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Official Number:                      119950 

Laid down:

Builder:                                     J Readhead & Sons, West Yard, South Shields

Pennant No:                            Y3.279

Launched:                               1904

Into Service:                            11 August 1914

Out of service:                         1918

Fate:                                          1936 broken up

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:

14 June 1904 launched by J Readhead & Sons, West Yard, South Shields as Yard Nr: 378 named Ilwen for W & C T Jones Steamship Co Ltd., Cardiff

15 June 1904 the Shields Daily Gazette reported …

August 1904 completed

2 September 1904 at Lady Strangford Hospital, Port Said Able Seaman Zacharias Contris discharged dead – stroke

13 July 1905 at Cosmopolitan Hospital, Venice Fireman Leonard Engel discharged dead from liver disease

25 May 1906 at Venice Able Seaman Ivor A Mikkelsen Trope discharged dead – drowned

3 January 1911 at Portland, Dorset Apprentice John Henry James discharged dead – accidentally fell into the hold

18 February 1914 at Barry Docks, South Wales Apprentice Leonard James Fish discharged dead – fell into a tank

25 May 1914 at Venice Fireman John McLellan discharged dead – drowned

11 August 1914 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an Expeditionary Force Transport – name unchanged – until 20 August 1914

22 August 1914 re-deployed as a collier until 6 August 1915

5 April 1915 anchored at Abrolhos Rocks

24 May 1915 to 26 May 1915 at Abrolhos Rocks alongside HMS CELTIC and supplied her with bunker coal

4 June 1915 at Montevideo in company with HMS GLASGOW. Anchored for the night

13 June 1915 at Rio de la Plata alongside HMS GLASGOW and supplied her with bunker coal

17 June 1915 at Rio de la Plata alongside HMS MACEDONIA and supplied her with bunker coal

29 June 1915 at Rio de la Plata alongside HMS EDINBURGH CASTLE and supplied her with 620 tons of bunker coal

HMS EDINBURGH CASTLE

30 June 1915 at Rio de la Plata alongside HMS GLASGOW and supplied her with 500 tons of bunker coal

15 July 1915 at Rio de la Plata alongside HMS MACEDONIA

18 July 1915 sailed Rio de la Plata

25 July 1915 arrived at Abrolhos Rocks with mail and then sailed

7 August 1915 re-deployed as a Timber Transport until 20 January 1916

3 May 1916 re-deployed as a collier until 23 May 1916

24 May 1916 re-deployed to carry sugar until 5 August 1916

13 December 1916 at Bordeaux, France Fireman Alfred Tennyson discharged dead. No cause is shown in the Register of Deaths of Seaman

18 December 1916 re-deployed as a collier until 27 January 1917

28 January 1917 re-deployed to carry sugar from Cuba until 15 June 1917

16 June 1917 re-deployed as a collier until 13 August 1917

27 July 1917 and 28 July 1917 at Sierra Leone alongside HMS BACCHANTE and supplied her with 1,468 tons of bunker coal. Also berthed alongside HMS BRITANNIA and delivered steam pinnace

31 July 1917 at Sierra Leone where a gun mounting party from HMS BRITANNIA came on board

14 August 1917 re-deployed as a wheat carrier until 1 December 1917. Carried South African Maize

2 December 1917 re-deployed as a collier

11 February 1918 at Mudros with HMS COLNE alongside – supplied her with 70 tons of bunker coal

1918 returned by the Admiralty to her owners

1918 purchased by Alexander Shipping Co Ltd., (Capper Alexander & Co, Managers)

1920 renamed KINGSBURY by her owners

1936 purchased by E R Management Co Ltd., Cardiff – name unchanged

24 August 1936 arrived Troon for demolition by West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co