RFA Vineleaf

RFA Vineleaf

 

As the Patrician before being taken over by the Admiralty

 

Previous name:                       Patrician, HMS Invincible, RFA Tarakol,

Subsequent name:                 British Vine, Busen

Official Number:                       113459                                                                  

Class:                                        Emergency Wartime Purchase LEAF Group Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:                            Y7.175

Laid down:
Builder:                                    C S Swan & Hunter, Wallsend

Launched:                               22 February 1901
Into Service:                            30 November 1914 hired by Admiralty
Out of service:                        12 July 1919 sold to commercial interests
Fate:                                         29 July 1935 arrived Genoa for breaking up

 

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 in 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

 

22 February 1901 launched by C.S. Swan & Hunter Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Nr 261 named  PATRICIAN for Charente Steamship Co Ltd ( T. & J. Harrison, Managers)  Liverpool

3 April 1901 delivered at a cost of £114,221. Served on the Gulf of Mexico service to Mobile or New Orleans during the cotton season thence on to the Far east trade as a cargo liner

29 January 1902 berthed at New Orleans after passage from Liverpool

27 August 1902 sailed Liverpool to Calcutta

4 September 1902 at Malta

8 September 1902 entered Suez Canal southbound

27 November 1902 sailed Calcutta for Liverpool

13 February 1903 passed Gibraltar while on passage from Calcutta to Liverpool

6 March 1903 sailed Liverpool for Calcutta

26 April 1903 sailed Calcutta for Liverpool

12 June 1903 sailed Liverpool for Calcutta

5 August 1903 at Colombo on passage to Liverpool from Calcutta

15 September 1903 sailed Liverpool for Calcutta

23 September 1903 passed Gibraltar while on passage from Liverpool to Calcutta

11 December 1903 berthed at Liverpool from Calcutta and London

2 January 1904 arrived Port Said while on passage from Liverpool to Calcutta

8 June 1904 passed Gibraltar while on passage from Calcutta to London

23 March 1905 passed Sagres while on passage from Calcutta to London

23 May 1905 berthed at Calcutta from Liverpool

21 August 1905 passed Gibraltar while on passage from Liverpool to Calcutta

30 October 1905 arrived at Gravesend having sailed from Calcutta

26 November 1905 arrived at Port Said while on passage to Calcutta from Liverpool

February 1906 in collision with the Nourse Line sailing vessel FORTH  in the River  Mersey

30 May 1906 sailed Liverpool to Calcutta

8 August 1906 at Colombo while on passage from Calcutta to London

21 November 1906 sailed Colombo to London

4 December 1906 sailed Port Said to London

17 December 1906 passed Portland Bill while on passage from Calcutta to London

28 January 1909 in collision with the steamer STANLEY HALL in the Suez Canal

November 1912 in collision with the French schooner CAPRICIEUSE in the Mediterranean  while on passage from Port Said to London

2 March 1913 towed the disabled German vessel BATAVIA into Cascais Bay, Portugal

30 November 1914  was hired by the Admiralty for conversion into the Dummy Battle Cruiser HMS INVINCIBLE and on completion of conversion was initially based at Loch Ewe 

February to June 1915 deployed in the Aegean

6 July 1915, on disbandment of the DBS Squadron, she was purchased by the Admiralty for £65,000, and after having had cylindrical tanks fitted into her holds, she entered service as the oiler RFA TARAKOL.

1917 her management was transferred to Lane and MacAndrew and she became the oiler transport VINELEAF. Base port Portsmouth

1 February 1917 berthed at Norfolk Virginia

17 May 1918 berthed at New York

11 January 1919 berthed at Norfolk

13 January 1919 sailed Norfolk

21 January 1919 at Tampa, Florida

29 January 1919 berthed at Norfolk

1 February 1919 sailed Norfolk

14 February 1919 passed the Lizard

17 February 1919 berthed at Thames Haven

25 February 1919 passed Beachy Head

13 March 1919 at Norfolk

21 March 1919 at Tampa

23 March 1919 sailed Tampa

29 March 1919 berthed at Norfolk

1 April 1919 sailed Norfolk

15 April 1919 passed the Lizard

6 May 1919 passed Dover

10 May 1919 at Hull

12 July 1919 was purchased by British Tanker Co 

8 October 1919 renamed  BRITISH VINE

17 December 1919 Captain F J Simonds as Master

4 May 1920 sailed Portland, Dorset for New York

14 June 1920 sailed Norfolk, Virginia to Avonmouth

16 September 1920 arrived the Clyde from the USA

31 December 1920 while 100 WSW the Fasnet Rock suffered a broken rudder stock and damage to her propeller. Tugs were sent from Queenstown.

3 January 1921 towed into Queenstown Harbour, Ireland and entered dry dock for repairs

5 February 1921 repairs completed and sailed for Newport News

16 April 1921 sailed Lisbon

6 May 1923 berthed at New York having sailed from Newcastle on Tyne - Captain Benjamin Collie was in command

17 June 1923 berthed at New York saling from Liverpool on 31 May 1923

29 August 1923 Purchased for £37,000 by A/S Tonsberg Hvalfangeri ( H. Borge, Manager ) Tonsberg, Norway converted into a whale oil tanker and was renamed BUSEN for the carriage of whale oil to Europe

3 February 1931loaded 23,275 bags of whale guano from South Georgia and conveyed them to Curis Bay for the Standard Guano Company

June 1935 sold to Italian breakers for scrap

29 July 1935 arrived Genoa for breaking up