HMS Princess Irene was a 5,394 GRT ocean liner which was built in 1914 by William Denny and Brothers Ltd, Dumbarton, Scotland for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

On 27 May 1915, she exploded and sank off Sheerness, Kent, while being loaded with mines prior to a deployment mission, with the loss of 352 lives.

[1] With her sister ship Princess Margaret, she was built to serve on the Vancouver – Victoria – Seattle route.

[5][6] In May 1915, Princess Irene was moored in Saltpan Reach, on the Medway Estuary in Kent between Port Victoria and Sheerness, being loaded with mines in preparation for deployment on a minelaying mission.

A total of 352 people were killed,[4] including 273 officers and men, and 76 dockyard workers who were on board Princess Irene.

[4][7][9][10] Wreckage was flung up to 20 miles (32 km) away, with people near Sittingbourne being injured by flying débris,[3] some of which landed in Bredhurst.

The sole survivor from Princess Irene was a stoker, David Percy Wills, who suffered severe burns.

A worker at Chatham Dockyard was named as a suspect, but a thorough investigation by Special Branch cleared him of any blame.

[17] On 19 November 2002, the story of Princess Irene was covered by BBC Radio Four's Making History programme.