RFA Hollyleaf after her RFA service and as British Holly

Previous name:                         Oleaster
Subsequent name:                    British Holly

Official Number:                        140257

Class:                                        Emergency Wartime Construction LEAF Group Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:                              Y7.160

Signal Letters:                           JPBC (1919)

Laid down:
Builder:                                     William Hamilton & Co, Glen Yard
Launched:                                 23 December 1916

Into Service:                              5 March 1917

Out of service:                           15 July 1919
Fate:                                          Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  During WW1, eighteen vessels of varying types were acquired second hand and converted or purchased and converted while on the stocks or in a few cases building as tankers. Some were converted after serving with the Dummy Battleship Squadron by the insertion of cylindrical tanks in their holds. All were originally intended to operate as RFA’s, however owing to reasons of international law and the operation of the US Neutrality Act, these oilers became Mercantile Fleet Auxiliaries, being renamed with the LEAF nomenclature and placed under civilian management, although operationally they remained under Admiralty control

1916 laid down as a dry cargo ship

23 December 1916 launched by Wm Hamilton & Co Ltd, Glen Yard, Port Glasgow as Yard Nr: 302 named RFA OLEASTER

March 1917 completed for the Shipping Controller and placed under management of Lane & MacAndrew Ltd, London as an oiler transport and renamed HOLLYLEAF

31 May 1917 an Admiralty report on this ship showed she had completed only one round trip during which she was found to be in need of repairs to centre line division plates been tanks and suffering from leaky rivets resulting in her having to be dry docked at Invergordon for 23 days (including discharging time) – source MT23/808 at the TNA

25 October 1917 at 31°29N 22°16W stopped and boarded by HMS MOTAGUA – allowed to proceed

HMS MOTAGUA

25 November 1917 escorted to Milo from Taranto by HMS RIBBLE

26 January 1918 sailed Milo escorted by HMS’s COLNE and MARGUERITE

24 April 1918 Storekeeper John Savage discharged dead. He died in the International Hospital, Brindisi from a knife wound having been admitted the previous day.  He was originally buried in the Brindisi Communal Cemetery but he was moved by the CWGC to Bari War Cemetery, Italy in 1981

Image courtesy of The War Graves Photographic Project

30 April 1918 attacked by a submarine in the Mediterranean – the torpedo missed

17 October 1918 off Perim and sighted by HMS TOPAZE

20 November 1918 at Ismid – HMS LIVERPOOL berthed alongside and was refuelled with 44 tons of FFO

HMS LIVERPOOL

22 November 1918 at Ismid – HMS CANTERBURY berthed alongside and was refuelled with 69 tons FFO

HMS CANTERBURY

8 December 1918 at Sevastopol – HMS CANTERBURY berthed alongside and was refuelled with 209 tons FFO

10 December 1918 at Hong Kong Cook You Ah discharged dead – drowned (These details were obtained from the ‘Deaths at Sea register’ but plainly there is an arror with ship being alongside a Royal Naval Cruiser two days previously at Sevastopol)

30 January 1919 passed Perim

15 July 1919 the Director of Tranport & Shipping, Admiralty reported that RFA HOLLYLEAF had been sold to Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd.

26 August 1919 at the Seamans Rest, Port Said Chief Steward Frank Silk discharged dead – heart failure

14 November 1919 sailed Singapore

3 December 1919 arrived at Suez from Tarakan

20 January 1920 the Birmingham Daily Gazette newspaper reported …

11 March 1920 sailed Suez for Colombo

25 March 1920 arrived at Colombo

1 April 1920 arrived at Singapore from Colombo

8 April 1920 sailed Singapore for San Francisco

12 June 1920 sailed Colon for Malta

23 July 1920 arrived at New Orleans

24 July 1920 cleared New Orleans to Alexandria, Egypt

18 September 1920 sailed Abadan

1 October 1920 arrived at Suez when on passage from Abadan to Grangemouth

16 October 1920 arrived at Grangemouth. Captain McClure was the ships Master

21 October 1920 sailed Grangemouth

26 November 1920 in refit at Palmers, Hebburn on Tyne and renamed British Holly by her owners

12 December 1920 sailed the River Tyne for Port Arthur, Texas via Thameshaven

18 January 1921 arrived at Port Arthur, Texas

25 January 1921 sailed Port Arthur, Texas for London

16 February 1921 arrived at Gravesend from Port Arthur, Texas and berthed at the Port of London – with a sailor with a case of Syphilis – to the Seaman’s Hospital at Greenwich

28 February 1921 berthed at Smiths Dock, River Tyne

2 May 1921 arrived Kings Dock, Swansea

14 May 1921 arrived at Port Said from Swansea when on passage to Abadan

3 June 1921 arrived at Abadan

7 August 1921 at Bombay 4th Engineer Officer Hubert Stringwell discharged dead – died in St. Georges Hospital, Bombay from pneumonia

4th Engineer Officer Hubert Stringwell

28 December 1921 at 29°47N 48°47E Fireman Thomas Amor discharged dead – pneumonia

1 May 1922 arrived at Bombay after being involved in a collision – further details not known – source Page 6 of the Dundee Evening Telepgraph of 2 May 1922 and a Lloyd’s telegram

8 May 1922 at Abadan

6 June 1922 arrived at Suez from Abadan

11 June 1922 sailed Port Said for Abadan

18 June 1922 sailed Aden

20 June 1922 arrived Abadan

17 July 1922 sailed Karachi

31 July 1922 at Bombay

11 October 1922 sailed from Abadan to Bombay

19 October 1922 at Bombay

27 October 1922 at Abadan

15 November 1922 sailed Aden for Abadan

12 December 1922 sailed Aden for Abadan

20 December 1922 arrived at Abadan from Aden

25 January 1923 arrived at Suez

29 January 1923 sailed Port Said for Abadan

3 February 1923 passed Perim

5 March 1923 passed Perim  when on passage from Abadan to Genoa, Italy

18 March 1923 at Genoa, Italy

22 March 1923 arrived at Marseilles

18 April 1923 at Abadan

21 September 1923 sailed Bombay for Abadan

27 September 1923 at Abadan

22 November 1923 sailed from Bombay for Abadan

29 November 1923 arrived at Abadan

27 December 1923 sailed Madras for Abadan

30 January 1924 sailed from Aden for Abadan

15 June 1924 arrived at Madras

18 September 1924 at Calcutta

29 September 1924 sailed from Colombo

1 December 1924 sailed Madras

5 December 1924 sailed from Colombo

14 December 1924 at Abadan

5 January 1925 sailed from Bombay, Indian

26 January 1925 arrived at Aden from Abadan

29 January 1925 sailed from Aden

6 February 1925 at Abadan

3 March 1925 sailed from Aden

28 March 1925 at Aden

20 May 1925 sailed from Bombay

6 July 1925 at Colombo, Ceylon

9 July 1925 sailed from Colombo, Ceylon for Abadan

14 July 1924 at Karachi

9 August 1925 at Aden

19 September 1925 at Calcutta, India

24 September 1924 at Colombo

4 October 1925 at Abadan

1 December 1925 at Abadan

23 December 1925 passed Perim

9 March 1926 sailed Swansea for Avonmouth to discharge

11 March 1926 sailed Avonmouth

22 March 1926 berthed at Salt End Jetty, Hull

16 June 1926 sailed Abadan for Colombo

9 July 1926 arrived at Abadan

26 October 1926 Captain Sidney John Daniel appeared before Guildhall Justices Room, City of London charged with fraudulent conversion of £127 10sh and, as an alternative, embezzlement of the same sum from his employer – the British Tanker Co Ltd. while Master of the ss British Holly.  He pleaded Guilty. The full amount missing was £1,184. Sentenced to 3 months imprisonment

Captain Sidney J Daniel

31 December 1926 arrived at Abadan

5 January 1927 sailed from Abadan for Karachi

9 February 1927 sailed from Bombay for Abadan

15 February 1927 arrived at Abadan

15 March 1927 passed Perim

31 March 1927 at Karachi

19 May 1927 sailed from Aden

26 May 1927 at Abadan

18 June 1927 passed Capo D’armi

7 July 1927 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

16 July 1927 sailed Abadan for Port Natal

12 August 1927 sailed Port Natal for Abadan

4 October 1927 sailed Ernakulam, India for Abadan

20 October 1927 sailed from Abadan for Bombay

17 November 1927 sailed from Aden for Abadan

27 November 1927 sailed from Abadan

15 January 1928 sailed Colombo, Ceylon to Calcutta 

8 May 1928 sailed Abadan

22 July 1928 arrived at Abadan

9 September 1928 at the Government Hospital, Durban Ships Cook & Baker discharged dead – natural causes

18 September 1928 arrived at Bombay

20 December 1928 arrived at Colombo, Ceylon

25 January 1929 passed Perim

12 March 1929 arrived at Suez

26 May 1929 arrived at Aden

29 May 1929 sailed from Aden

15 June 1929 arrived at Bombay

7 August 1929 sailed from Abadan for Port Natal

30 December 1929 arrived at Hartlepool

22 January 1930 sailed from the River Tyne for Grangemouth

25 January 1930 sailed Grangemouth for Swansea with a cargo of creosote

31 January 1930 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound

8 February 1930 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound

16 February 1930 arrived at Port Said

23 February 1930 passed Perim

3 March 1930 arrived at Abadan

6 March 1930 sailed Abadan for Madras and Calcutta

20 March 1930 sailed Madras for Calcutta

25 March 1930 sailed Calcutta for Abadan

9 April 1930 sailed Abadan for Karachi

14 April 1930 berthed at Karachi

7 May 1930 sailed Aden for Abadan

15 May 1930 arrived at Abadan

26 June 1930 arrived Suez from Abadan

8 January 1931 at Karachi

12 January 1931 sailed Karachi

21 January 1931 at Abadan Deck Casab Hoosein Nakwa discharged dead – chronic nephritis

31 January 1931 arrived at Aden

2 February 1931 sailed Aden for Abadan

23 March 1931 sailed Aden for Abadan

13 April 1931 sailed Aden for Abadan

16 May 1931 sailed Calcutta for Abadan

1 June 1931 sailed from Aden for Abadan

13 June 1931 sailed Aden

23 June 1931 sailed Abadan for Aden

11 August 1931 sailed Bombay for Abadan

26 August 1931 sailed from Aden for Abadan

9 September 1931 at Karachi

17 September 1931 at Abadan

22 October 1931 sailed Abadan for Rangoon

28 October 1931 purchased for £7,000 for demolition by  Torazo Haslimoto, Osaka

9 November 1931 moved from Rangoon to Osaka