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Official Number:                   118360

Pennant No:                          Y 8.14

Laid down:

Pennant No:                          Y 3.581

Signal Letters:                      VLSH

Builder:                                  John Readhead & Sons Ltd 

Launched:                             5 November 1903

Into Service:                           20 March 1915

Out of service:                       10 January 1919

Fate:                                        Broken up 30 October 1932

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:

5 November 1903 launched by John Readhead & Sons Ltd, West Yard, South Shields as Yard Nr: 373 named TAPTON for Ilderton Steamship Co Ltd (Steel, Young & Co, Managers), London.

18 December 1903 register opened at London as Nr 185/1903 in the Register Book.

January 1904  completed

31 March 1904 at Bahia Blanca in collision with the steamship Portugalete causing damage

15 September 1904 arrived at Antwerp from Port Arthur, Texas via Rotterdam

26 January 1905 the Lloyds List newspaper reported –

20 March 1915  requisitioned for service as a Collier until 4 August 1916

22 December 1916  served as a Collier until 4 May 1917

15 May 1917 served as a Collier to Northern Russia for Russian Government a/c until 14 March 1918

12 March 1918 sold to Arctic Steamship Co Ltd (J. Ridley, Son & Tully, Managers) Newcastle-upon-Tyne name unchanged.

15 March 1918  served as a Collier until 8 September 1918

9 September 1918 served as a Transport carrying wheat from Gulf of Mexico until 9 January 1919

10 January 1919  with the Commercial Branch as a Transport carrying ore until 4 February 1919

1919  sold to Batheaston Trading Co Ltd (Wade & Co, Managers) Newcastle-upon-Tyne name unchanged

1926  sold to Britain Steamship Co Ltd (Watts, Watts & Co, Managers) London and renamed PUTNEY

1929  sold to Minas E Diakalis & Co, Syra and renamed VIRGINIA MAVROLEON.

30 October 1932  arrived Savona for demolition by Italian shipbreakers.

Notes:

Was one of the British Colliers which were chartered by the Russian Government  1904 / 1905 to support the Russian Baltic Squadron (by then known as the 2nd Pacific Squadron)  on their way to the Far East during the Russo-Japanese War which culminated in the Battle of Tsushima