Previous name:                        Lake Erie,  HMS Centurion, RFA Saxol
Subsequent name:                  Prygona  

Official Number:                       110631                                                  

Class:                                        Emergency Wartime Purchase -- LEAF Group Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:                             Y7.170

Laid down:
Builder:                                      Barclay Curle & Company, Glasgow

Launched:                                21 November 1899
Into Service:
Out of service:                          Sold out of service 19 January 1921
Fate:                                           Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  During WW1, 18 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

21 November 1889  launched by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Whiteinch as Yard Nr 420 named LAKE ERIE for the Beaver Line service of Elder Dempster & Co Ltd, Liverpool. Was  commissioned by the Dominion of Canada for the carriage of the Canadian mails

30 January 1900 her maiden voyage was from Liverpool to Cape Town as a Boer War Transport and over the next 16 months she made 8 round voyages as such

21 April 1900 arrived at St Helena with 394 Boer prisoners which included 34 officers

7 June 1900 sailed London with 17 officers, 650 men and 304 horses from the 1st Royal Dragoons, 2nd Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment, the Scottish Rifles and 2nd Battalion Yorkshire Light Infantry for the Cape

13 August 1900 returned to the London Docks from Cape Town with injured soldiers from the Boer War

24 September 1900 stood by the transport ss Suffolk which had run aground 20 miles to the West of Cape Saint Francis to the west of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The Suffolk foundered and her crew and soldiers onboard were picked up by the Lake Erie

15 October 1900 sailed Cape Town for Royal Albert Docks, London with a number of invalid troops and Royal Naval Officers as passengers arriving on 10 November 1900

20 January 1901 sailed Cape Town for Gravesend carrying 400 members of Lord Strathcoma's Horse and some invalids on board who were landed into Gravesend Hospital on 14 February 1901

23 February 1901 sailed the Royal Albert Dock for Queenstown, Ireland and then onto Cape Town with 300 mounted infrantry

23 April 1901 sailed Cape Town for London with a number of invalid troops onboard

16 May 1901 arrived at Southampton with 34 Officers and 517 men onboard

29 May 1901 sailed the Royal Albert Dock for South Africa with 15 officers and 151 men

19 July 1901 sailed Cape Town for London with a number of troops being carried home

1901 ownership transferred to British & African Steam Navigation Co Ltd ( Elder Dempster & Co Ltd, Managers) Liverpool name unchanged

10 August 1901 berthed at Southampton with officers and 500 men from the Boer War

8 November 1901 sailed Cape Town arriving at Southampton on 3 December 1901

11 December 1901 sailed the Royal Albert Dock, London with Officers and men and 205 remounts for the Boer War. Arrived at Gibraltar on the 19 December 1901 and received four companies of mounted infantry - 15 officers and 400 men - who had arrived from Malta on the transport Menes. The Lake Erie sailed the same afternoon

12 February 1902 sailed Cape Town to Southampton arriving on 7 March 1902 with invalids onboard

22 March 1902 sailed the Royal Albert Dock with 46 officer and 589 other ranks and 253 remounts.

The ship also called at Queenstown, Ireland for 64 further remounts

12 May 1902 sailed Cape Town to Southampton arriving on 4 June 1902

24 June 1902 first commercial voyage Liverpool - Montreal - Quebec. Carried 100 x 1st Class, 80 x  2nd Class and 500 x 3rd Class passengers

18 August 1902 in collision with the Canadian steamer Seguin on the Great Lakes

7 October 1902 sailed Liverpool to Quebec arriving on 18 October 1902. The ship was carrying several Mennonite immigrants

November 1902 sailed Liverpool to St Johns NB arriving on 29 November 1902. The ship was carrying several Mennonite immigrants

15 March 1903 sailed Liverpool to St Johns NB arriving on 28 March 1903. The ship was carrying several Mennonite immigrants

6 April 1903 acquired by Canadian Pacific Railway Co, Liverpool name unchanged

28 April 1903 sailed Liverpool on her first Canadian Pacific sailing

12 March 1906 berthed at Sand Point, Ontario with 29 first class passengers, 95 second class passengers and 947 steerage class passengers. Captain Frank Carey was the ships Master.

1906 converted to carry 150 x 2nd Class and 1000 x 3rd Class passengers

14 May 1910 chartered by Allan Line, Glasgow  and made her first voyage London - Quebec - Montreal. Carried out 25 Round Voyages on this route

1913 owners negotiated an agreement with the Austrian State Railways for a passenger and cargo service from Trieste to Canadian ports

6 February 1913 final Allan Line voyage St John N.B. - London

29 March 1913 she was renamed TYROLIA after an Austrian Province

April 1913 first voyage Trieste - Quebec - Montreal

February 1914 final voyage Trieste - St John N.B. (5½ Round Voyages)

28 February 1914 resumed the  St John N.B. - Liverpool service

1914 After service as a British Expeditionary Force Transport she was hired by the Admiralty

28 October 1914 was taken in hand at Belfast for conversion into the Dummy Battleship HMS CENTURION, being based initially at Loch Ewe.

February to June 1915 she was based in the Aegean and on disbandment of the DBS Squadron in July 1915 she became a Stores Carrier.

9 June 1916, having had cylindrical tanks inserted into her holds, she became RFA SAXOL for service as a tanker.

24 June 1916 taken on charge a Kendal & Dent Deck Watch No 12511 which had been bought by the Admiralty in March 1892. Sold off charge when the ship was sold on 19 January 1921.

27 June 1916 she was purchased by the Admiralty for service as a Fleet Oiler.

7 October 1916  her management was transferred to Lane and MacAndrew she was renamed ASPENLEAF with base port Portsmouth.

30 December 1916, while on passage from Sabine, Texas to the U.K., she was mined in the English Channel off the Owers Light Vessel. The mine had been laid by the German submarine UC16 (Oberleutnant zur See Egon von Werner). There were no fatalities.and she had to be towed into port for repairs and was out of service until June the following year. Her lost cargo was valued at £19,284.

7 November 1917 ownership was transferred to the Shipping Controller, name unchanged.

12 September 1919 was purchased by Anglo Saxon and was renamed  PRYGONA

11 January 1921 when she became a floating oil depot at Southampton.

6 February 1925 she was sold for £12,750 to Petersen and Albeck for breaking up at Copenhagen.

Notes:

1. Was originally named after one of the Great Lakes

2. When Elder Dempster sold their Canadian interests (Beaver Line) to the Canadian Pacific Railway Co for the sum of £1,417,500, a total of 14 ships plus 3 tugs were involved in the deal and these were as follows: LAKE CHAMPLAIN (RFA RUTHENIA), LAKE ERIE(RFA SAXOL), LAKE MANITOBA, LAKE MICHIGAN, MILWAUKEE, MONTCALM (RFA CRENELLA), MONTEAGLE, MONTEREY, MONTEZUMA (RFA ABADOL), MONTORT, MONTREAL, MOUNT ROYAL(RFA RANGOL), MOUNT TEMPLE & MONTROSE and the 3 Liverpool tugs AFRICAN, BEAVER & OTTER