RFA Lucigen

RFA Lucigen before being purchased by the Admiralty

Previous name:
Subsequent name: 

Official Number:                    127965                                                         

Class:                                     Tanker Depot Ship

Pennant No:

Laid down:
Builder:                                   Armstrong Whitworth, Low Walker
Launched:                              25 November 1908
Into Service:                           1939
Out of service:                       1946
Fate:                                        Scuttled off Lagos

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  Around the outbreak of WW2, the Admiralty purchased 3 old tankers for depot ship and escort oiler work which were manned and managed by their former commercial owners although some RFA personnel were based onboard. None of them served in the post~War Fleet

Port of Registry Liverpool

25 November 1908 Launched by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd, Low Walker, Newcastle as Yard Nr 814 named LUCIGEN for Lucigen Steamship Co Ltd (H.E. Moss & Co, Managers)  Liverpool.

February 1909 completed

20 March 1911 sailed New York for Hamburg

27 April 1911 arrived New York from the Tyne

12 August 1911 sailed Belfast for Philadelphia

30 December 1911 sailed New York for London

8 July 1913 arrived Port Arthur, Texas from Cardiff

17 July 1913 sailed Norfolk VA for Portsmouth arriving on 31 July 1913

11 October 1913 sailed Portsmouth for Port Arthur, Texas

20 May 1919 sailed the Tyne

23 July 1919 berthed at Liverpool from New Orleans

10 August 1919 sailed Barry

18 February 1928 while on passage from the Tyne to New York in heavy weather on 5 February lost her rudder in the Atlantic and drifted to within 18 miles of the Skerryvore Rocks. German tug Seefalke took her in tow. After the tow parted and three of the crew of the tanker were injured the tow was reconnected and the vessel made the Clyde

31 August 1929 while entering Cardiff Docks under tow of tugs Eagle and Falcon the tug Eagle was in collision with a steam collier Alice. The Eagle sank and the Alice was damaged. The Eagle subsequently raised. The collision was later subject to litigation in the Admiralty Division of the High Court on 21 January 1930 when it was found that the Alice was on the wrong side of the channel and was solely to blame - stated case (1930) 36 Ll.L.Rep. 12 refers

13 April 1930 suffered storm damage while crossing the Atlantic from New Orleans to Le Havre - radio room washed away.

17 October 1939 was scheduled to sail in Convoy 21 from the UK - did not sail.

January 1940 under repair at Newcastle

10 February 1940 and 12 February 1942 sailed the Tyne twice but returned the same day on each occasion

14 February 1940 sailed the Tyne in convoy FS96 to Southend arriving two days later

18 February 1940 sailed River Thames to  Trinidad  arrived 10 March 1940 to load

March 1940 Purchased by the Admiralty for service as a Depot Ship name unchanged

17 March 1940 sailed Trinidad to Freetown arrived 2 April 1940

8 April 1940 sailed Freetown to Trinidad arrived 20 April 1940 to load

1 May 1940 Trinidad - engines defective

29 May 1940 sailed Trinidad to Freetown due to arrive 11 June but eventually entered Freetown on 18 June 1940 with engine defects

27 June 1940 sailed Freetown to Lagos

3 July 1941 arrived Lagos, Nigeria. Engines not very effective. Spent the remainder of  WW2 there as a stationary fuelling hulk.

1941 to 1946 Depot Ship, Lagos.

June 1946 was towed out to sea by the Nigerian Marine tug ATLAS and was expended as a target by explosives and gunfire

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