RFA William Scoresby

RFA William Scoresby

William Scoresby c1929 with LOCKHEED VEGA Aeroplane onboard in Antarctica

Previous name:
Subsequent name:            HMS WILLIAM SCORESBY

Official Number:                  148757

Class:                                   Royal Research Ship

Pennant No:                         J122

Laid down:
Builder:                                 Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley
Launched:                            31 December 1925
Into Service:                         14 June 1926   
Out of service:                     January 1953
Fate:                                      Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:  At some stage during their lives, 3 of the Royal Research Ships saw service as RFA’s

 

21 December 1925 Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmel Ltd, Beverley as Yard Nr 477 named WILLIAM SCORESBY for the Government of the Falkland Islands. She was named after the English polar explorer (1790 - 1857) and first chaplain of the Mariners’ Floating Church of the same name

14 June 1926 completed

1927 David Roy Esq - Chief Engineer Officer

24 December 1927 sailed London on an Antartic Survey

10 October 1929 sailed Simonstown, South Africa for the South Shetland Islands

 

Unloading her aircraft in 1929 onto the pack ice

 

9 January 1930 sailed Deception Island for the Falklands Islands

October 1930 Captain J J C Irving (Lieutenant Commander Royal Navy retired) took command. Chief Engineer D Roy.

4 November 1930 sailed London to the Antarctic Archipelago

27 May 1931 sailed from Santiago de Chile

6 June 1932 arrived London and berthed in the East India Docks

11 October 1934 took on charge a Dent Marine Chronometer No. 58640 which had been purchased by the Admiralty in November 1918. The chronometer had been previously on charge on HMS Carstairs. On 2 October 1935 taken off charge.

16 October 1934 sailed London for Simonstown, South Africa - Captain C R U Boothby (Lieutenant RNR) as Master

27 November 1934 sailed Simonstown, South Africa

14 May 1935 berthed at London

19 October 1935 Captain C R U Boothby (Lieutenant RNR) appointed in command

23 October 1935 sailed St Katherines Dock, London for Cape Town 

30 December 1935 radioed her position as 60.00S 46.00E

14 May 1936 berthed at St Katherine's Dock, London

20 October 1936 sailed St Katherine's Dock, London for St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands. Captain R C Freaker (Lieutenant RNR) in command

27 November 1936 sailed Cape Town for Antartica

16 September 1937 sailed London for the South Atlantic - Captain R C Freaker (Lieutenant RNR) was in command

13 April 1938 berthed London after six months voyage to the Pacific researching whales

1938 laid up at St Katherine's Dock, London

October 1939 hired by the Admiralty and commissioned as HMS WILLIAM SCORESBY for service as a minesweeper in the South Atlantic

1 May 1940 acted as an escort for ships in convoy OG028F which was formed at sea and arrived at Gibraltar on 6 May 1940.

6 May 1940 from Gibraltar sailed to the Falkland Islands

1941 Commander H Petit-Dann RD Royal Navy Reserve (Retd) in command

23 January 1941 berthed at Port Stanley

1 February 1941 loaded 85.5 tons of coal as fuel

5 February 1941 sailed Port Stanley to Port Louis and returned to Port Stanley the same day

15 February 1941 while returning from her Examination Service duties to Port Stanley her engines seized as she approached the Public Quay. She managed to winch herself alongside

17 February 1941 commenced period of boiler clean and self refit at Port Stanley

7 September 1941 the following members of the crew or former members of the crew awarded the Polar Medal for service on the ship between 1925 to 1939 and reported in AFO 4830 of this date

 

Clasp to the Polar Medal (Posthumous)

 

Engineer Lieutenant-Coimmander Ault Horton, Royal Navy (retired)

 

Clasp to the Polar Medal

 

James William Slessor Marr Esq., MA., B.Sc. (now Temporary Lieutenant RNVR)

 

The Polar Medal (Bronze, Posthumous)

 

Eustace Rolfe Gunther, Esq., MA.,

 

The Polar Medal (Bronze)

 

Lieutenant-Commander Richard Laurence Vere Shannon, Royal Navy (Retired)

Lieutenant-Commander Ronald Clifford Freaker DSO, RNR

Lieutenant Leonard Charles Hill OBE, RNR

Lieutenant Archibald Frederick Macfie OBE, RNR

Temporary Lieutenant Claude Reginald Underwood Boothby RNR

Lieutenant Thomas Herbert Beveridge Oates Royal Navy

Mr David Roy, Commissioned Engineer, Royal Navy (Retired)

George Edward Raven Deacon Esq., DSc

Thomas John Hart Esq., DSc

David Dilwyn John Esq., MSc

Stanley Wells Kemp Esq., ScD., FRS

Alex Hibburd Laurie Esq., MA (now Temporary Lieutenant RNVR)

Neil Alison Mackintosh Esq., DSc ARCS

George WIlliam Rayner Esq BSc (now Temporary Lieutenant RNVR)

Bernard Dales Esq

Gilbert Stuart Hunter Esq.

Andrew Nichol Porteous Esq (Second Engineer Officer RFA)

Frank Douglas Swan Esq., (now Engineer Sub-Lieutenant RNVR)

John Fleming Warnock Esq

Cecil Douglas Buchanan Esq (Forth Engineer Officer RFA)

John Cargill, Able Seaman (the Boastwain)

W O Clark, Stoker

James Edward Butler Farrington, Telegraphist

William Henry Hellyar, Assistant Steward

Edwin Chales Hum, Sailor

James Charles Jameson, Able Seaman

William Reid Johnston, Able Seaman

William Rhodes Clarke Kebbell, Chief Cook

Leonard George Marshall, Stoker

Walter Marshall, Able Seaman (the Leading Fireman)

William Mathieson, Fireman

Joseph Reid, Able Seaman

Horace William Sandford, Fireman

D. Stegmann, Able Seaman

James Sutherland, Engine Room Artificer

Leslie Taylor, Ordinary Seaman

William White, Able Seaman

John Whittaker , Steward

Albert Edward Wyatt, Assistant Steward

 

29 January 1944 sailed from Port Stanley, Falklands Islands to take part in Operation Tabarin which was set up to discourage the use of  Antarctic bases by enemy submarines and commerce raiders and to strengthen British claims to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands Dependencies

3 February 1944 In company with the Falkland Islands mail ship FITZROY, she landed crew and constructed stations on  Deception Island and at Port Locknoy in the South Shetlands to report on enemy  submarine action. She also sailed along the north coast of Graham Land

23 January 1945 sailed from Port Stanley, Falkland Islands to Deception Island

13 February 1945 landed crew at Hope Bay

September 1946 decommissioned as a Royal Naval vessel

1949 major refit

November 1949 purchased by the Admiralty

7 December 1949 the Admiralty Board approved the proposal that she should be run as an RFA and the  management fees were recorded as £675.00 p.a.

11 January 1950 sailed London for 10 months of research into whales off the west coast of Australia

29 October 1950 grant of the charter incorporating the National Oceanographic Council was approved

18 November 1950 arrived Devonport and laid up

26 February 1951 transferred to the ownership of the National Oceanographic Council name unchanged.

January 1953 on the Disposal List and was offered for sale for £2,500

20 May 1954 purchased by BISCO for £1,900 for demolition and was allocated to Demmelweek & Reading and was broken up in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth. A further £600 was obtained for her radio equipment