RFA Nucula
RFA Nucula along side HMS Renown in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand
Previous name: Hermione, Soyo Maru, RN Oiler No: 73
Subsequent name:
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
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 DIOMEDEand 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
1908 purchased by Toyo Kisen Kaisha, Yokohama and was renamed SOYO MARU
13 January 1908 berthed at Pacific Street Wharf, San Francisco on first voyage from the UK for her new owners carrying 7,600 cases of champagne. She had come under the charge of British Officers while her Japanese Officers remained onboard as passengers. All the ships tankers were filled with freight. One tank was filled with pebbles in sacks as ballast. A serious accident occured when a temporary tackle which had been rigged to assist in the removed of the sacks of ballast through the open tank lid. The hook attached to a block fell and hit the head of George Greeves, a long shoreman who sustained a fractured skull. Reported at length in the newspaper 'The San Franciso Call' of 14 January 1908
20 December 1908 arrived Avonmouth Docks from Philadelphia
18 January 1910 arrived Honolulu from Peru
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
8 January 1919 at Marus Hook, Philadelphia Fireman Yin Leong discharged dead from natural causes. He had signed on on 7 November 1917 at Singapore
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 April 1919 sighted by Lloyds Signal Station at the Lizard sailing east
19 April 1919 arrived at Falmouth from New Orleans (reported in the New York Tribute newspaper on 20 April 1919)
18 July 1919 sailed Gravesend via Grangemouth to Philadelphia
12 August 1919 reported by radio to Lloyds at Lerwick passing drifting mines at 69.55N 13.40E and at 65.05N 12.11E
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 Galveston, Texas from South Wales
28 December 1920 Lloyds Telegrams reported that Nucula was in collision with the British steamer British Emperor outside of the Bussorah Bar, Euphrates. Damage was reported to be serious
25 April 1921 sailed Port Arthur, Texas to the Clyde
16 May 1921 arrived at Greenock from New Ordeans
19 August 1921 sailed Beaumont for Devonport
7 September 1921 arrived at Queenstown, Ireland for Haulbowline from Port Arthur
3 October 1921 arrived at Port Arthur, Texas from Queenstown, Ireland
29 January 1922 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
2 May 1922 extensively damaged after a collision with the British m.v. CALCHAS off Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde
10 May 1922 sailed Old Kilpatrick for Port Arthur
June 1922 transferred to Admiralty management for service as an oiler on the China Station
14 June 1922 Captain John R Gorrie RFA appointed as Master
24 July 1922 when on passage to Yokohama passed Malta this day
10 September 1922 berthed at Hong Kong
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
26 March 1923 at Hong Kong with HMS MOTH berthed alongside
28 March 1923 at Hong Kong with HMS TARANTULA berthed alongside to refuel
11 May 1923 at Wei-Hai-Wei berthed alongside HMS DURBAN
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
8 September 1923 arrived at Wei-Hai-Wei and anchored
11 September 1923 sailed from Wei-Hai-Wei
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
Captain Cyril F Haughton RFA
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 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 the 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 Zealand 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
28 May 1943 at Auckland, New Zealand with USS Bridge (AF1) alongside
31 May 1943 at Queens Wharf, Auckland, New Zealand USS Hunter Liggett (APA14) alongside to refuel - supplied with 5,129 barrels of fuel oil
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 36.20S 176.00E and scuttled eleven miles ENE of Cuvier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand in deep water
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