Official Number:                        125777

Laid down:

Builder:                                     Joseph L. Thompson & Sons Ltd., North Sands, Sunderland

Pennant No:                             Y 3.53

Signal Letters:                          HNSP

Launched:                                22 March 1909

Into Service:                             30 July 1914

Out of service:                          28 April 1919

Fate:                                         5 November 1944 torpedoed 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:

22 March 1909 launched by Joseph L. Thompson & Sons Ltd, North Sands, Sunderland as Yard Nr: 458 named BRINKBURN for Brinkburn Steamship Co Ltd, London.

15 April 1909 register opened at London as Nr: 35/1909 in the Register Book

April 1909 completed

25 February 1910 the Scotsman newspaper reported …

1912  sold to Palin. Evans & Co Ltd., (W.E. Hinde & Co, Managers), London name unchanged.

3 January 1914 arrived at Odessa

1 August 1914  requisitioned for service as a Collier until 17 June 1915

18 August 1914  at Halifax supplied the Battleship HMS GLORY (1899) with 1, 080tons of bunker coal

24 August 1914 at Sydney, Cape Breton Island HMS LANCASTER berthed alongside

25 August 1914 supplied HMS LANCASTER with 834 tons of bunker coal by 29 August 1914

27 September 1914 arrived at Sierra Leone – officer of the guard from HMS MACEDONIA boarded

19 November 1914 at Sierra Leone HMS DONEGAL supllied with 1,165 tons of bunker coal

21 November 1914 cast off and sailed

22 November 1914 at Sierra Leone alongside HMS HIGHFLYER

23 November 1914 supplied HMS HIGHFLYER with 590 tons of bunker coal

27 November 1914 at Sierra Leone alongside HMS OTRANTO and supplied bunker coal casting off the next day

30 November 1914 at Sierra Leone alongside HMS MARMORA and supplied bunker coal

2 December 1914 cast off from HMS MARMORA

5 December 1914  additionally carried 50 men Sierra Leone / Ascension Island

13 December 1914  anchored off Ascension Island

29 December 1914  target towing off Ascension Island for HMS VINDICTIVE

6 January 1915  target towing off Ascension Island for HMS VINDICTIVE

17 May 1915 at Port Mudros HMS MINERVA berthed alongside and received 270 tons of bunker coal

HMS MINERVA

27 May 1915  at Port Mudros HMS MINERVA berthed alongside and received bunker coal

3 June 1915 at Port Mudros HMS MINERVA berthed alongside and received 335 tons of bunker coal

4 June 1915 at Port Mudros HMS CHATHAM berthed alongside and received 250 tons of bunker coal

3 July 1915 between Punta Delgado and Funchal, Maderia spoke to HMS ARGONAUT

13 December 1916  served as a Collier until 27 December 1916

28 December 1916  served as a Transport carrying wheat from Australia until 25 April 1917

1917 sold to Beaver Shipping Co Ltd., London, name unchanged.

26 April 1917  served as a Collier until 31 May 1917

1 June 1917  served as a Transport carrying sugar from Cuba until 1 September 1917

2 September 1917  served as a Collier to Northern Russia for Russian Government a/c

10 April 1918  served as a Collier

1918 sold to Anglo-Belgique Shipping Co Ltd., London name unchanged

11 April 1918  served as a Collier until 21 May 1918

22 May 1918  served as a Transport carrying wheat from the Argentine until 12 September 1918

5 August 1918 had to stop due to engine defect

13 August 1918  had to stop again due to engine defect

13 September 1918  served as a Collier until 31 January 1919

1 February 1919  served as a Transport carrying wheat from River Plate area until 28 April 1919

1919  renamed CYMRIC PRIDE by her owners

1931  sold to Eric Moller, London and renamed MARION MOLLER

1933  owners became N.E.A. Moller, Shanghai, name unchanged.

1935  owners restyled as Moller Line Ltd (Mollers Ltd, Managers) Shanghai name unchanged

19 April 1940 sailed Bombay for Suez in escorted convoy BN7 arriving 26 October 1940

19 November 1940 sailed Suez in escorted convoy BS9 dispersing on 26 November 1940 at 12°30N 48°23E

27 January 1944 sailed Calcutta in unescorted convoy CJ14 to Colombo, Ceylon arriving 3 February 1944

25 February 1944 sailed Calcutta in unescorted convoy CJ17A to Madras arriving 29 February 1944

15 March 1944 sailed Chittagong in unescorted convoy CH13 to Calcutta arriving the next day

27 March 1944 sailed Calcutta in unescorted convoy HC48 to Chittagong arriving 29 March 1944

24 April 1944 sailed Calcutta in unescorted convoy CJ25 to Colombo, Ceylon arriving 2 May 1944

11 May 1944 sailed Madras in unescorted convoy MA30 to Chittagong arriving 15 May 1944

2 June 1944 sailed Calcutta in unescorted convoy CJ25 to Colombo, Ceylon arriving 10 June 1944

13 June 1944 sailed Colombo, Ceylon in unescorted convoy JC52 to Calcutta arriving 20 June 1944

6 July 1944 sailed Calcutta in unescorted convoy CJ25 to Colombo, Ceylon arriving 14 July 1944

19 July 1944 sailed Colombo, Ceylon in unescorted convoy JC57 to Calcutta arriving 27 July 1944

31 August 1944 sailed Colombo, Ceylon in unescorted convoy JC62 to Calcutta arriving 7 September 1944

3 November 1944 sailed Colombo, Ceylon in unescorted convoy JC66 until …

5 November 1944  torpedoed and sunk in the Indian Ocean by Japanese submarine RO-113 in position 10°40N 81°10 E about 100 miles from Trincomalee on passage from Karachi and Colombo to Calcutta carrying a cargo of 5700 tons of salt & a deck cargo of 27 cases of gliders. Her crew of 71 were rescued by the RAN destroyer HMAS NORMAN (G 49) (1941), transferred to the destroyer HMS ROEBUCK (H 95) (1942) and were landed at Trincomalee, Ceylon