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Official Number:                       110185

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Sir James Laing & Sons, Deptford Yard, Sunderland

Launched:                               8 August 1899

Into Service:                            9 September 1914

Out of service:                         9 September 1915

Fate:                                      9 September 1915 mined and sunk 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW1 to augment the ships of the RFA

Career Data:

8 August 1899 launched by Sir James Laing & Sons, Deptford Yard, Sunderland as Yard Nr: 570 name Balakani for Petroleum SS Co Ltd (Lane & MacAndrew, Managers), London

10 August 1899 Lloyds List newspaper reported –

September 1899 completed

5 December 1899 arrived at Manchester

23 December 1899 passed up the Dardenelles

10 February 1900 arrived at Manchester from New Orleans

15 February 1900 at Partington, Manchester Ship Canal Fireman & Trimmer Patrick Mooney discharged dead after drowning when he fell into the Canal

6 April 1900 berthed at Smith’s Low Dock, North Shields, River Tyne

9 August 1900 berthed at Eccles on the Manchester Ship Canal from Batum. Her cargo was 1.5 million gallons of refined oil

15 August 1900 sailed Manchester in ballast for Batum

22 November 1900 passed Constantinople while on passage from Manchester to Batum

17 December 1900 berthed at Liverpool having sailed from Batum

30 December 1900 berthed at Eccles on the Manchester Ship Canal from Batum discharging her cargo

26 November 1901 passed Dardanelles while on passage from the River Tyne to Batum

30 March 1903 at Port Talbot Able Seaman William Mooney discharged dead – cause unknown

17 September 1905 berthed at Liverpool having sailed from Batum

22 August 1906 while on passage from Philadelphia to London at 49.49N 21.21W with a cargo of 5,200 tons of oil, at night encountered very heavy seas. The ship’s Master – Captain John Hewitt, 3rd Officer George Harrison and a member of the crew were on deck forward of the bridge when the ship was hit by a large wave and a vast amount of water was shipped onboard. The ship’s Master and the 3rd Officer were washed over the side and lost despite the ship being turned about and many hours being spent searching for them

16 October 1907 sailed Cardiff to Port Arthur

13 November 1909 at Newport News USA Able Seaman George Douglas discharged dead having drowned

5 September 1910 berthed at Sunderland from Port Arthur via London

8 November 1910 berthed at Avonmouth from Port Arthur

6 February 1912 when on passage from New York to London put into Queenstown this day with defective machinery

15 July 1912 passed Dover when on passage to Galveston

12 August 1912 at Galveston, Texas Sailor Roderick McDonald discharged dead after he was run over by a motor car

9 September 1912 arrived at Avonmouth from Port Arthur

13 January 1913 while on passage from Hull to New Orleans bunkered at Fayal

15 April 1913 arrived at Newport News from Middlesborough

8 August 1913 arrived at Dublin from Port Arthur

9 August 1913 before Falkirk Sheriff and Jury Court Seaman Albert Anderson pleaded Guilty to failing to join the ship before it sailed which he had signed on as Bosun and for which he had received an advance together with other cases of fraud. He was sentenced to five months imprisonment

8 December 1913 arrived at New York from Manchester

9 September 1914 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler – name unchanged – cost £2,494 for four months followed by £2,423 for two months

24 April 1915 at Sea at 39.36N 8.04W boarded by a guard from HMS MOTAGUA – checked and allowed to proceed

9 September 1915 hit a mine which had been laid by the German submarine UC-1 and sank at the mouth of the River Thames off Clacton in position 51.31.15N 01.22E with the loss of six lives