Previous name:                          Birkenfels,  Tandem
Subsequent name:                     Pinna
Class:

Official No:                                 139103
Pennant No:                               P72 (in 1915)

Signal Letters:                            JMDG (1919)

Laid down:
Builder:                                      J C Tecklenborg A G, Geestemunde

Launched:                                  1910
Into Service:                               3 September 1915 
Out of service:                            4 July 1921

Fate:                                         Sold out of service.

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

7 June 1910 arrived Geestemunde, Bremerhaven, Germany from Naples

1 August 1910 sailed from Rotterdam

2 August 1910 was in W/T contact with North Foreland Radio but did not give her position

20 August 1910 arrived at Port Said

21 August 1910 sailed from Suez

2 October 1910 sailed Calcutta for New York, USA

22 December 1910 sailed Philadelphia, USA for Fremantle and Adelaide

20 January 1911 arrived at Table Bay, South Africa

28 May 1911 at Suez when on passage from Calcutta to New York, USA

5 February 1912 arrived Suez

26 February 1912 arrived at Liverpool

24 April 1912 arrived at Colombo while on passage from Hamburg to Calcutta

16 July 1912 arrived at Boston from Calcutta

20 April 1913 passed Gibraltar sailing east

27 April 1913 arrived at Port Said

7 November 1913 arrived at Port Said

19 January 1914 arrived at Suez when on passage from Calcutta to Hamburg

23 July 1914 sailed New York for Cape Town and Australian ports

21 August 1914 was captured at Cape Town and renamed Tandem. The vessel was placed in charge of the Salvage Association at Lloyds who appointed Captain William Shotton as Master and Mr G Wright as Chief Engineer Officer

18 September 1914 the Times of London reported …

7 March 1915 sailed Cape Town for Australian ports

3 September 1915 she was renamed RFA POLSHANNON and used as a tanker.

2 October 1915 Engineer Lieutenant Commander George Wright RD RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 November 1915 Lieutenant John W E Dickens RNR appointed in Command

28 December 1915 sailed Malta for Port Said

4 January 1916 at Port Said one member of the ships crew transferred to HMS MINERVA for cell punishment

HMS MINERVA

25 March 1916 while on passage from Mudros to Malta HMS JED came alongside to discharged sweep kite (Source log book for HMS JED)

17 May 1916 at Mudros a working party from HMS EXMOUTH onboard

HMS EXMOUTH

23 June 1916 at Mudros a working party from HMS EXMOUTH onboard

25 June 1916 at Mudros with HMS WELLAND alongside collecting and delivering naval stores

22 August 1916 at Mudros Motor Boat Z12 from HMS ARK ROYAL broke down and was towed to POLSHANNON for repairs

16 October 1916 at Mudros with HMS USK berthed alongside

HMS USK

25 October 1916 at Mudros the Q ship HMS WONGANELLA berthed alongside to be supplied with a motor boat. Safely supplied and secured on HMS WONGANELLA deck

8 December 1916 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard

HMS IMPLACABLE 

9 December 1916 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard

26 December 1916 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard

27 December 1916 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard for stores

1 January 1917 at Mudros 5 cases of .303 ammunition supplied to HMS IMPLACABLE

11 January 1917 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard delivering 4 boxes of ammuntion

22 February 1917 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard

26 February 1917 at Mudros a working party from HMS IMPLACABLE onboard

9 July 1917 Greaser G Johnston sentenced to 12 days DQ’s at HMS EGMONT, Malta. He had signed on on 18 April 1917

8 December 1917 Trimmer Michael Dodd sentenced to 14 days DQ’s at HMS EGMONT, Malta. He had signed on on 18 October 1916

December 1917 Engineer Sub Lieutenant W G MacKay RNR who was transferred from the New Zealand Field Artillery appointed as 2nd Engineer Officer

1 February 1918 Engineer Lieutenant Charles E Wrate RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer. He transferred to RFA BACCHUS (1) as Chief Engineer Officer on 8 April 1918

14 January 1918 Greaser P Murphy sentenced to 90 DQ’s at HMS EGMONT, Malta. He had signed on on 18 April 1917

6 March 1918 Third Officer Walter G Reid RFA appeared before a court martial charged with  being found drunk on board. The charge was adjudged to be proved and he was sentenced to be severely reprimanded and to be dismissed his ship. The Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased to direct that the sentence should be annulled

3rd Officer Walter G Reid RFA

7 May 1918 Able Seaman J A Munt discharged this day to detention at Glasgow. He had signed on on 14 March 1918

21 September 1918 while in a convoy at 49°05N 8°04W challenged by HMS CITY OF LONDON as her mast head lights were displayed

Armed Merchant Cruiser CITY OF LONDON

25 November 1918 arrived at Gravesend from New York

8 December 1918 sailed Gravesend for New York

21 December 1918 arrived at New York from Gravesend

7 January 1919 at Bayonne Captain John Taylor Norrie discharged dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head

15 January 1919 sailed New York for London

30 January 1919 arrived at Gravesend from New York for Purfleet

1919 under civil management of Anglo Saxon Petroleum

26 November 1919 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east for Gravesend

5 June 1920 arrived at Rockhampton from Balak Papan

11 June 1920 arrived at Brisbane from Tarakan

20 June 1920 arrived at Sydney, NSW

1 July 1920 arrived Newcastle, NSW sailing the same day for Singapore with 6212 tons of coal, stores and bunkers

27 July 1920 in wireless communication with Singapore

4 October 1920 sailed Singapore for Wellington, New Zealand

25 November 1920 in the Albert Dry Dock, Tanjong Pagar

3 April 1921 arrived at Sydney, NSW

6 June 1921 berthed at the Main Wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore 

27 August 1921 arrived at Sydney, NSW

4 October 1921 sailed Singapore for Wellington, New Zealand

28 October 1921 arrived Wellington, New Zealand from Yokohama, Japan

2 November 1921 sailed Wellington, New Zealand for Lyttleton and Dunedin

12 November 1921 sailed New Zealand for Sydney, NSW

18 November 1921 arrived at Sydney, NSW

15 February 1922 arrived at Wellington, New Zealand

28 February 1922 berthed at Dunedin from Timaru to discharge 10,000 cases of oil from Singapore

4 March 1922 sailed Dunedin, New Zealand for Newcastle, NSW

13 March 1922 sailed Newcastle, NSW for Sydney, NSW

14 March 1922 arrived at Sydney, NSW

21 March 1922 sailed Sydney, NSW for Balik Papan

2 May 1922 sailed Newcastle, NSW for Singapore

15 September 1922 arrived at Wellington, New Zealand from Singapore

1922 sold to Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd and renamed Pinna

28 December 1922 passed Goode Island, Queensland, Australia

8 January 1923 sailed Auckland, New Zealand for Balik Papan

20 January 1923 at Wellington, New Zealand

6 March 1923 berthed at Singapore

15 July 1923 berthed at Singapore

22 November 1923 in dry dock at Singapore

3 July 1924 sailed Wellington, New Zealand for Lyttleton

15 August 1924 alongside the oil wharf at Singapore

2 October 1924 berthed at Dunedin from Singapore

2 April 1925 berthed at Dunedin from Lyttelton, New Zealand 

19 May 1925 alongside at the main wharf at Kepple Harbour, SIngapore

5 September 1925 berthed at Auckland, New Zealand from Singapore

14 September 1925 berthed at Wellington, New Zealand

18 September 1925 sailed Wellington for Sydney, NSW, Australia

3 February 1926 berthed at Auckland, New Zealand from Singapore with Captain T Powell in command

14 February 1926 berthed at Napier, New Zealand

11 February 1927 arrived at Singapore

10 May 1927 while manoeuvring in Singapore harbour was in collision with RFA WAR BRAHMIN – slight damage was occasioned by both vessels

19 December 1930 sailed SIngapore

22 April 1931 grounded at Bramble Cay, a sandy islet in the Gulf of Papua while on passage from New Hebrides to Singapore. Refloat 12 hours later and continued on her voyage.

29 June 1933 while enroute from Balik Papan to Cairns ship grounded on Fife Island off the Queensland, Australia coast. Pilot deemed not to blame

1 July 1933 ship berthed at Cairns

25 April 1934 ship searched by customs at Singapore and a quantity of opium was found the apparent property of a fireman.

22 December 1938 a crew member lost overboard during voyage from Lautoka to Suva, Fiji

ss Pinna (ex RFA Polshannon) on 25 January 1940

2 February 1942 07:00hrs sailed from Pladjoe. Captain W P Thomas was the ships Master. 12:13hrs grounded after pilot gave wrong order to the helmsman. Various attempts were made to re-float the ship using her engines and by pumping 50 tons of fuel over board

3 February 1942 07:00hrs refloated on the rising tide. At 16:50hrs bombed by 6 Japanese aircraft flying at about 5,000 feet at 00°52S 104°19E – south of Singapore 3 bombs were dropped, two were near misses but one hit her forecastle killing 16 Chinese and wounding others. Windlass and port anchor lost, fire took hold of forecastle. Main radio aerial carried away.

4 February 1942 03:00hrs fire out out. 13:15hrs Attacked again by 5 Japanese dive bombers using guns and bombs. Two bombs hit the ship – one forward of the bridge and the other abreast of No 2 hatch on the port side. Ship well on fire – cargo aviation fuel and petrol in 40 gallon drums – order given to abandon ship.  Boilers blew up.  Ship beached and later sank. Some of the crew rescued by HMS BULAN

9 February 1942 The Master, the 1st Officer, the 3rd Engineer Officer and Captain S Bryant lately Master of the ss Trocas detained in hospital