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Official Number:                        82468

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Murdoch & Murray, Port Glasgow

Launched:                               1880

Pennant No:                            

Into Service:                            29 March 1915

Out of service:                         20 December 1916

Fate:                                      Lost – unknown circumstances

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:

March 1880 completed by Murdoch & Murray, Brown Street, Port Glasgow as Yard Nr: 48 named Progress as a Fishing Fish Carrier for Hewitt & Co Ltd., London

8 February 1881 sank in the River Humber after a collision with the fishing-smack Sirius, was later raised, repaired and put back into service. William Smith and Joseph Ashford (rate or rank not shown in the Registry of Deaths at sea) were drowned

18 February 1881 the Hull Packet newspaper reported  ….

1900 still the same owners

By 1904 owners now Thomas Byrne, Liverpool

5 January 1904 sailed Albert Dock, Hull for Leith

23 February 1904 arrived at Victorial Dock, Hull from Newcastle

19 August 1904 at Victoria Dock Buoys, London Chief Engineer William Quayle discharged dead after an accident which resulted in him contracting septic pneumonia

By 1907 owners restyled as Progress Steamship Co Ltd., (T Byrne, Manager) London

26 June 1908 sailed Danzig for Greenock

20 October 1908 at the Port of London Donkeyman Edward Keating discharged dead – found drowned

1912 sold to British Phosphates Co Ltd., (H Freytag, Manager) London – name unchanged

29 March 1915 requisitioned for service as an Expeditionary Force Transport until 27 April 1915

28 April 1915 at Long Hope, Scapa Flow alongside HMS ACACIA supplying water

HMS ACACIA

20 December 1916 lost in the North Sea in unknown circumstances. The twelve crew were drowned –

 BOWES, Ernest W, Officer’s Steward, MMR, 906258

 COX, William, Ty/Sub Lieutenant, RNR

 FARQUHAR, George, Fireman, MMR, (no service number listed)

 FULLER, John Joseph, Ty/Engineer Sub Lieutenant, RNR

 MCNEE, Thomas, Junior Engineer, MMR, (no service number listed)

 MITCHELL, George Wallace, Able Seaman, MMR, (no service number listed)

 NEE, Colman, Boatswain, MMR, (no service number listed)

 SHEARER, Frank Simpson, Fireman, MMR, (no service number listed)

 SIMPSON, John, Able Seaman, MMR, (no service number listed)

 SPREADBOROUGH, Charles, Officer’s Steward, MMR, (no service number listed)

 WILLOUGHBY, Percy, Able Seaman, MMR, (no service number listed)

 YOUNG, David, Cook, MMR, (no service number listed)

Those lost are remembered with pride on the Plymouth Naval Memorial and the Chatham Naval Memorial except Able Seaman Percy Willoughby, Able Seaman George Wallace Mitchell and Boatswain Colman Nee who are buried in Cruden Parish Churchyard, Aberdeenshire. Ty/Sub Lieutenant William Cox RNR is also remembered in Malone Presbyterian Church, Belfast