Official Number: 109908
Laid down: Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co., Willington Quay, Newcastle
Launched: 4 November 1899
Pennant No: Y 3.605
Into Service: 1 July 1916
Out of service: 8 December 1917
Fate: Torpedoed and sunk
Items of historic interest involving this ship: –
Background Data: One of several ships requisitioned by the Admiralty for service during WW1 to augment the ships of the RFA
Career Data:
4 November 1899 launched by Tyne Iron Shipbuilding Co., Willington Quay, Newcastle as Yard Nr: 126 named Begonia for Stag Line Ltd., (J Robinson & Sons, Managers, North Shields
December 1899 completed at a cost of £38,750
27 December 1900 sailed St Vincent CV for New York
26 January 1901 sailed New York for Cape Town
4 February 1901 Captain Thomas H Smith discharged dead in the Long Island College Hospital, New York having been discharged ashore on the ships arrival at New York
1916 sold to Maindy Shipping Co Ltd., (Jenkins, Richards & Evans Ltd., Managers) Cardiff abd renamed Maindy Bridge
1 July 1916 requisitioned for Admiralty service as a Collier to Northern Russia for the Russian Government A/c – name unchanged until 16 August 1916
4 October 1916 re-deployed as a Collier and was then temporarily released until 5 January 1917
18 June 1917 re-deployed as a Collier to Northern Russia for the Russian Government A/c until 21 September 1917
26 July 1917 at Murmansk alongside the Battleship and North Russian Guardship HMS GLORY rigging to supply bunker coal
27 July 1917 at Murmansk supplied 200 tons of bunker coal to HMS GLORY
3 August 1917 arrived at Yukanskie
22 September 1917 re-deployed as a Collier until …
8 December 1917 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UC-49 (Hans Kukenthal) in the North Sea 4 nmiles ENE Sunderland in position 55.01N 01.08W while on passage from Middlesborough to the River Tyne in ballst with the loss of two lives
Notes:
She was built as Begonia (1) for Staf Line and Begonia (2) was also requisitioned for Admiralty service but she too became a war loss