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Official Number:                      99176

Laid down:

Builder:                                  Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, Hull

Launched:                              8 June 1891

Into Service:                           12 October 1914

Out of service:                        12 February 1916

Fate:                                     12 February 1916 mined 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:

8 June 1891 launched by Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co, Hull as Yard Nr 344 named LEICESTER for the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway Co, Grimsby.

August 1891 completed for her owners’ Grimsby – Hamburg service.

1 August 1897 owners restyled as Great Central Railway Co, Grimsby. Name unchanged

12 September 1914 to 9 October 1914 laid up in the River Humber Captain S Barley in command as Master

10 October 1914 sailed Grimsby to Immingham arriving the same day

12 October 1914 requisitioned by the Admiralty for service as a Stores Carrier, name unchanged.  Was also known as Naval Stores Carrier No 23 Sailed Immigham on Admiralty service to Deptford arriving on 14 October 1914

22 October 1914 sailed Deptford to Loch Alsh, West Scotland arriving 27 October 1914

29 October 1914 sailed Loch Alsh to Lough Swilly, Ireland arriving the next day

3 November 1914 sailed Lough Swilly to Devonport arriving 5 November 1914

14 November 1914 sailed Devonport to Scapa Flow arriving 17 November 1914

4 December 1914 sailed Scapa Flow to Loch Ewe arriving the next day

10 December 1914 sailed Loch Ewe to Devonport arriving 13 December 1914

23 December 1914 sailed Devonport to Cromarty arriving 28 December 1914

7 January 1915 sailed Cromarty to Rosyth arriving the next day

12 January 1915 sailed Rosyth to Falmouth arriving 16 January 1915

18 January 1915 sailed Falmouth to Deptford arriving 20 January 1915

31 January 1915 sailed Deptford to Grimsby Roads arriving on 2 February 1915

4 February 1915 sailed Immigham Dock to the River Tyne arriving the next day

7 February 1915 sailed the River Tyne to Cromarty Firth arriving on 9 February 1915

10 February 1915 at Cromarty, No 9 berth HMS DONEGAL provisioned

11 February 1915 sailed Cromarty Firth to Scapa Flow arriving the same day

12 February 1915 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS LEVIATHAN provisioning ship

HMS LEVIATHAN

14 February 1915 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS DUKE OF EDINBURGH provisioning ship

17 February 1915 sailed Scapa Flow to the River Tyne arriving 19 February 1915

20 February 1915 sailed River Tyne to Chatham Dockyard arriving on 22 February 1915

23 February 1915 sailed Chatham Dockayrd to Deptford arriving the same day

14 March 1915 sailed Deptford to Sheerness arriving the same day

15 March 1915 sailed Sheerness to the River Tyne arriving on 17 March 1915

18 March 1915 sailed River Tyne to Rosyth arriving on 19 March 1915

12 April 1915 sailed Rosyth to Deptford arriving on 15 April 1915

24 April 1915 sailed Deptford to Rosyth arriving on 28 April 1915

7 May 1915 sailed Bo’ness to Le Havre arriving on 10 May 1915

13 May 1915 sailed Le Havre to Deptford arriving on 14 May 1915

24 May 1915 sailed Sheerness to Rosyth arriving 26 May 1915

29 May 1915 sailed Rosyth to Deptford arriving on 30 May 1915

4 July 1915 sailed Deptford to Sheerness arriving on the same day

5 July 1915 sailed Sheerness to Leith Roads arriving on 6 July 1915

7 July 1915 at Rosyth alongside HMS PRINCESS ROYAL delivering naval stores

12 July 1915 sailed Leith Roads to Deptford arriving on 14 July 1915

25 July 1915 sailed Deptford to Leith Roads arriving 27 July 1915

28 July 1915 at Rosyth alongside HMS PRINCESS ROYAL delivering naval stores

1 August 1915 sailed Leith Roads to Deptford arriving 3 August 1915

22 August 1915 sailed Sheerness to Leith Roads arriving 24 August 1915

28 August 1915 sailed Leith Roads to Deptford arriving 30 August 1915

26 September 1915 sailed Deptford to Rosyth arriving 29 September 1915

3 October 1915 sailed Rosyth to Deptford arriving 6 October 1915

31 October 1915 sailed Deptford to Rosyth arriving 6 November 1915

14 November 1915 sailed Rosyth to Deptford arriving 19 November 1915

9 December 1915 sailed Deptford to Rosyth arriving on 14 December 1915

18 december 1915 sailed Rosyth to Chatham arriving on 22 December 1915

24 December 1915 sailed Chatham to Deptford arriving on the same day

29 December 1915 sailed Deptford to Portsmouth arriving on 31 December 1915

12 February 1916 whilst on passage from Portsmouth to Cromarty she struck a mine laid by the German Submarine UC-6 (Kaptanleutnant Matthias Graf von Schmettow) and sank 2½ miles off Folkestone with the loss of 17 lives. Those lost are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial and also on the Fisherman’s and Seaman’s Memorial Chapel, Central Hall, Grimsby.  Fireman Fred Barker discharged dead – he died at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Dover – he is buried in Grimsby (Scartho Road) Cemetery in grave 42.D.6. At an inquest held at Dover on 14 February 1916 he was found to have died from immersion in water when his ship – Leicester – was mined and sank.