RFA Aro

 

 

Albertville 02-01

 

Previous name:                            Eboe  Albertville
Subsequent name:                       Stella  

Official Number:                           118446                                                         

Class:                                         Store & ammunition ship  

Pennant No:                                T1.2 / Y8.125

Laid down:
Builder:                                       Sir Raylton Dixon

Launched:                                   9 May 1898

Into Service:                                19 October 1914 
Out of service:                             4 January 1920
Fate:                                            Sold out of service

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

 

Background Data:   Some official lists, marked as  “Lists of RFA’s” show vessels which spent some time as RFA’s during the First World War. These records are extremely sketchy and some of these vessels were “Yard Craft”, partially or wholly Dockyard manned, partly by RNR or Reserve Fleet personnel. Some of the Depot Ships staffed by skilled civilian Dockyard workers were for a time White Ensign. The Director of Stores was understood to be concerned with their manning and operationally they remained under Admiralty control

 

9 May 1898 launched by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co Ltd, Middlesbrough as Yard Nr:  449 named EBOE for Elder, Dempster & Co Ltd, Liverpool. After being launched her ownership transferred to Cie Belge Maritime du Congo, Antwerp

11 May 1898 Lloyds List newspaper reported –

 

11 5 1898 Lloyds List EBOE

 

11 June 1898 passed St Catherines Point when on passage for the Congo

20 August 1898 Chief Engineer Officer Rees Pickering discharged dead – natural causes

26 August 1898 sailed Middlesborough on builders trials

28 August 1898 completed as ALBERTVILLE with 112 x 1st Class and 75 x 2nd Class passengers

7 September 1898 passed Dover when on passage from Antwerp to the Congo

17 September 1898 arrived Sierra Leone

30 October 1898 sailed Maderia

4 November 1898 sailed Grand Canary

13 December 1898 arrived Grand Canary

19 December 1898 arrived at Southampton  from Antwerp

February 1899 arrived at Antwerp from the Congo during which voyage it was reported that eight members of the crew or passengers died from African Fever

3 April 1899 arrived the Congo from Antwerp

3 May 1899 sailed Accra, Gold Coast

4 August 1899 sailed the Canary Islands

8 August 1899 arrived at Plymouth Sound sailing later in the day

22 August 1899 sailed Rotterdam for the Congo

1 December 1899 sailed Antwerp for the Congo

13 December 1899 sailed Sierra Leone for Continental ports

21 December 1899 arrived at the River Congo

25 January 1900 sailed from Sierra Leone

30 January 1900 sailed from Las Palmas

1 March 1900 sailed Antwerp for the Congo

14 May 1900 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo

24 May 1900 sailed Antwerp for the Congo

2 June 1900 the Shields Gazette reported this day –

 

Shields Gazette 2 June 1900 Press report

 

18 June 1900 arrived at Cape Coast Castle with 14 Officers, 6 NCO’s and  475 men of the West African Regiment together with 57 servants and 350 carriers

2 August 1900 sailed Grand Canary for Antwerp

25 November 1900 arrived at Antwerp

12 February 1901 sailed Tenerife for Antwerp

7 June 1901 sailed Dover for the Congo

9 August 1901 passed Dungeness sailing east bound

10 August 1901 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo

29 August 1901 sailed Antwerp for the Congo

1 November 1901 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo

28 November 1901 sailed Teneriffe having arrived from the River Tyne for the Congo

3 January 1902 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo Free State

14 February 1902 sailed Southampton for the Cameroons

18 December 1902 berthed at Southampton from the Congo. The ship’s Master was Captain George B Sparrow RNR. The ship sailed the same day for Continental ports

25 December 1902 berthed at Southampton to embark passengers for Teneriffe, the West Coast of Africa and the Congo

1 January 1903 arrived Teneriffe from Antwerp

20 June 1903 arrived Southampton from Teneriffe sailing the same day

4 September 1903 sailed Southampton for the Congo

26 October 1903 passed east of No Mans Fort at Spithead

18 November 1903 sailed Accra for Antwerp

29 December 1903 sailed Southampton for Sierra Leone

7 January 1904 grounded at Krankloon – refloated

10 March 1904 arrived at Southampton

11 March 1904 sailed from Southampton

6 June 1904 transferred to African Steamship Co (Elder, Dempster & Co Ltd., Managers) Liverpool and renamed ARO after a town 58 miles from Lagos, Nigeria

September 1904 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 55 passengers

13 September 1904 at 43°34N 5°39W Able Seaman J Lavert discharged dead – missing at sea

1 January 1905 arrived at Sekondi from Liverpool

21 April 1905 at Calabar Hospital Trimmer Tommy Harding discharged dead – heart failure

23 May 1905 at Accra Able Seaman Stephen Hanion discharged dead – Bright’s disease

23 September 1905 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 45 passengers

13 June 1906 at 24°13N 16°18W Captain F R Ewart DSO discharged dead – natural causes

21 June 1906 arrived at Liverpool from West African Ports

20 November 1906 passenger Edward Hoyle discharged dead – black water fever

11 December 1906 at Calabar passenger Ashong Opotey discharged dead – drowned

31 March 1907 arrived at Liverpool from West African Ports

27 July 1907 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 38 passengers. Captain E J Hughes was Master

7 October 1907 at 33°59N 13°23W passenger Thomas Oscar Warren discharged dead – black water fever

20 January 1908 arrived at Liverpool from West African Ports

28 April 1908 arrived at Liverpool from West African Ports

9 June 1908 at the Colonial Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone Ordinary Seaman James Heywood discharged dead – pneumonia

29 October 1908 at sea passenger John George Gerald Mewette discharged dead – black water fever

21 January 1909 arrived at Liverpool from West African Ports

13 February 1909 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 60 passengers. Captain J Anderson was Master

14 April 1909 arrived at Liverpool from West African Ports

1 May 1909 sailed Liverpool for the Canary Islands and West African ports with 86 passengers. Captain R Minto was Master

12 June 1909 Lagos Roads passenger Alexander H McNeil discharged dead – black water fever

14 June 1909 at 5°38N 0°38W passenger Vernon B Boswell discharged dead – natural causes

13 July 1909 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 60 passengers. Captain J Anderson was Master

12 December 1909 sailed from Liverpool for West African ports

15 February 1910 at Burutu Forcados, Nigeria Ordinary Seaman H Hart discharged dead – drowned

21 May 1910 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound on passage to West Africa

19 November 1910 at 10°32N 16°41W Apprentice Francis George Parsons discharged dead – drowned

20 April 1911 at Accra passenger Aji Mamamadie discharged dead – malaria

21 June 1911 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 43 passengers. Captain Joseph Morgan was Master

3 January 1912 at 6°35N 11°25W Assistant Steward G Peart discharged dead – malaria

9 January 1912 sailed Las Palmas for Liverpool

24 January 1912 sailed Liverpool for Lagos, Cape Coast and other West African ports with 75 passengers. Captain R Minto was Master

19 June 1912 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 68 passengers with Captain J T Coft as Master

23 August 1912 berthed at Liverpool from West African ports

18 September 1912 off West Africa Surgeon J T Kilpatrick Thomson discharged dead – natural causes

4 November 1912 berthed at Liverpool from West African ports. Captain J Anderson was Master 

27 November 1912 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 88 passengers. Captain J Anderson was Master

26 January 1913 arrived Plymouth Sound from West African ports

27 January 1913 berthed at Liverpool from Plymouth. 66 passengers disembarked. Captain J Anderson was Master

27 September 1914 when on passage from Dover to Liverpool was spoken to by HMS CAESAR

 

Caesar 21

HMS CAESAR

19 October 1914 purchased by Admiralty from Elder Dempster along with (later) SOBO and SOKOTO for £55,000 for conversion into submarine depot ships

2 November 1914 at Portsmouth Harbour being fitted out

5 December 1914 nominated to be stationed at Loch Ewe. Her RN crew were to be carried on HMS VANESSA

1915 to 1918 served at Rosyth

7 January 1915 Lieutenant Noel Francis Calrow RNR appointed in Command

9 January 1915 Engineer William J Adamson RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Office

30 June 1915 at Rosyth 

4 December 1916 Engineer Commander Frederick Kelly RN appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

8 May 1917 the Police Gazette of this day listed among those who were wanted for Deserting or being Absentees from H M Services – Fireman John Billing of RFA Aro

14 August 1918 became a troopship – name unchanged

6 October 1918 River Seine Fireman Henry Kane discharged dead – pneumonia. At Southampton Infirmary Fireman & Trimmer William Robertson & Able Seaman T Ross both discharged dead – natural causes – both entered hospital on 1 October 1918

12 October 1918 No: 3 Hospital, Rouen Chief Steward Francis Ernest Nye discharged dead – bronchitis – he entered the hospital 9 October 1918

 

 Francis E Nye

Chief Steward Francis Ernest Nye

 

19 June 1919 at Archangel HMS CICALA moored alongside to receive ammunition

HMS Cicala1

HMS CICALA

11 August 1919 at Archangel HMS MANTIS berthed abreast

14 August 1919 and 15 August 1919 working party from HMS PEGASUS onboard

22 August 1919 store party from HMS PEGASUS onboard

1 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M33 berthed alongside 

6 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M31 alongside receiving provisions

10 September 1919 and 11 September 1919 at Archangel store party from HMS PEGASUS onboard

18 September 1919 at Archangel working party from HMS PEGASUS onboard

4 January 1920 sold for £40,000 to W.R. Davies, Liverpool – name unchanged

1921 purchased by Cie des Vapeur Francaise, Paris and renamed STELLA

31 July 1921 arrived at London

1924 purchased by Soc Anon Les Affreteurs Reunis, Paris name unchanged

1925 owners company in liquidation

23 June 1925 sold to N. Angelo Bertorelli, Sampieradena for demolition at Genoa.

 

Notes:

 

1. Image above is of the SS Alberville before purchase by the Admiralty and being renamed RFA Aro