However, the life of the Mona's Queen proved to be short: six years after being launched she was sunk by a sea mine during the Dunkirk evacuation on 29 May 1940.

Mona's Queen was the sixth vessel to be built in the Birkenhead yards for the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, and was completed in June 1934.

[3] Constructed under special survey in accordance with the requirements of Lloyd's Register of Shipping and Classification, Mona's Queen was classed as A.1 "with freeboard for Irish Channel Service.

[3] The Promenade Deck on the Mona's Queen extended forward towards the bow giving the impression it was larger than even the Lady of Mann.

[3] Mona's Queen was propelled by twin screws driven through single reduction gearing by two sets of Parsons steam turbines.

This arrangement eliminated the requirement for large overhead trunking and greatly simplified the work of overhauling the low pressure turbines.

[3] The air for combustion was supplied by two large fans driven by enclosed forced-lubrication engines, manufactured by Matthew Paul & Co.

The oil firing equipment was supplied by Babcock & Wilcox, a special feature being the electrically driven lighting up set.

[3] The propellers were three bladed, cast in bronze and designed by Cammell Lairds in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory.

wireless installation together with a Marconi Echometer sounding device in order to derive the depth of water beneath the ship.

[3] Submarine signal receiving apparatus, with a distance finding capability was also installed, supplied by the Submarine Signal Co. (London) Ltd.[3] Electric power was provided by two 90 kW turbo generators in addition to which a 35 kW diesel driven emergency generating set was fitted at the main deck level.

[3] As well as its emergency duties the 35 kW generator supplied current for essential services under harbour conditions when steam was not available.

A special feature of the First Class Lounge was an arrangement whereby the sofas at the sides of the vessel could be quickly transformed into 12 private cabins and so provide sleeping accommodation for 48 passengers.

The three saloons on the Lower Deck, together with the two aft for the Third Class passengers were also fitted with sofas which could provide sleeping accommodation.

On her return she crossed Douglas Bay (but did not berth at her home port) as she continued back to Birkenhead, where she entered the wet basin in order to have her turbines examined.

[5] Mona's Queen was the lead ship of the last three vessels – all twin-screw and geared turbines – to be built for the Steam Packet Company before the Second World War.

Mona's Queen was requisitioned as a troop ship by the British government on 3 September 1939, the day war was declared.

Most of May 1940 was spent evacuating refugees from Dutch and French ports as the massive German advance swept forward to the Channel.

The next day the ship returned to sea and was shelled off the French coast by shore guns but escaped damage.

To mark the seventieth anniversary of her sinking, Mona's Queen's starboard anchor was raised on 29 May 2010 and subsequently returned to the Isle of Man to form the centrepiece of a permanent memorial.

On 29 May 2012, a memorial featuring the restored anchor from Mona's Queen, to commemorate the losses 72 years earlier on Mona's Queen, King Orry and Fenella was opened in a ceremony at Kallow Point in Port St Mary attended by representatives of local and national government, the Lieutenant Governor, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company and the French Navy.