Requisitioned Auxiliary – Carrigan Head

 

RA Carrigan Head 

 

RA Carrigan Head

 

Official Number:                       113508 

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Workman Clark & Co Ltd., Belfast

Launched:                               9 March 1901

Into Service:                            4 August 1914

Out of service:                         25 February 1919

Fate:                                      Broken up 9 June 1934 

 

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:

 

9 March 1901 launched by Workman Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast as Yard Nr: 176 named CARRIGAN HEAD for Ulster SS Co Ltd (G Heyn & Sons Ltd, Managers) Belfast

April 1901 completed

11 February 1902 sailed Belfast for Gaveston via Port Talbot

24 April 1903 from Barrow with a cargo of steel rails – the first steamer to reach the St Lawrence this year went aground in the river below Montreal. The vessel suffered no damage

29 April 1903 the ships and it’s cargo suffered damage by strikers at Montreal

1 August 1903 passed Torr Head sailing south berthing later at Belfast

6 August 1903 sailed from Belfast for Port Talbot

7 August 1903 berthed at Port Talbot

8 August 1903 sailed from Port Talbot for Galveston

25 August 1903 berthed at Galveston

26 October 1903 passed Bermuda while on passage from Port Talbot to Galveston

2 February 1904 sailed Port Talbot for New Orleans

21 March 1904 when on passage from Galveston to Belfast passed east of Inishtrahull

22 March 1904 arrived at Belfast

3 November 1904 passed east of St. Ann’s Head

18 August 1905 sailed Barry for Las Palmas

27 July 1907 sailed Belfast for Montreal and Quebec

15 May 1908 arrived at Albany from the River Clyde

19 May 1908 arrived at Adelaide from Albany

13 June 1908 sailed Brisbane for Sydney, NSW

23 June 1908 arrived at Adelaide from Melbourne

3 October 1908 sailed Liverpool for Montreal

30 September 1911 sailed Cardiff to Las Palmas and thence New Orleans, USA

13 April 1913 at sea Midshipman Harold B Alexander discharged dead having been poisoned

17 June 1914 sailed Dublin to Montreal, Canada

4 August 1914 requisitioned by the Admiralty for service as a Supply Ship name unchanged

5 December 1914  Chief Gunner John J Reynolds Royal Navy discharged dead. He is buried in Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery

3 March 1915 off Imbros alongside HMS INFLEXIBLE ammunitioning her and then sailed

23 March 1915 in the Gulf of Xeros alongside HMS DARTMOUTH ammunitioning her

29 April 1915 at Rabbit Island, Eastern Mediterranean alongside HMS VENGEANCE ammunitioning her

2HMS VENGEANCE

HMS VENGEANCE

4 May 1915 at Gaba Tepe alongside HMS COLNE ammunitioning her

20 May 1915 berthed alongside HMS USK at the Dardenelles

HMS Usk

HMS USK

13 October 1915 at Anzac alongside HMS COLNE supplying Naval Stores

15 November 1915 at Mudros met HMS USK

18 December 1915 sailed Malta for Mudros with TB046 in tow. In very poor weather on 21 December 1915 the Torpedo Boat started to take in water. The crew were taken off with some difficulty and two were injured. The Torpedo boat struck the side of the Carrigan Head and was further damaged. She was cast adrift and sunk by gunfire at 35°42N 22°37W.

24 December 1915 berthed alongside HMS USK delivering naval stores

2 April 1916 became Expeditionary Force Transport G 0186

31 May 1916 Lieutenant Commander Frank Eyers RNR appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for meritorious service in the Eastern Mediterranean during the past nineteen months, including the saving of his unarmed ship when attacked by an enemy submarine

Co Carrington Head Medals

Lieutenant Commander Frank Eyers RNR’s World War 1 medals

1 June 1916 commissioned as Decoy Ship Q 4 and served under the aliases CARRIGHAM HEAD and CARRINGTON HEAD and also served under the name SUFFOLK COAST

June 1916 Engineer Lieutenant James Sloan RNR appointed as Chief Ebgineer Officer

9 September 1916 ship attached by German Submarine UB18 in the Western Approaches and damaged. Third Writer Charles Bickerton discharged dead. He is buried in Ford Park Cemetery (formerly Plymouth Old Cemetery)

Bickerton 1
 
 Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

9 October 1916 Lieutenant James C Wauhope Royal Navy appointed as Commanding Officer

8 January 1917 at Murmansk coaling

3 August 1917 became a Commissioned  Escort Ship

19 September 1917 at Devonport – commissioned as HMS Carringan HEAD

24 September 1917 sailed Devonport to Philadelphia 

3 October 1917 Donkeyman injured after an accident in the engine room

109 October 1917 berthed at Philadelphia – alongside at Richmond Elevator

17 October 1917 sailed Philadelphia for Hampton Roads

18 October 1917 anchored at Hampton Roads

19 October 1917 alongside at Norfolk loading bunkers – loaded 318.5 tons of bunker coal

24 October 1917 sailed Hampton Roads

11 November 1917 Lizard Head abeam

12 November 1917 sighted the Owers Light Vessel off Sussex

13 November 1917 anchored off Southend

14 November 1917 berthed at Millwall Docks, London

20 November 1917 loading bunkers

22 November 1917 while moving berth in collision with ss Buruten striking this ship amidships in the vicinity of the port life boat deck

26 November 1917 at Millwall Docks loaded bunkers

27 November 1917 AB Smith and OS F Pidgeon deserted the ship leaving their effects onboard. Ship sailed down river from Millwall Docks to Plymouth

29 November 1917 while on passage to Plymouth an enemy submarine fired a torpedo at the ship which passed astern. Arrived at Plymouth and anchored in Plymouth Sound

1 December 1917 sailed Plymouth for Philadelphia

18 December 1917 arrived at Philadelphia

23 December 1917 sailed Philadelphia to Hampton Roads

24 December 1917 berthed at Hampton Roads for bunkers

26 December 1917 finished bunkering and sailed Hampton Roads

22 January 1918 arrived at the Downs 

23 January 1918 berthed at London Docks to discharge cargo

3 February 1918 commenced loading bunkers. At 10.30pm AB Baker when returning to the ship from leave in darkness fell into the Dock. Unable to extract himself and being in the water for some time he was exhausted. Surgeon Frossard dived from the dockwall and rescued the seaman with considerable difficult

4 February 1918 sailed from London Docks and proceeded down the Channel to Plymouth

6 February 1918 anchored in Plymouth Sound

9 February 1918 sailed Plymouth Sound to New York

19 February 1918 practiced with 6″ guns

25 February 1918 berthed at New York

7 March 1918 sailed New York to Halifax

9 March 1918 anchored at Halifax – loaded bunkers from a coal barge

11 March 1918 sailed from Halifax to the UK

28 March 1918 anchored at Gravesend

29 March 1918 berthed at Millwall Docks

9 April 1918 sailed Millwall Docks to Plymouth Sound

12 April 1918 anchored in Plymouth Sound

13 April 1918 sailed Plymouth Sound to sea

21 April 1918 dropped target – gun drill shooting at target – picked up target

12 October 1918 in collision with a steamer – details not given in the ship’s log book – some damage to the ships hull and some flooding

13 October 1918 anchored in Southampton Water off Netley Hospital

25 February 1919 returned to her owners, name unchanged

19 June 1919 sailed Ardrossan to Montreal, Canada with 8 passengers. Captain G Pickford was Master

1 August 1919 sailed Ardrossan to Montreal, Canada with 8 passengers. Captain Harry L Butt was Master

8 October 1919 sailed Ardrossan to Montreal, Canada with 7 passengers

7 June 1920 berthed at Belfast from Montreal, Canada with 2 passengers. Captain Campbell was Master

15 June 1920 sailed Belfast to Montreal, Canada

19 July 1920 berthed at Belfast from Montreal with 3 passengers. Captain Harry L Butt was Master

19 October 1920 berthed at Belfast from Montreal with 3 passengers

26 November 1922 berthed at Belfast from Montreal with 1 passengers. Captain W J Campbell was Master

17 February 1923 at Cork Able Seaman Charles McIlgorm discharged dead – shot by a sentry when he failed to stop when challenged

12 February 1932 in the Gulf of Riga Captain William James Campbell, the ships Master, discharged dead from pneumonia

23 April 1932 at Riga 1st Mate William Kane Ferguson discharged dead from liver disease

27 June 1932 at the Adelaide Hospital, Dublin Chief Engineer Thomas McBride discharged dead from heart failure

12 November 1933 at the Sailors Hospital, Falmouth Fireman & Trimmer Daniel McNally discharged dead from obstruction of the bowel. He had been admitted to the hospital from the ship on 6 November 1933

9 June 1934 arrived Rosyth after sale for £5,200 for demolition by Metal Industries Ltd

4 July 1934  work begun