Official Number:                       115826 

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Russell & Co., Port Glasgow

Launched:                               1892

Pennant No:                            

Into Service:                           10 July 1915

Out of service:                        3 November 1916

Fate:                                     Driven ashore 3 November 1916

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:

8 May 1892 launched by Russell & Co., Kingston Yard, Port Glasgow  as Yard No: 492 named Kennebec for Anglo American Oil Co Ltd., (J Hamilton, Manager), London

June 1892 completed

4 June 1899 arrived at Baltimore

3 May 1901 arrived at Sydney, NSW, Australia

31 August 1904 passed Perim

11 March 1905 at Long Island College Hospital No 2 Fireman Hong Wang discharged dead from natural causes

14 November 1908 at 1.46N 101.13E Fireman Cheong Sin discharged dead – suicide

1912 purchased by Tank Storage & Carriage Co Ltd., ( W J Smith, Manager), London – name unchanged

1914 was renamed PONUS by her owners

10 July 1915 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler – Oiler No: 85 – name unchanged – rate of hire £4,075 10sh per month

1916 purchased by standard Transportation Co Ltd., Hong Kong – name unchanged

27 June 1916 at 58.07N 12.2W stopped and checked by the Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS MANTUA and allowed to proceed

HMS MANTUA

3 November 1916 was driven ashore on Byllyngwase Beach near Pendennis Point, Falmouth while on passage from Trinidad to the UK with a cargo of oil. No casualies. Some of her crew reached the shore in the ship’s boats with others being taken off by the Falmouth lifeboat. The Second Mate remained aboard, but the tanker later caught fire and he improvised a raft which, after he had boarded it, remained pinned against the burning vessel. Second Lieutenant E Badger, Royal Engineers and Lieutenant F C Stephens, Royal Naval Reserve put out in a dinghy, caught hold of the Second Mate, and brought him ashore tied to the dinghy’s stern as it was too small to have him aboard.  2nd Lieutenant E. Badger and Lieutenant F. C. Stephens, were both awarded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s silver medal

Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s silver medal