Official Number:                       127459

Builder:                                     Northumberland Shipbuilding Co., Howden-on-Tyne

Pennant No:                    Y 3.264

Launched:                                9 May 1910

Into Service:                              6 August 1914

Out of service:                          4 September 1915

Fate:                                         4 September 1915 captured & 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:

9 May 1910 launched by Northumberland Shipbuilding Co., Howden-on-Tyne as Yard Nr: 173 named Natal Transport for Empire Transport Co Ltd., (Houlder Bros & Co Ltd., Managers), London

June 1910 completed

25 June 1910 sailed from Bristol for the River Plate

17 December 1910 sailed London for the River Plate

22 January 1911 arrived at Buenos Ayres Roads

28 February 1911 arrived at Roeano, near Durban, South Africa

23 March 1911 sailed Durban for Ocean Island

26 May 1911 the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail reported –

26 November 1911 arrived at Barry

2 December 1911 sailed Barry

30 December 1911 arrived at Montevideo from Barry

2 February 1912 berthed at Bahia Blanca

20 May 1912 arrived Montevideo

4 June 1912 sailed Rosario

12 July 1912 arrived Hamburg

27 August 1912 sailed Teneriffe

13 November 1912 arrived Bunbury

1 January 1913 arrived at Gisbourne

28 January 1913 arrived Newcastle, NSW sailing later the same day for Ocean Island

22 March 1913 sailed from Ocean Island

25 June 1913 arrived at Stettin from Ocean Island

8 July 1913 sailed Memel for Barry Roads

26 November 1913 arrived at Sydney from Makatea

3 January 1914 sailed Newcastle NSW for Ocean Island

5 May 1914 arrived at Durban from Albany, Australia

6 May 1914 sailed from Durban for Hamburg, Germany

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

26 August 1914 re-deployed as a Collier until 17 October 1914

5 September 1914 when off the Tagus River challenged by the Cruiser HMS ARGONAUT and allowed to proceed

HMS ARGONAUT

12 May 1915 arrived at Hull from Bahia Blanca

1 June 1915 re-deployed as a Collier until 13 July 1915

4 September 1915 captured and sunk by gunfire by the German submarine U-34 (Claus Rücker) in the Mediterranean 40 miles W of Gavdo Island near Crete when on passage from Bombay to Liverpool carrying a general cargo