Official Number:                 153594

Pennant No:                        Y 1.9

Builder:                                HK Whampoa, Kowloon

Launched:                           1925

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

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

May 1924 Ordered along with her sister TAIPING

1925 Launched by Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co Ltd, Kowloon as Yard Nr 618 named CHANGTE for Australian – Oriental Line Ltd ( G. S. Yuill & Co Ltd, Managers) Sydney

September 1925 completed 

30 September 1925 sailed on maiden voyage to Manila and Australian ports – Captain Frederick C Gambrill in command

15 October 1925 berthed at Cairns

20 October 1925 berthed at Sydney, NSW

22 December 1925 berthed at Sydney, NSW

18 February 1926 berthed at Sydney, NSW

17 April 1928 while on passage from Manila a passenger – Mrs Elizabeth Hankart – an elderly lady was found missing. The ship turned about and conducted a seach without tracing her.

28 April 1928 and 29 April 1928 while on passage from Hong Kong to Sydney, NSW and off Sandy Cape, the Third Officer – Mr J Allen (33) – was found to be missing. The ship put about and a through search was made but there was no trace of the officer

13 September 1928 at Melbourne loading cargo

15 October 1928 was salvaged by HM Tug Cherub the crew of which received salvage money – see London Gazette 21 January 1930. The circumstances of the salvage are no known at this time

3 September 1930 arrived at Thursday Island with one 2nd class passenger suffering from small-pox

12 July 1932 at the Central Court, Sydney, NSW Yam Kum from the ship was fined £50 when stopped by Customs Officers and he was found in possession of 25 tins of opium

29 December 1931 Captain Frederick C Gambrill as Master

26 January 1932 sailed Townsville, Australia

11 June 1934 ran aground at Zamboanga while on passage from Sydney, NSW to Hong Kong – jettisoned part of the cargo and managed to get clear – reported in The Times 12 June 1934

5 April 1935 berthed at Manila

2 July 1937 at Cairns Police Court, Queensland a Kuyeut Ling from the ship was stopped on going ashore by Customs Officers and searched. He was found in possession of four tins of opium. He was sentenced to four months imprisonment. The drugs were confiscated.

12 January 1938 the Third Engineer Cecil Brown (28) arrested by Customs Officers when found in possession of eight tins of opium hidden in his clothinga round his waist and a further two tins in his socks. He was stopped as he was getting into a taxi at Victoria Docks, Melbourne close to where the ship was berthed.

15 January 1938 the Third Engineer (above) appeared before the City Magistrates’ Melbourne when he pleaded Guilty to drug smuggling. He advised he received 19/- per tin on delivery. He was sentenced to three months imprisonment.

18 January 1938 sailed Melbourne to Hong Kong

22 March 1938 before Sydney, NSW Summons Court Ka Yip, an assistant butcher on the ship was prosecuted in obstructing a Customs Officer in the execution of his duty. He was sentenced to one months imprisonment. The Customs Officer stopped Mr Ka on the ship, removed his hat and two tins fell to the deck. A struggle ensued and the tins fell into the harbour and were lost. 

27 August 1939 Requisitioned  for service with the RN her name was unchanged

29 August 1939 sailed Brisbane to Sydney arriving 31 August 1939

1 September 1939 entered Cockatoo Island Dockyard for conversion to a Victualling issue ship. A 4 inch gun was installed. During her docking paravane gear was fitted as a protection against mines. 

16 September 1939 sailed Sydney to Melbourne arriving 18 September 1939

19 September 1939 sailed Melbourne to Freemantle arriving 26 September 1939

26 September 1939 sailed Freemantle to Colombo

18 October 1939 sailed Colombo to Aden arriving 29 October 1939

4 May 1940 sailed Colombo to Aden arriving 11 May 1940

21 July 1940 sailed Colombo to Aden arriving 31 July 1940

20 September 1940 sailed Aden independently to Colombo arriving 29 September 1940

22 October 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Aden arriving 29 October 1940

12 January 1941 sailed Aden independently to Colombo arriving 21 January 1941

5 February 1941 sailed Colombo

7 May 1941 sailed Aden to Massawa arriving on 9 May 1941

11 May 1941 sailed Massawa to Aden arriving on 13 May 1941

15 May 1941 sailed Aden to Basra arriving 25 May 1941

9 June 1941 sailed Basra to Colombo arriving 13 June 1941

22 July 1941 sailed Colombo to Aden

4 August 1941 sailed Aden independently to Mombassa arriving 6 August 1941

27 August 1941 sailed Mombassa arriving back at Mombassa on 11 September 1941

8 February 1942 sailed Colombo to Trincomalee arriving on 10 February 1942

23 March 1942 arrived at Addu Atoll

1 April 1942 sailed Trincomalee to Colombo arriving on 3 April 1942

11 April 1942 sailed Colombo to Bombay arriving on 15 April 1942

24 April 1942 sailed Bombay in convoy BA21 arriving at Aden on 1 May 1952

5 May 1942 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving on 10 May 1942 to transit the Suez Canal northwards

17 May 1942 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day

1 July 1942 sailed Alexandria

3 July 1942 arrived at Port Said

25 November 1942 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day

20 June 1943 sailed Alexandria independently to Port Said arriving the next day

26 June 1943 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day

25 February 1944 sailed Alexandria independently to Port Said arriving the next day

28 February 1944 sailed Suez independently to Aden arriving the 6 March 1944

5 March 1944 sailed Aden independently to Colombo arriving the 15 March 1944

27 March 1944 sailed Colombo independently to Galle arriving the next day

6 April 1944 sailed Galle independently to Trincomalee arriving the next day

10 June 1944 Captain Frederick C Gambrill appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) in the Birthday Honours List 1944 – details published in the London Gazette of this day

15 July 1944 sailed Alexandria in convoy GUS 48 to Malta arriving on 19 July 1944

24 July 1944 sailed Malta in convoy UGS 47 to Alexandria arriving 28 July 1944

14 April 1945 sailed Trincomalee

8 May 1945 sailed Kyaukpyu in convoy KRS 2 to Rangoon arriving on 10 May 1945 

7 July 1945 sailed Rangoon independently to Madras arriving 11 July 1945

13 July 1945 sailed Madras independently to Cochin arriving 18 July 1945

25 July 1945 sailed Cochin independently to Colombo arriving the next day

29 August 1945 sailed Colombo to Galle

5 September 1945 sailed Galle to Trincomalee

9 September 1945 sailed Trincomalee and then returned tp Trincomalee on 18 September 1945

29 September 1945 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving 1 October 1945

8 October 1945 sailed Colombo independently to Cochin arriving 15 October 1945

19 October 1945 sailed Cochin independently to Trincomalee arriving 22 October 1945

22 December 1945 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving 24 December 1945

28 January 1946 arrived at Fremantle

1 February 1946 sailed Fremantle to Sydney, NSW arriving 9 February 1946

18 June 1946 First Officer Alphonse M TULLOCH appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) Civil Division in the Birthday Honours list 1946 – details published London Gazette of that date

1946 returned to her owners and refurbished

1947 after refurbishment she carried BCOF personnel and their families back to Australia  from Japan

15 October 1948 sailed Sydney, NSW to Nagasaki

1 April 1949 before Melbourne City Court Lee Ali Soo, a seaman from the ship was fined £30 for having in his possession imported prohibited goods – pearls. He had been arrested when stopped by the Customs on leaving the ship.

2 March 1950 at the Special Court, Sydney, NSW Henry Leonard See was fined £400 when he was convicted of smuggling goods to the value of over £500 from the ship

30 April 1951 at Sydney, NSW before the Special Court the Third Engineer Officer pleaded guilty and was fined £30 after he was found to be in possession of smuggled goods including six row of pearls round his neck, a ladies watch concealed in his hat band and two combined cigarette lighters in his pocket

30 August 1951 an Australian illegal immigrant into Japan having served 12 months imprisonment was deported on the ship from Tokyo back to Australia. This was his seventh deportation from Japan and on arrival at Sydney. NSW he told reporters he would be returning to Tokyo in a few days

26 March 1952 at Bowen, Queensland two members of the public appeared before the local Magistrates’ Court charged with being in possession of smuggled wrist watches which they admitted to have purchased from Chinese crew members of the ship 

15 October 1954 sailed Sydney for Japan

28 December 1954 arrived Sydney from Hong Kong

27 July 1956 Chinese deportee George Kum Leung walked off the ship at Port Alma – arrested and returned to the ship

August 1961 Broken up at Hong Kong