RFA Nucula

RFA Nucula

 

RFA Nucula along side HMS Renown in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand

Previous name:                      Hermione, Soyo Maru, RN Oiler No: 73        
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                     123992

Class:                                      Station Oiler

Pennant No:                            Y7.220

Laid down:
Builder:                                    Armstrong Whitworth & Co.
Launched:                               24 July 1906
Into Service:                            1922 (as an RFA)
Out of service:                        10 June 1937
Fate:                                         Scuttled

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:  Acquired from commercial owners in the early Twenties, this tanker had a very short life with the Admiralty before being transferred to the New Zealand Government as their Navy’s first oiler to provide afloat support fopr their new cruisers HMNZS DIOMEDE and DUNEDIN. Her main use was in transporting fuel oil from San Pedro in California to Auckland

 

24 July 1906 launched by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle as Yard Nr 776 named HERMIONE for Oil Tank Steamship Co Ltd (C.T. Bowring & Co Ltd, Managers)  Liverpool

September 1906 completed

15 December 1906 sailed Philadelphia for the UK

3 January 1907 sailed Las Palmas for Liverpool

20 December 1908 arrived Avonmouth Docks from Philadelphia

1908 purchased by Toyo Kisen Kaisha, Yokohama and was renamed SOYO MARU

23 June 1910 arrived at Colombo from New York for Yokohama

3 September 1910 sailed Teneriffe for Liverpool

15 May 1911 arrived at Port Said

8 October 1912 suffered an engine room fire in the Malacca Straits about 160 miles north of Singapore. The cargo, passengers and crew were safe - reported in the Hong Kong Telegraph of 11 October 1912

6 December 1912 - Hong Kong press reports indicate that the fire damage (see above) is extensive around the poop 

18 July 1913 sailed Las Palmas for Liverpool

25 July 1913 berthed at Liverpool

24 October 1913 sailed Las Palmas for Liverpool

14 February 1914 sailed Southampton for Port Arthur

16 July 1915 sailed Liverpool for the River Plate

1915 purchased by the Shipping Controller ( F.C. Strick, Managers) and was renamed  NUCULA and served as R.N. Oiler Nr 73

November 1917 managers became Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London and served as R.N. Oiler Nr 220. with name unchanged

13 April 1918 berthed at New York having sailed from Liverpool. Captain Bernard Charles Wilton as Master with 56 crew

10 September 1918 berthed at New York having sailed from Plymouth Captain George William Ferris as Master with 56 crew

January 1919 was stated to be in very poor condition and was recommended for disposal by the  Director of Transport. The Admiralty approved expenditure of  £50,000 to refit her  for retention and she was purchased on their behalf by Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co  Ltd, London, remaining under their management

18 July 1919 sailed Gravesend via Grangemouth to Philadelphia

23 October 1919 and 24 October 1919 at Port of Spain, Trinidad moored alongside HMS Renown to refuel her - issued 3,709 tons of FFO

19 May 1920 arrived at Galvestton, Texas from South Wales

16 May 1921 arrived at Greenock from New Ordeans

7 September 1921 arrived at Queenstown, Ireland for Haulbowline from Port Arthur

2 May 1922 extensively damaged after a collision with the British m.v. CALCHAS  off  Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde

June 1922 transferred to Admiralty management  for service as an oiler on the China Station

14 June 1922 Captain J R Gowrie RFA appointed as Master

September to November 1923 was based at Nagasaki as base oiler during earthquake relief operations

11 October 1922 it was reported in the Straits Times of this date in Singapore that Nucula had taken over from RFA Pearleaf and that Pearleaf would be returning to England

15 June 1923 at Wei-Hai-Wei alongside HMS Durban to refuel her

16 June 1923 at Wei-Hai-Wei alongside HMS Despatch to refuel her

20 June 1923 sailed Wei-Hai-Wei

1 August 1923 at Wei-Hai-Wei stores party from HMS Durban working onboard

14 August 1923 arrived at Wei-Hai-Wei

1 September 1923 while at Wei-Hai-Wei a signal was received which ordered her to Nagasaki to act as  the Base Oiler there during the Yokohama Earthquake Relief Operations

November 1923 returned to Hong Kong on completion of Relief Operations

February 1924 Mr R Marrack RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1 March 1924 Captain Cyril F Haughton RFA appointed as Master

1924 fuelled ships of the Special Service Squadron led by the battle cruiser HMS HOOD on their world tour and accompanied them to Australia and New Zealand

26 May 1924 at Suva, Fiji alongside HMS Repulse to refuel her

27 May 1924 transferred to the New Zealand Government at Suva as a Naval Oiler, and was converted for European manning at a cost of £2,500. Was transferred at a rate of  £6,500 per annum. Her name was unchanged

5 June 1924 arrived Auckland for the first time. Between 06/09/24 and 23/10/47 she visited  Auckland 28 times

24 July 1924 the New Zealand Government budget presented to the New Zealand parliament recorded the fee for the hire of the Nucula charged by the Admiralty was £16,500 per annum

September 1924 a wooden chest the property of a member of the crew was stolen from the ship while it was berthed at the Sheerlegs Wharf, Devonport, Auckland. The chest was found floating in the harbour with part of its contents missing

22 November 1925 Mr H R Bullimore RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

30 November 1925 Captain A Beardsall RFA appointed as Master

12 May 1926 the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy advertised in the New Zealand Evening Post for a 3rd and 4th Engineer Officers - the advert was similar to that pictured below

17 September 1926 berthed at Auckland, New Zealand from San Pedro

2 November 1926 sailed Auckland, New Zealand for San Pedro

21 March 1927 and the 5 April 1927 the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy advertised in the New Zealand Evening Post for a 2nd Officer - the adverts were similar to that pictured below

22 July 1927 the ship's quartermaster Richard Jessup was seen to throw himself overboard while the ship was on passage from Papeete after receiving bad news concerning a serious medical condition. A three hour search failed to find him - discharged dead

28 December 1927 sailed San Pedro for Auckland, New Zealand

18 January 1928 arrived at Auckland, New Zealand from San Pedro

23 February 1928 at Samoa in support of HMNZS Dunedin and HMNZS Diomede. The warships mission was to round up troublesome Mau  

29 March 1928 sailed Suva for Auckland, New Zealand

3 April 1928 arrived at Auckland, New Zealand from Suva

6 July 1929 sailed Sydney, NSW, Australia for New Zealand having refuelled HMNZS's Dunedin and Diomede

1930 Admiralty approval was given to the New Zealand Government to sub-charter her to commercial firms for time or voyage charters

14 November 1930 crew members refused to sign new ships articles

17 November 1930 the crew walked off the ship in dispute over manning levels. They were replaced by RNZN sailors from the Naval training ship HMNZS Philomel

1 January 1931 her transfer rate was reduced to £3,250 per annum

15 January 1931 berthed at Sydney, NSW Australia from San Francisco to discharge

16 June 1931 arrived at Auckland, New Zealand from Sydney, NSW

13 July 1931 Captain G Attwood RFA appointed as Master

15 July 1931 sailed for Bora Bora, Society Islands to refuel HMS Diomede

15 September 1931 berthed at Auckland, New Zealand

16 September 1931 sailed Auckland, New Zealdn for San Francisco, USA to load

8 December 1932 at Auckland members of the crew saw a yacht 'Ramona' overturn. A signal was sent to HMS Diomede who lauched a sea boat and rescued the yacht's crew

3 August 1933 sailed San Francisco, USA for Auckland, New Zealand

26 August 1933 in collision with HMAS Australia and lost an anchor while alongside the cruiser refuelling her at Russell. The anchor was recovered by divers and the Nucula suffered no damage. HMAS Australia suffered hull damage which required dockyard repairs

4 April 1934 sailed Auckland for Colombo and the Persian Gulf to load

11 April 1934 suffered engine troubles while en-route from New Zealand to Abadan. Diverted to Sydney, NSW for repairs

15 May 1934 sailed Abadan for Auckland, New Zealand

June 1934 during a voyage from Abadan to Auckland, she suffered major damage to her superstructure off the NE coast of Australia in a cyclone and nearly sank in the huge seas. Extensive repairs were required on arrival Auckland

27 October 1934 sailed Auckland, New Zealand for the Persian Gulf

10 May 1935 entered refit at Auckland

31 July 1936 the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy advertised in the New Zealand Evening Post for a Chief Officer and a Third Officer

 

19 August 1936 refueled HMNZS Achilles at Nuhuhiva in Marquesas

7 April 1937 berthed at Auckland from San Pedro

17 April 1937 at Auckland, New Zealand while going alongside HMAS Sydney to refuel her she was caught heavily by a rip tide and hit the cruiser causing damage to HMAS Sydney's port side propeller and forcing her into the wharf causing further damage to her quaterdeck. Nucula was not damaged.

10 June 1937 arrived Auckland from California for the last time as a seagoing concern as the cruisers HMNZS DIOMEDE and DUNEDIN were about to leave NZN service so  NUCULA became redundant

6 July 1937 laid up and used as a storage hull at Shoal Bay, Waitemata Harbour.

19 October 1940 offered for sale 'as is' excluding her cargo in the New Zealand Evening Post of this day. She is shown as being berthed at HM Dockyard, Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand

January 1947 her remaining fuel was pumped ashore and she was offered for sale

April 1947 purchased by A.C. Radcliffe Ltd, Auckland for £1,520 name unchanged

23 October 1947 after being stripped of all re-usable equipment, she was towed out to sea by the tugs  WILLIAM C DALDY and CORALIE

24 October 1947 the tug YTL 622 towed her to position  36.20 S 176.00 E and scuttled eleven miles ENE of Cuvier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand in deep water