Requisitioned Auxiliary – North Britain

 

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Official Number:                      135631

Laid down:

Builder:                                     Bartram & Sons, South Dock, Sunderland

Pennant No:                             Y 3.304

Launched:                                24 September 1907

Into Service:                             18 September 1916

Out of service:                          1918

Fate:                                           Broken up at Nordfjord

 

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:

 

24 September 1907 launched by Bartram & Sons, South Dock, Sunderland as Yard No: 209 named Baltic Exchange for London Exchange Steamship Co Ltd., London

29 September 1907 arrived at Middlesborough from Sunderland

October 1907 completed

1908 purchased by North Shipping Co Ltd., (Hugh Roberts & Son, Managers) Newcastle – name unchanged

1909 renamed North Britain by her owners

11 April 1911 sailed Port Said

27 March 1913 sailed Las Palmas for Manchester

30 May 1913 arrived at Buenos Aires from Cardiff

18 July 1913 arrived at Las Palmas

28 July 1913 arrived at the River Tyne

10 September 1914 requisitioned for Admiralty service as a collier – name unchanged – until 3 March 1915

24 January 1915 off Tenedos sighted by HMS WELLAND

 

HMS WELLAND

HMS WELLAND

 

4 February 1915 at Port Trebuki alongside HMS INFLEXIBLE until 5 February 1915 supplying the warship with 1,150 tons of bunker coal

20 January 1916 arrived at Norfolk

13 February 1916 arrived at Queenstown from New York for Cork

27 February 1916 redeployed as a collier until 5 April 1916

6 April 1916 redeployed as a sugar carrier until 2 July 1916

3 July 1916 redeployed as a collier to Northern Russia for the Russian Government until 2 October 1916

3 October 1916 redeployed as a collier until 7 March 1917. Off hire between 12 December 1916 until 27 January 1917

8 March 1917 redeployed as a wheat carrier from Karachi until 6 June 1917

7 June 1917 redeployed as a collier to Northern Russia for the Russian Government until 22 August 1917

23 August 1917 redeployed as a collier

1 June 1918 sailed Dakar in a convoy escorted by HMS MACEDONIA

12 May 1919 sailed Newport News for the River Tyne

12 January 1920 arrived Rosario from Savona

1932 purchased by J Zalcmanis K Jasons & J Freyman (Latvian Shipping Co. Managers), Riga and renamed Arija

1940 seized by the USSR – name unchanged

1941 seized by Deutsche Reich, Memel and renamed Wartheland

12 December 1944 bombed and sunk by British aircraft at Daviken, Nordfjord

1950 broken up in situ