beach codenamed Bark South. On 16 August 1943 "Princess Beatrix" participated in a joint Anglo-American landing at Cape Scarletta, code-named "Operation