Official Number:                       140319

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd, Low Walker

Pennant No:                           Y7.219

Launched:                               22 March 1917

Into Service:                            6 September 1917

Out of service:                         1918

Fate:                                        1951 – broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW2 to augment the ships of the RFA

Career Data:

22 March 1917 launched by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd., Low Walker as Yard No: 892 named British Sovereign for British Tanker Co Ltd.

11 July 1917 completed

25 July 1917 at 59°55N 13°22E intercepted by HMS MOTAGUA and escorted westwards

HMS MOTAGUA

6 September 1917 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an Oiler Transport – name unchanged

7 September 1918 Boatswain Ah Ling, 4th Engineer Officer Frederick Alfred Bassett, Cook Doe Gai, 3rd Engineer Officer Walter Moore, Engineer J T Nicholson, 1st Engineer Officer Hannibal George Strike, Leading Seaman William J Kingston RNR and Able Seaman Stuart A Roberton RNR each discharged dead and all are buried in the Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte

12 September 1918 Sailor A Tet discharged dead. He is buried in the Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte in Grave IX C 21

20 September 1918 1st Mate Andrew Cunningham Marshall discharged dead. He is buried in the Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte in Grave VF 7

1918 returned to her owners

23 October 1923 sailed Abadan

30 December 1932 arrived at Abadan from Aden

11 November 1933 sailed from Calcutta, India for Abadan

11 January 1934 arrived at Suez

3 July 1934 sailed Abadan for Suez for orders

27 January 1935 sailed from Port Sudan

6 March 1939 sailed Aden for Abadan

17 January 1941 sailed Aden in escorted convoy BN14 for Suez. Involved in a collision on 19 January 1941 with ss Goldmouth and had to divert to Port Sudan

22 October 1942 sailed Bandar Abbas with three other merchant ships in unescorted convoy PA7 to Aden arriving on 30 October 1942

11 November 1942 sailed Aden in escorted convoy AP6 with four other merchant ships to Bandar Abbas arriving on 18 November 1942

28 November 1942 sailed Bandar Abbas with eight other merchant ships in unescorted convoy PA12 to Aden arriving 4 December 1942

21 December 1942 sailed  Aden with four other merchant ships in unescorted convoy AP10 to Bandar Abbas arriving on 28 December 1942 

16 April 1951 sold for scrap

9 May 1951 sailed Bombay in tow

11 July 1951 arrived Blyth for demolition by Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Co

Notes:

She was the 1st of 2 ships to bear this name in the BTC Fleet