Official Number: 129031
Pennant Number:
Builder: Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker
Launched: 5 November 1903
Fate: 12 January 1945 Sunk
Official Number: 129031
Pennant Number:
Builder: Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker
Launched: 5 November 1903
Fate: 12 January 1945 Sunk
Items of historic interest involving this ship: –
Background Data: One of a group of additional ships requisitioned by the Admiralty in WW1 to augment the ships of the RFA
5 November 1903 launched by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Low Walker as Yard Nr 407 named RABENFELS for Deutsche Dampfs Ges. “Hansa”, Hamburg
December 1903 completed.
5 February 1904 sailed Calcutta for Hamburg
1 January 1907 sailed Middlesborough for Calcutta
15 February 1907 arrived at Calcutta
23 January 1909 sailed Karachi for Hamburg
August 1914 seized as a Prize at Port Said while on passage from Rotterdam to Bombay
December 1914 Operated as a merchant navy crewed seaplane carrier with French aircraft and pilots and British observers and used by the allies in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean
12 June 1915 commissioned in the R.N.
August 1915 was renamed HMS RAVEN 11 and employed as a Q ship based at Cork
1 September 1916 damaged during an air raid while at Port Said
10 July 1917 was decommissioned and then served as a store ship, collier and troopship on Government service renamed RAVENROCK (Managers Graham & Co)
2 February 1919 sailed Cardiff for New York via Le Havre
11 April 1920 sailed Bombay for Cardiff
17 May 1920 sailed Port Louis, Mauritius to Bombay
2 June 1920 sailed Port Louis, Mauritius
18 June 1920 sailed Table Bay, South Africa
11 July 1920 arrived at Falmouth
6 September 1920 arrived at Liverpool
17 October 1920 arrived at Gravesend
January 1921 Government service ended and resumed commercial service. Purchased by British Dominion Steam Ship Co Ltd, London name unchanged
26 March 1921 sailed Cardiff to Montvideo
10 October 1921 seized by US Marshall at San Francisco over a $30,000 collision damage suit when she was at anchor at Carquinez Straits, near the mouth of the Sacramento River.
1924 purchased by Kabafuto Kisen Kabushika Kaisha, Tokio and renamed HEIYEI MARU NO 7
8 October 1933 reported in two US newspapers as feared lost in a storm off Japan – the reports were exaggerated
7 November 1933 reported in The Times that she had grounded at Rutuka, Sakhalin. A salvage vessel was being despatched to assist
1934 purchased by Inui Kisen Kabushika Kaisha, Tokio name unchanged.
1938 was renamed HEIEI MARU NO 7 by her owners.
12 January 1945 was bombed and sunk by American aircraft in position 10.46 N 106.42 E (Saigon River)
Notes:
1. The image above is of her as HMS Raven ll when deployed as a Q ship