Requisitioned Auxiliary – Nantwen

NANTWEN

 

  

NANTWEN

as Emsriff after lengthening

 

Official Number:                    132860

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Richardson, Duck & Co Ltd., Thornaby, Stockton

Pennant No:                           Y 3.430

Launched:                              1 February 1912

Into Service:                            29 October 1914

Out of service:                        1918

Fate:                                         1959 broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

 

 

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty just after WW1 to augment the ships of the RFA

Career Data:

 

1 February 1912 launched by Richardson, Duck & Co Ltd., Thornaby, Stockton as Yard No: 623 named Nantwen for W & C T Jones Steamship Co Ltd., (W & C T Jones & Co Ltd., Managers), Cardiff

March 1912 completed

16 March 1912 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound

24 July 1912 sailed from Cardiff

29 July 1912 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound

29 October 1914 requisitioned for Admiralty service as a Collier – name unchanged until 24 May 1915

17 February 1915 to 23 February 1915 at Port William, Falkland Islands alongside the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS CELTIC supplying bunker coal

16 March 1915 at Port Tamar supplied the light cruiser HMS BRISTOL with 650 tons of bunker coal

HMS Black Prince

HMS BRISTOL

 

21 March 1915 arrived at Vallentar Roads sailing the same day for Possession Bay (source ships log of HMS GLASGOW)

26 March 1915 anchored at Possession Bay

27 March 1915 at Possession Bay supplied the light cruiser HMS GLASGOW with 675 tons of bunker coal

 

HMS GLASGOW

HMS GLASGOW

 

25 May 1915 re-deployed as a Transport carrying sugar until 21 July 1915

22 July 1915 re-deployed as a Collier until 12 October 1915

22 December 1915 re-deployed as a Collier until 4 February 1916

1916 owners became Moran & Cadogan Ltd, Cardiff – name unchanged

26 May 1917 re-deployed as a Transport carrying wheat from the Gulf of Mexico until 22 August 1917

23 August 1917 re-deployed as a Collier until 10 October 1917

11 October 1917 re-deployed as a Transport carrying sugar from Java until 8 February 1918

9 February 1918 re-deployed as a Collier until 14 April 1918

15 April 1918 re-deployed as a Transport carrying rice from Burma until 25 July 1918

19 April 1918 sighted by the Armed Boarding Steamer HMS PERTH when on the Perim Patrol

7 June 1918 off Perim stopped and boarded by the Armed Boarding Steamer HMS PERTH – allowed to proceed

26 July 1918 re-deployed as a Collier until 31 August 1918

1 September 1918 re-deployed as a Transport carrying wheat from the United States and finally as a Collier again

1921 renamed Westra by her owners

8 February 1921 sailed Philadelphia for Rotterdam

6 November 1922 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound

1926 purchased by Britain Steamship Co Ltd., (Watts, Watts & Co Ltd., Managers) London and renamed Finchley

1935 purchased by Atlantic-Tank-Rhederi GmbH (John T Essberger, Manager) Hamburg and renamed Jolanthe

1936 purchased by Kauffahrtei Seerederei Adolf Wiards & Co., Hamburg and renamed Emsriff

29 July 1944 bombed and sunk during an Allied air raid on Hamburg

1949 refloated and repaired

1950 lengthened by 39 feet

30 May 1959 arrived Odense for demolition by H I Hansen