Official Number:                      102805

Builder:                                  Wm Gray & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool

Launched:                              12 September 1893

Into Service:                           WW1

Out of service:                        1917

Fate:                                      28 April 1917 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:

12 September 1893 launched by Wm Gray & Co Ltd., West Hartlepool as Yard Nr: 465 named Bullmouth for M Samuel & Co., London

14 September 1893 the Lloyds List newspaper reported the launch …

18 October 1893 ran her sea trials off Hartlepool while in ballast with an average speed of 10.5 knots being obtained

October 1893 completed

23 December 1893 arrived at Hong Kong from Batoum

16 April 1894 sailed Royal Albert Dock, London for Batoum

17 March 1895 sailed Victoria Dock, London for Hamburg

3 July 1895 at Hong Kong

22 September 1895 at 36°38N 5°13W Donkeyman Lam Fat discharged dead from natural causes

30 September 1895 Fireman Litein discharged dead at the London Hospital, Greenwich from beri-beri

13 June 1896 passed Constantinople while on passage from Novoroasik to Bombay

7 August 1897 passed Constantinople while on passage from Batoum to Port Said

17 December 1897 at the Admiralty Division of the High Court Mr Justice Barnes awarded £5,000 for salving the Dutch steamer Palinurus which in August 1897 lost it’s propellor in the Indian Ocean and was towed by the Bullmouth 844 miles to Bombay. The ships owners received £4,000, the Master £350 and the crew £650

28 September 1898 sailed Tilbury Dock, London for Batoum

14 February 1902 on the River Tyne while in refit a fire broke out when a naked flame was taken into a tank which had been cleared of oil and vapour. It was found that the flame ignited scale and whitewish on the tanks bulkheads which had absorbed oil

15 April 1904 sailed Singapore

16 December 1904 arrived at Madras

29 June 1907 owners became Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd., London name unchanged

9 March 1910 berthed at the Main Wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore

21 April 1912 berthed at Fremantle, Western Australia

2 January 1913 while on passage from Abadan the propeller broke with all four blades coming off. The ship drifted in the Indian Ocean for two days before being able to anchor. Eleven days were spent attempting to remove the propeller boss.

11 January 1913 2nd Officer Dalton and 4th Engineer Officer Evans together with four of the crew sailed a lifeboat to Mangalore, India arriving 15 January 1913 seeking assistance from the Ships Agents

21 January 1913 a steamship – the Sultan Van Koetei – arrived and took the Bullmouth in tow to Colombo arriving 26 January 1913

28 February 1913 in No 2 Dry Dock, Kepple Harbour, Singapore

WW1 was requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler – name unchanged

27 August 1915 at Halifax, Nova Scotia alongside HMS CARNARVON to refuel her – supplied 50 tons of FFO

19 September 1915 at Halifax alongside HMAS AUSTRALIA 

21 March 1916 Fairfield Yard, Glasgow alongside HMS AVENGER to refuel her

22 March 1916 at Tail of Bank alongside HMS AVENGER to refuel her

28 April 1917 was torpedoed and sunk by U-58 in position 56.30N 11.20W, 125 miles NNW of Tory Island while on passage from the Clyde to Hampton Roads in ballast. There were no casualties