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The image above shows the ship as HMS Lucia
Previous name: Spreewald
Subsequent name: Sinai
Official Number: 136789
Class: Submarine Depot Ship
Pennant No: P. 2A (Jan 1918) F 27 (WW2)
Laid down:
Builder: Furness Withy, Middleton on Tees,
Launched: 21 November 1907
Into Service: 1916
Out of service: 1948
Fate: Broken up January 1951
Items of historic interest involving this ship: -
Background Data: Some official lists, marked as “Lists of RFA’s” show vessels which spent some time as RFA’s during the First World War. These records are extremely sketchy and some of these vessels were “Yard Craft”, partially or wholly Dockyard manned, partly by RNR or Reserve Fleet personnel. Some of the Depot Ships staffed by skilled civilian Dockyard workers were for a time White Ensign. The Director of Stores was understood to be concerned with their manning and operationally they remained under Admiralty control.
21 November 1907 launched by Furness Withy & Co Ltd, West Hartlepool as Yard Nr 307 named SPREEWALD for Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt A.G., Hamburg
1908 completed
15 July 1909 while on a voyage from New Orleans to Hamburg passed the Lizard this day
20 June 1910 berthed at Vigo while on passage from Vera Cruz to Le Harve and Hamburg
28 December 1910 while on a voyage from Puerto Mexico to Hamburg passed Dover this day
31 March 1911 while on a voyage from Puerto Mexico to Hamburg passed Ushant this day
13 December 1912 while on a voyage from Puerto Mexico passed Beachy Head this day
15 October 1913 while on a voyage from Hamburg to the West Indies passed Dover this day
12 September 1914 captured by HMS Berwick (Captain Lewis C Barker, Royal Navy) in the North Atlanic - the vessel was fitted as a German Armed Merchant Cruiser.
1915 management allocated to Elder Dempster & Co Ltd, Liverpool and renamed LUCIA
August 1916 converted by Clyde Shipbuilding Co, Glasgow for service as a Submarine Depot Ship.
1916 - 1918 Depot ship with the 10th Submarine Flotilla on the Tees
4 November 1916 Stoker James William West discharged dead - he is buried in Eston Cemetery, Yorkshire in grave F. C. 49
4 May 1917 Engineer Lieutenant Francis Bateman Wells RNR appeared before a court martial charged with being drunk on board. The accused pleaded guilty. He was adjudged to be severely reprimanded and to be dismissed his ship.
23 June 1917 was visited by HM King George V at Scapa Flow
1 July 1917 was berthed at South Bank, Middlesborough
1 March 1919 Officers Steward Charles Robert Fisher discharged dead - illness - he is buried in Croydon (Mitcham Road) Cemetery in grave N4. 10583.
2 October 1922 sailed Malta for Constantinople along with the 1st British Destroyer Flotilla and a number of L-Class submarines
4 January 1931 some members of the crew refused lawful orders of Lieutenant Commander J W Hoskyns Royal Navy and the ships Master at Arms when the ship was preparing fro sea from Devonport. Four were were court martialed at HMS Drake, Devonport Barracks, convicted, sent to hard labour and dismissed the Service. Others were dealt with by their Captain
4 May 1933 Commander Geoffrey M Keble-White, Royal Navy in command
20 May 1937 took part in the King George VI Coronation Fleet Review at Spithead
1939 the ship was a submarine Depot Ship in the East Indies
1940 transferred to the Red Sea Force
13 March 1940 at Colombo, Ceylon
1942-5 submarine Depot Ship for the Eastern Fleet
21 February 1941 Petty Officer Cook Forturado Fernandez discharged dead. He is buried in Maala Cemetery, Aden in Grave F73
24 April 1941 Steward Rozario Sabuzinhs Menezes discharged dead - he was buried in Massawa (Edaga Berai) Cemetery, Eritrea but his grave is now lost. He is remembered with pride on Special Memorial No 2 in Asmara War Cemetery, Eritrea
4 August 1941 CPO Geoffrey William Ward discharged dead - he is buried in Asmara War Cemetery, Eritrea in Grave 2 E 8
5 January 1942 sailed Bombay for Colombo to assume Depot Ship duties there arriving on 10 January 1942
5 April 1942 ship bombed while berthed at Colombo by Japanese aircraft - one crew member killed - Plumber Robert Sherlow discharged dead. He is buried in Colombo (Kanatte) General Cemetery in Plot 6B Row P Grave 13
25 April 1942 sailed Colombo to Bombay
17 July 1942 sailed Bombay in Convoy BM 25A to Colombo arriving 21 July 1942
16 December 1942 Stoker Thomas Keggin discharged dead. He is buried in Colombo (Kanatte) General Cemetery - he is buried in Plot 6C Row D Grave 6
1 March 1943 ERA James McFarlane discharged dead - he is buried in Colombo (Kanatte) General Cemetery - he is buried in Plot 6C Row C Grave 25
6 April 1943 sailed Colombo in Convoy CX 1
9 April 1943 convoy CX 1 arrived Addu Atoll and she proceeded onwards to Kilindini
18 August 1943 Ordinary Seaman Yusuf Arab discharged dead - he is buried in Durban (Stellawood) Cemetery in grave 658A
20 August 1943 sailed Durban in convoy DC40 to Cape Town arriving on 24 August 1943
5 December 1943 Leading SA Herbert John Goffin discharged dead - he buried in Port Elizabeth (South End) Cemetery - he is buried in H Extension in Grave 29S
8 February 1944 sailed Mombasa for Addu Attoll *
4 March 1944 Sailed Addu Atoll in Convoy XC 16 to Colombo arriving on 7 March 1944
1945 Eastern Fleet Depot Ship service ended
5 April 1945 Colombo was subject to an attack by Japanese aircraft the majority of the enemy ‘planes in this raid were identified as Navy type 99 ship borne two seater dive bombers and Lucia was hit forward by one bomb but was patched up locally, HMS HECTOR bombed, set on fire and burnt out. HMS TENEDOS sunk.
25 April 1945 sailed Colombo to Bombay with HMIS HINDUSTAN, and BDV BARLANE
30 June 1945 Stoker Eugene Larkin discharged dead - he is buried in Colombo (Liveramentu) Cemetery in grave 1 F 8
11 March 1946 Cook Frederick Semark discharged dead. He was buried at sea and is remembered with pride on the Chatham Naval Memorial
4 September 1946 purchased by Cia Maritime Geojunior, Panama and refitted at Swansea after a period of lay-up at Plymouth, name unchanged
1948 renamed SINAI by her owners
March 1949 laid up at Genoa
ss Sinai (ex RFA Lucia) laid up before her being broken up
5 January 1951 arrived for breaking up at La Spezia
Notes:
* The troopship KHEDIVE ISMAIL had sailed from Mombasa 3 days earlier and was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-27 on 12/02/44 with the loss of 1271 passengers and crew including a large number of WRENS. One of her escorting destroyers, HMS PALADIN, was seriously damaged when she attempted to ram the submarine and LUCIA rendered assistance to her at Addu Attoll
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