RFA Mapleleaf

RFA Mapleleaf

 

 

 

 

Previous name:                         Mount Royal, HMS Marlborough, RFA Rangol

Subsequent name:                    British Maple

Official Number:                        109498

Class:                                       Emergency Wartime Purchase LEAF Group Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:                             Y7.174

Laid down:
Builder:                                     C S Swan & Hunter Ltd., Wallsend
Launched:                                17 August 1898
Into Service:                              6 July 1915 (as RFA Rangol)
Out of service:                           4 October 1919 sold to Commercial interests and renamed

Fate:                                        Arrived for breaking up on 25 January 1933

 

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 into 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

 

 

17 August 1898 launched by C.S. Swan & Hunter Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Nr 230 named for the Beaver Line service of Elder Dempster & Co Ltd, Liverpool as Mount Royal

November 1898 completed as a cargo liner

30 November 1898 sailed on her maiden voyage from the Tyne to New Orleans

May 1899 first voyage from the Tyne to Montreal

3 July 1899 first voyage from London to Quebec. Completed 2 round trips

5 November 1899 first voyage from Naples to Cape Town as a Boer War Transport. Only 1 trip

1 December 1899 arrived at Cape Town with 345 mules from Gibraltar and 1,902 mules from Naples

12 February 1900 first voyage from Liverpool to Cape as a Boer War Transport. Only 1 trip

23 July 1900 first voyage from New Orleans to Cape Town as a Boer War transport. Completed six round voyages in all

3 March 1903 reported has having turned round due to severe weather while on passage from the UK to the US

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

9 November 1903 entered dry dock at Cardiff with damage to the keel which occurred in September 1903.

1907 converted to carry 1500 x 3rd Class passengers in just 10 days

May 1907 sailed on her first voyage from London to Canada.

7 December 1907 sailed Antwerp for St. John's Novia Scotia with 303 hundred passengers. Reported as missing while crossing the North Atlantic. Arrived at Queenstown, Southern Ireland on 7 January 1908 after suffering machinery breakdown while about 250 miles west of Fastnet. Passengers transfered to ss Montrose which sailed Queenstown on the 11 January 1908. The ss Montrose was reported as missing when it failed to arrive at St. John's on the  21 January 1908. Arrived late

20 July 1908 arrived at Quebec from London

2 September 1908 arrived at Quebec on passage from Antwerp to Montreal

2 October 1908 passed North Foreland while on passage from London and Antwerp to Montreal

11 July 1909 while on passage from London and Antwerp to Montreal passed Cape Ray

31 August 1909 while on passage from London and Antwerp to Montreal passed Heath Point

1 October 1909 while on passage from London to Montreal radioed giving her position as 125 miles west of the Lizard

29 October 1909 while on passage from Montreal to London radioed giving her position as 100 miles west of Brow Head

18 May 1910 sailed Antwerp for Montreal

28 October 1914 was hired by the Admiralty for conversion into the Dummy Battleship HMS MARLBOROUGH, on completion of which she was based at Loch Ewe.

06 July 1915, with the disbandment of the DBS Squadron she had cylindrical tanks inserted into her holds and served as the oiler RFA RANGOL,

10 July 1916 purchased by the Admiralty 

17 November 1916 her management was transferred to Lane and MacAndrew and she became the oiler transport renamed MAPLELEAF

4 May 1917 arrived at Port Arthur, Texas

11 June 1917 arrived at Greenock

21 October 1917 she was narrowly missed by a torpedo in the Atlantic.

07 November 1917 she was transferred to the Shipping Controller

25 October 1918 Fireman James Wilson discharged dead - through natural causes - buried at sea in the presence of the Commisioned Escort Ship HMS Coronado at 49.36N 12.36W

4 October 1919 purchased by the British Tanker Co

19 October 1919 renamed BRITISH MAPLE

13 December 1919 arrived at Plymouth Sound towing s.s. War Zephyr. The tow had lasted over one week from a position 1,000 miles west of The Lizard after the War Zepgyr's main shaft had broken. The tow had parted once during the week in very heavy weather

15 December 1919 berthed at Rotterdam

15 November 1920 the Master and crew of Mapleleaf took proceedings against the Master and crew of the War Zephyr (see above) in the Admiralty Division of the High Court

28 January 1921 berthed at Newport News

26 March 1921 at a hospital at Newport News, USA 2nd Steward Thomas Rathbone discharged dead from natural causes

12 June 1921 berthed at Port Eads

1 September 1921 arrived at Newport News and sailed the same day

06 June 1922 arrived at Hamble in Southampton Water  to act as a bunker depot ship 

10 December 1932 sold for £3,500 for demolition at Rosyth by Metal Industries Ltd

27 December 1932.arrived Rosyth

 25 January 1933 breaking up commenced

12 May 1933 the remaining hulk was transferred to Charlestown to hold oil residues.

1934 was transferred back to Rosyth

06 March 1935 demolition was finally completed

 

 

Notes:

 

 

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(RANGOL), MOUNT TEMPLE & MONTROSE and the 3 Liverpool tugs AFRICAN, BEAVER & OTTER