|
RAFA Kurumba
Previous name:
Subsequent name: Angeliki Evangelos
Official Number: 139178
Class: Oiler
Pennant No: X36 / X55 / X64
Laid down: 14 August 1914
Builder: Swan Hunter WR, Wallsend on Tyne,
Launched: 14 September 1916
Into Service: 7 December 1916
Out of service: 11 March 1919
Fate: Broken up
Items of historic interest involving this ship: -
Background Data: She had a very short life with the Admiralty before being taken over by the Australian Navy where she was not all that successful either
14 September 1916 Launched by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend as Yard Nr 973 named KURUMBA to the order of the Australian Commonwealth Government
23 September 1916 Engineer Lieutenant William Richardson RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
19 November 1916 Lieutenant John Henry Jones RNR appointed in command
7 December 1916 completed at a cost of £141,000. Served as an RFA until 1919
11 November 1917 Lieutenant E G Enright RNR appointed in command until 15 April 1918
28 January 1917 in collision with mv Unio suffering slight damage - no further details available
10 March 1917 Fireman Walter Gardner MMR 640188 logged as deserting the ship
15 April 1918 Lieutenant John Henry Jones RNR appointed in command until 10 April 1919 when he was transferred to RFA Perthshire
3 September 1918 Fireman George Evans MMR 902043 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on 21 March 1918.
9 October 1918 2nd Officer Henry C Horlock MMR appeared before a court martial charged with (a) wilful disobedience of lawful command and (b) improperly leave his ship. The charges were adjudged proved. He was adjudged to be dismissed his ship and to be severely reprimanded. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty were pleased to annul sentence on the ground that it was no proved that the act which formed the subject of the first charge was an act to the prejudice of good order and naval disciple.
27 November 1918 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS Talbot refuelling her with 64 tons of FFO
9 December 1918 Fireman Albert Jones MMR 852697 and Trimmer Francis Keys MMR 951348 both logged as deserting the ship. Both had signed on on the 14 August 1918.
15 February 1919 Engineer Lieutenant William Joseph Martin Richardson RNR discharged dead. He had signed on on 1 October 1916. He is remembered on a screen wall in the City of London & Tower Hamlets Cemetery. .
Courtesy of and © The War Graves Photographic Project
11 March 1919 RFA Kurumba was handed over to the Royal Australian Navy and sailed for Australia in the middle of April 1919 from South Shields. Captain P Gibson being appointed as Master
10 June 1919 arrived at Singapore
16 July 1919 arrived at Sydney, NSW
26 September 1919 Captain F C Plater RD RAFA (Lieutenant Commander RANR) appointed as Master and Warrant Engineer C K Brown RANR appointed as 1st Engineer
31 December 1920 the Auditor General of Australia reported that Captain Gibson had been given certain advances in cash by the High Commissioner for Australia in the UK but on examination by the Naval Office the accounts totalling £4,576/3/7d furnished in support of his expenditure, showed evidence of fraud. The net amount improperly vouched for was approximated £1,500. The Navy Office considered that a large number of claims were not actually paid by the Master being supported by forged vouchers. The Commonwealth Crown Solicitor expressed the opinion that if a prosecution for forgery were instituted it would probably be successful, but that it would cost £500 to extradite Captain Gibson who had returned to the United Kingdom. The Naval representative London had been instructed to accept without prejudice an amount of £500 offered by Captain Gibson's solicitor. It was also stated that the latter would be prepared to consider payment of a further amount when Captain Gibson's explanation had been considered by the Navy Department. Advise of the settlement of the matter was awaited by the Auditor-General at the time of the preparing of his report
17 June 1921 sailed Sydney, NSW for Borneo
5 May 1922 Lieutenant Commander F C Plater RD RANR appointed in command and Engineer Lieutenant RANR (Temporary) David Pemberton appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
5 May 1922 Australian Merchant Navy crew replaced with RAN sailors due to the Merchant Navy Crew's Union demanding too much pay for their members. Ship commissioned as a Royal Australian Naval vessel this day.
23 May 1922 berthed at Townsville to load 200 tons of coal for her bunkers before sailing to Borneo to load oil cargo
22 February 1923 entered refit at Cockatoo Dockyard
2 May 1923 berthed at Balik Papan to load
9 June 1923 a further union dispute over the supply of a new cook to the ship delayed her sailing for one week
11 June 1923 union dispute settled - she sailed Melbourne for Sydney, NSW with a cook provided by the Cooks Union.
23 June 1923 sailed Sydney, NSW for Borneo to load
8 June 1923 Warrant Engineer C K Brown RANR appointed as Chief Engineer
8 August 1923 Commander F C Plater RD RANR appointed as Master
22 May 1925 sailed Sydney NSW for Tarakan to load
4 September 1925 arrived at Sydney, NSW from Melbourne.
13 October 1925 broke her moorings at Garden Island, Sydney Harbour during stormy weather and drifted towards Point Piper. Tugs returned her to Garden Island. Her hull suffered minor paint damage
20 May 1926 position of 4th Engineer Officer vacant - position advertised in the Sydney Morning Herald
24 September 1926 reports that after signing off her crew to lay the ship up, as circulated in the Australian press this day, appear to be somewhat premature
22 February 1927 berthed at Sydney from Melbourne
20 April 1927 berthed at Melbourne to refuel HMS Renown
23 April 1927 sailed Melbourne for Sydney NSW
3 November 1927 Storekeeper Alfred Henry Stevens and Lamp Trimmer Robert Forbes both discharged dead after the sinking of the Sydney Harbour ferry Greycliffe
The RAFA Ensign
6 January 1928 sailed Syndey NSW for Tarakan to refuel Royal Australian Naval ships. It was reported that she had been lying idle off Garden Island for some months
2 March 1928 passed Thursday Island
12 March 1928 sailed Sydney, NSW for Melbourne
21 April 1928 arrived at Brisbane
2 May 1928 sailed Sydney, NSW for Balik Papan
11 May 1928 stood by a grounded ship ss Hyacinthus on Thursday Island, Australia until the ship managed to float itself clear.
4 June 1928 arrived at Sydney, NSW to paid off into reserve at Cockatoo Island
14 June 1929 while in reserve converted to oil burning boilers
12 May 1931 Commonwealth Naval Orders reported that RAFA Kurumba's radio call sign was to be VJLY
9 May 1932 while in reserve brought forward for refit
28 December 1938 while in reserve brought forward for refit at Garden Island, Sydney
4 September 1939 brought forward from reserve - Captain Alfred H Turnley RAFA appointed in command
19 September 1939 sailed Sydney NSW to Darwin arriving 29 September 1939
7 October 1939 sailed Darwin to Freemantle
6 December 1939 Captain Alfred Herbert Turnley RD RAFA (Lieutenant Commander RNR Rtd) discharged dead. He was killed in a motor vehicle accident in Melbourne
23 January 1940 sailed Freemantle to Sydney arrived 3 February 1940
February 1940 Lieutenant Commander Andrew V Bunyan RANR appointed Acting in Command
7 March 1940 sailed Sydney to Melbourne arriving 16 March 1940
April 1940 Captain Jack T Mawrey RAFA (Lieutenant (Temp) RANR) appointed as Master
16 April 1941 sailed Freemantle with troops onboard
21 July 1941 sailed Melbourne to Sydney, NSW
30 July 1941 sailed Sydney, NSW to Freemantle arriving 9 August 1941
7 February 1942 sailed Freemantle to Melbourne arriving 14 February 1942
16 February 1942 sailed Melbourne to Sydney, NSW arrived 19 February 1942
March 1942 used by the United States Navy
31 March 1942 sailed Sydney, NSW to Brisbane arriving 3 April 1942
30 April 1942 sailed Brisbane to Hervey Bay
1 May 1942 Task Force 44 sailed from Sydney - HMAS Australia and HMAS Hobart - they refueled from Kurumba at Hervey Bay before joining US Force and took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea
3 May 1942 returned to Brisbane
4 May 1942 sailed from Brisbane under escort
11 May 1942 Task Group 17.3 returning to Australia and refueled from Kurumba at Cid Harbour
14 May 1942 returned to Brisbane
30 May 1942 sailed Brisbane to Townsville arriving on 2 June 1942
12 June 1942 sailed Townsville under escort to Brisbane arriving 14 June 1942
15 July 1942 sailed Brisbane to Townsville arriving 17 July 1942
23 July 1942 sailed Townsville
6 August 1942 sailed Brisbane in convoy A1 to Cid Harbour arriving on 12 August 1942
5 September 1942 sailed Townsville in convoy PQ3/1 to Port Moresby arriving on 8 September 1942
17 September 1942 sailed Caloundra in convoy PG13 to Sydney, NSW arriving 19 September 1942
29 September 1942 sailed Sydney, NSW in convoy GP15/1 - on 1 October 1942 joined convoy BT18/1 arriving Darwin 16 November 1942
8 October 1942 sailed Thursday Island under escort to Darwin arriving 11 Ocober 1942
12 October 1942 sailed Darwin to Thursday Island arriving 16 October 1942
16 October 1942 sailed Thursday Island (after 1 hour in port) to Townsville and then to Brisbane arriving 21 October 1942
26 October 1942 sailed Brisbane to Townsville arriving 30 October 1942
3 November 1942 sailed Townsville to Brisbane arriving 5 November 1942
7 November 1942 sailed Brisbane to Sydney, NSW arriving 10 November 1942
22 November 1942 sailed to Port Moresby arriving on 25 November 1942
13 February 1943 sailed Caloundra in convoy PG37A to Sydney, NSW arriving 15 February 1943
17 February 1943 sailed Sydney NSW in convoy GP39/1 to Townsville arriving 22 February 1943
24 February 1943 sailed Townsville in convoy TN41 to Port Moresby arriving 26 February 1943
2 March 1943 sailed Townsville in convoy TS18/1 to Brisbane arriving 5 March 1943
6 March 1943 sailed Caloundra in convoy PG37A to Syndey NSW arriving 8 March 1943
17 March 1943 sailed Sydney in convoy GP39/1 to Brisbane arriving 19 March 1943
20 March 1943 sailed Caloundra in convoy BT46/1 to Townsville arriving 22 March 1943
27 March 1943 sailed Thursday Island in Convoy TD 16 to Darwin arriving 31 March 1943
1 April 1943 sailed Darwin in Convoy DT 16 to Thursday Island arriving 5 April 1943
16 April 1943 sailed Caloundra in Convoy PG 45 to Sydney arriving 19 April 1943
21 April 1943 sailed Sydney in Convoy GP 47/1
22 April 1943 sailed Caloundra in Convoy BT 54/1
25 April 1943 sailed Moreton Bay, near Brisbane to Townsville, north Queensland in a convoy of 5 ships under escort of US Navy submarine chasers and within the Great Barrier Reef arriving 27 April 1943
8 May 1943 sailed Townsville in Convoy TS 29/1 to Brisbane arriving 12 May 1943
3 June 1943 sailed Caloundra in Convoy PG 53 to Sydney arriving 6 June 1943. While on passage her starboard tail shaft fractured. Vessel initially stopped then made way at very slow speed (3kts) escorted by HMAS Bundaborg. Eventually towed to port
22 June 1943 sailed Sydney in Convoy GP 56/1 to Brisbane arriving 25 June 1943
25 June 1943 sailed Caloundra in Convoy BV 71to Townsville arriving 29 June 1943
21 July 1943 sailed Gladstone in Convoy LQ 3 to Caloundra arriving 23 July 1943
12 August 1943 sailed Caloundra in Convoy QL 6A to Townsville arriving 15 August 1943
4 September 1943 sailed Caloundra in Convoy QL 9B to Townsville arriving 8 September 1943
12 September 1943 sailed Thursday Island in Convoy TD 32 to Darwin arriving 16 September 1943
17 September 1943 sailed Darwin in Convoy DT 32 to Thursday Island arriving 21 September 1943
21 October 1943 sailed Gladstone in Convoy LQ 22 to Brisbane arriving 22 October 1943
9 September 1944 sailed Darwin in convoy DT80 to Thursday Island arriving 12 September 1944
10 November 1944 Able Seaman Gordon James Cree discharged dead having drowned. He is buried in Lae War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea in grave FF A 14
24 November 1944 berthed at Milne Bay, New Guinea. Sailed 9 December 1944 to Hollandia arriving 13 December 1944
26 December 1944 sailed Hollandia to Antape arriving 27 December 1944
16 February 1945 sailed Leyte in convoy IG9 to Hollandia arriving 22 February 1945
April 1945 Captain J B Davies RAFA (Temporary Lieutenant RANR) appointed as Master
26 April 1945 sailed Hollania in convoy GI23 to Manila arriving 3 May 1945
12 October 1945 arrived at Balik Papan sailed 13 October 1945 to Macassar.
1 November 1945 berthed at Brisbane. Sailed - hove to at 23.40S 15.24E steering engine broken endeavouring to return. Signalled for assistance
13 March 1946 sailed Cairns to Port Moresby arriving 15 March 1946
16 March 1946 sailed Port Moresby to Rabaul arriving 20 March 1946
14 May 1946 sailed Rabaul to Port Moresby
21 May 1946 sailed Thursday Island to Brisbane arriving 28 May 1946
29 June 1946 sailed Brisbane to Sydney
29 July 1946 destored and paid off into reserve (again) in Australia
15 March 1947 offered for sale by tender in the newspapers The Argus and the Sydney Morning Herald. The ship was 'as is' and could be inspected at Brisbane
80th Anniversary Cover of the de commissioning of HMAS Kurumba
January 1948 sold to Artemis Maritime Co Inc, Panama and renamed Angeliki
1955 sold to Pappas Eleftheriades and renamed Evangelos
February 1965 laid up at Piraeus
28 January 1966 arrived at Castellon for breaking up.
Notes:
In the early 1920’s plans were announced for her conversion into a seaplane carrier but these never materialised as it would have taken her away from her prime role in fleet support. A similar plan was envisaged for the collier HMAS BILOELA.
|
