Official Number:                     149490

Builder:                                 Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend

Pennant No:                   

Launched:                              28 November 1928

Into Service:                           1939

Out of service:                        1945

Fate:                                     1965 broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

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

Career Data:

28 November 1928 launched by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend as Yard Nr 1357 named HOPEMOUNT for Hopemount Shipping Co Ltd (A. Stott & Co Ltd, Managers) Newcastle

February 1929 completed

24 June 1930 berthed at Thameshaven from Curacao with one DBS. Captain Robert Gibson was Master

28 July 1930 sailed New Orleans

22 October 1930 sailed Aruba

8 September 1932 berthed at Manchester

30 November 1932 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east bound

2 December 1932 berthed at Thameshaven from Curacao. Captain Robert Gibson was Master

12 December 1932 sailed Falmouth for Rouen

7 April 1933 arrived at Liverpool

10 April 1933 entered Eastham Locks

11 April 1933 berthed at Manchester

14 April 1933 sailed Manchester

25 January 1937 at 43.02N 17.30W Pumpman Stephen Collins discharged dead – pneumonia

12 August 1937 in thick fog off the mouth of the River Tyne was in collision with the 95 ton steam drifter Oswy which sank with three of her crew missing.

13 August 1937 arrived at Wallsend drk dock and landed six of the crew of the steam drifter Oswy which she had picked up after the collision.

1938 managers now Stott, Mann & Fleming, Newcastle name unchanged

15 April 1938 at 33.09S 51.11W Chief Officer Stephen Jayne Edwards discharged dead – heart failure

8 February 1939 arrived at Curacao

28 February 1939 radioed she was 450 nmiles W of Lands End

4 March 1939 arrived Rotterdam

11 March 1939 radioed she was 100 nmiles S W of Lands End

6 June 1939 radioed she was 220 nmiles N W of Lands End

10 June 1939 at Le Havre Able Seaman Harry Ellis discharged dead – drowned

12 June 1939 sailed the Downs

15 June 1939 arrived on the River Tyne

1939 – 1945 requisitioned  for Admiralty service as an oiler, name unchanged and served on the Russian Convoys as an Escort Oiler

17 September 1939 sailed Southend in convoy OA6 until dispersal on 20 September 1939 then sailed independently to Charlestown, South Carolina arriving on 6 October 1939

10 October 1939 sailed Charlestown independently to New Orleans arrriving on 14 October 1939

15 October 1939 sailed New Orleans independently to Galveston arriving on 18 October 1939

24 October 1939 sailed Galveston to Corpus Christi

25 October 1939 sailed Corpus Christi independently to Halifax arriving on 4 November 1939

10 November 1939 sailed Halifax in convoy HX8 to Le Harve arriving 25 November 1939

28 November 1939 sailed Le Harve independently to Spithead arriving the next day

3 December 1939 sailed Portsmouth joining convoy OA46 from Southend until dispersal on 7 december 1939 and the independently to Texas City arriving on 26 December 1939 

31 December 1939 sailed Port Arthur independently to Halifax arriving 10 January 1940

14 January 1940 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX16 to Milford Haven arriving on 26 January 1940

29 January 1940 sailed Milford Haven independently to Avonmouth arriving the next day

1 February 1940 sailed Avonmouth independently to Cardiff arriving the same day

14 February 1940 sailed Cardiff independently to Milford Haven arriving the same day

16 February 1940 sailed Milford Haven joining the escorted convoy OB92. This convoy dispersed on 18 February 1940 and she then sailed independently to Caripito arriving 7 March 1940

7 March 1940 sailed Caripito independently to Trinidad arriving the same day

11 March 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Guaira arriving 13 March 1940

24 March 1940 arrived at Las Piedras

26 March 1940 sailed Las Piedras independently to Port Arthur arriving 12 April 1940

16 April 1940 sailed Port Arthur independently to Halifax arriving 26 April 1940

30 April 1940 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX39 to Portland arriving 14 May 1940

16 May 1940 sailed Portland independently to the Downs arriving 18 May 1940

15 June 1940 sailed Southend in the unescorted convoy OA168GF to Southampton arriving the next day

19 June 1940 sailed Spithead in the escorted convoy OA170. The Master of Hopemount was the Vice Commodore of the Convoy. The convoy dispersed on 21 June 1940 and she then sailed independently to New Orleans arriving on 8 July 1940

10 July 40 sailed New Orleans independently to Houston arriving 12 July 1940

24 July 1940 at Houston Apprentice John Hattie Tweedley discharged dead – drowned

26 July 1940 sailed Houston independently to Port Arthur arriving the next day

29 July 1940 sailed Port Arthur independently to Bermuda arriving 6 August 1940

7 August 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX64 to off Halifax where the convoy joined escorted convoy HX64 to Methil Roads arriving 24 August 1940

1 September 1940 sailed Methil Roads in unescorted convoy FS269 arriving Southend on 3 September 1940

17 September 1940 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN283 to the River Tyne arriving 19 September 1940. RFA LARCHOL was also in this convoy on passage to Methil Roads

28 October 1940 sailed the River Tyne joining the unescorted convoy FN321 on passage from Southend to Methil Roads arriving the next day

29 June 1941 in collision with the steamship Trekieve in fog in St George’s Channel – subject to litigation in the Admiralty Court in 1943. Both ships were in Convoy HX132

6 July 1943 in the London Gazette of this day Captain William Douglas Shields appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) – Civil Division for services during heavy U-Boat and enemy air attacks in Northern waters during Russian Convoys PQ14 and RA51

12 December 1943 in the London Gazette of this day Chief Engineer Officer John Graham appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) – Civil Division and Chief Steward Andrew Storm Nellist awarded the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) both for good services in Northern waters

20 December 1943 at the Regents Canal, New York Able Seaman Frank Wilson discharged dead – natural causes

30 October 1945 purchased by Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London and renamed KELLETIA

8 December 1946 while 12.5 miles SE of Anvil Point in the English Channel was being towed by the steam tug Security ON 118084 with two other tugs from Falmouth to the River Tyne. The tug Security sank and was lost owing to becoming unmanageable in exceptionally heavy weather and acquiring a list for unestablished reasons and by taking water on board. The facts were established by a Court sitting under the Merchant Shipping Act 1894 held on various dates in January 1949 and whose verdict was delivered on 3 March 1949. Four members of the Security were lost including the Master

30 November 1954 and 1 December 1954 berthed at Singapore

8 May 1955 arrived Hong Kong for demolition but subsequently purchased by River Line Ltd, Hamilton, Bermuda for conversion into an ore carrier and renamed CORAL RIVER

26 May 1961 berthed on the River Tyne

10 July 1964 laid up at Hong Kong

7 September 1964 driven aground at Hong Kong by typhoon “Ruby”

18 October 1964 was finally refloated

February 1965 sold for demolition by local shipbreakers.