Official Number:                     129922

Builder:                                 Wm Dobson & Co, Low Walker

Pennant No:                   Y 8.78

Launched:                              7 December 1911

Into Service:                           15 March 1918

Out of service:                         6 June 1919

Fate:                                      22 July 1947 wrecked 

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:

7 December 1911 launched by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Low Walker as Yard Nr: 870 named Nascopie for Nascopie Steamship Co Ltd., St John’s, Newfoundland

 January 1912 completed as a passenger / cargo vessel

26 January 1912 reported as to shortly sail for the Labrador Coast from the River Tyne

15 March 1912 smashed three blades of her propellor off Newfoundland – repaired

30 March 1913 used as a sealing steamer in the Gulf of St Lawrence. The crew was reported to have killed 27,000 seals

15 October 1913 arrived at St John’s, Newfoundland from Hudson Bay

6 July 1914 sailed Montreal, Canada

18 December 1915 in the River Mersey Carpenter John Johnson discharged dead – pneumonia

1916 purchased by Hudson’s Bay Co. London – name unchanged

14 July 1916 in the Roath Dry Dock at Cardiff

22 September 1916 at Hudson Bay passenger Father LeBlanc OMS discharged dead – suicide

16 November 1916 Seaman John R Cumming RNR discharged dead – drowned

24 December 1916 Lieutenant George E Mack RNR appointed as Commanding Officer and Engineer Lieutenant John Ledingham RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

ss Nascopie at Brest in 1916

10 January 1917 while on passage from Brest to Archangel was stopped and boarded by HMS PATUCA – checked and allowed to proceed

15 March 1918 requisitioned for Admiralty service as a Stores Carrier – named unchanged

20 June 1918 returned to her owners – name unchanged 

7 December 1918 again requisitioned as a Stores Carrier – name unchanged

21 December 1918 arrived at Murmansk

6 June 1919 returned to her owners – name unchanged

30 October 1919 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard

31 March 1920 berthed at Leith from Antwerp

28 June 1921 berthed at sailed Hull to Montreal

16 September 1921 berthed at Cardiff from Hudson Bay

22 September 1922 berthed at Cardiff from Hudson Bay 

26 May 1923 berthed at Cardiff from Dartmouth

24 October 1923 berthed at Liverpool from the Davis Strait

Nascopie at the sealing grounds in 1927

15 February 1928 sailed Ardrossan to St Johns, Newfoundland

24 September 1928 berthed at Liverpool with a cargo of bales of furs valued at about a quarter of a million pounds

11 October 1929 berthed at Liverpool from Labrador, Canada

27 June 1930 30 miles E by S from Flint Island, Sydney, Cape Breton Able Seaman William John Torcher discharged dead – heart disease

10 October 1930 berthed at Adrossan from St. Johns, New Brunswick

18 June 1933 sailed Ardrossan for the Artic

18 August 1938 in the Hudson Straits Able Seaman Isaac Mercer discharged dead – fractured skull

5 March 1939 arrived at Plymouth from Halifax, Nove Scotia

17 June 1939 sailed Barry, South Wales for Montreal, Canada. Captain was J W Huray

May 1940 arrived at Ivigtut and joined USCGC Comanche already at the port. Supplied relief supplies to the officials at the port and later departing to Canada

1 October 1940 in the Davis Strait Able Seaman Charles Bagdon discharged dead – fractured skull

2 May 1942 sailed Halifax in the unescorted convoy LC11 to Argentia, arriving 6 May 1942

26 May 1942 sailed Sydney, Cape Breton in the unescorted convoy SQ4 to Father Point arriving 30 May 1942

12 July 1942 sailed Father Point in the unescorted convoy QS17 to to Sydney Cape Breton arriving 15 July 1942

13 August 1942 at the Long Island Cottage Hospital Fireman Hugh Frances discharged dead – cancer of the stomach

27 October 1942 sailed Julianehaab, Greenland to Ivigut

28 October 1942 arrived at Kungnait Bay

10 July 1943 sailed Quebec in the unescorted convoy LN15 to Labrador arriving 15 July 1943

25 September 1944 sailed Labrador in the unescorted convoy NL28 to Quebec arriving 29 September 1944

22 July 1947 wrecked off Cape Dorset while on passage from Montreal to Hudson’s Bay carrying passengers and supplies