Previous name: Eboe Albertville
Subsequent name: Stella
Official Number: 118446
Class: Store & ammunition ship
Pennant No: T1.2 / Y8.125
Laid down:
Builder: Sir Raylton Dixon
Launched: 9 May 1898
Into Service: 19 October 1914
Out of service: 4 January 1920
Fate: Sold out of service
Items of historic interest involving this ship: -
Background Data: Some official lists, marked as “Lists of RFA’s” show vessels which spent some time as RFA’s during the First World War. These records are extremely sketchy and some of these vessels were “Yard Craft”, partially or wholly Dockyard manned, partly by RNR or Reserve Fleet personnel. Some of the Depot Ships staffed by skilled civilian Dockyard workers were for a time White Ensign. The Director of Stores was understood to be concerned with their manning and operationally they remained under Admiralty control
9 May 1898 launched by Sir Raylton Dixon & Co Ltd, Middlesbrough as Yard Nr: 449 named EBOE for Elder, Dempster & Co Ltd, Liverpool. After launching was transferred to Cie Belge Maritime du Congo, Antwerp
11 June 1898 passed St Catherines Point when on passage for the Congo
20 August 1898 Chief Engineer Officer Rees Pickering discharged dead - natural causes
26 August 1898 sailed Middlesborough on builders trials
28 August 1898 completed as ALBERTVILLE with 112 x 1st Class and 75 x 2nd Class passengers
7 September 1898 passed Dover when on passage from Antwerp to the Congo
17 September 1898 arrived Sierra Leone
30 October 1898 sailed Maderia
4 November 1898 sailed Grand Canary
13 December 1898 arrived Grand Canary
19 December 1898 arrived at Southampton from Antwerp
February 1899 arrived at Antwerp from the Congo during which voyage it was reported that eight members of the crew or passengers died from African Fever
3 April 1899 arrived the Congo from Antwerp
3 May 1899 sailed Accra, Gold Coast
4 August 1899 sailed the Canary Islands
8 August 1899 arrived at Plymouth Sound
1 December 1899 sailed Antwerp for the Congo
13 December 1899 sailed Sierra Leone for Continental ports
21 December 1899 arrived at the River Congo
1 March 1900 sailed Antwerp for the Congo
14 May 1900 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo
24 May 1900 sailed Antwerp for the Congo
2 June 1900 the Shields Gazette reported this day -
18 June 1900 arrived at Cape Coast Castle with 14 Officers, 6 NCO's and 475 men of the West African Regiment together with 57 servants and 350 carriers
2 August 1900 sailed Grand Canary for Antwerp
12 February 1901 sailed Tenerife for Antwerp
7 June 1901 sailed Dover for the Congo
10 August 1901 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo
29 August 1901 sailed Antwerp for the Congo
1 November 1901 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo
28 November 1901 sailed Teneriffe having arrived from the River Tyne for the Congo
3 January 1902 berthed at Antwerp from the Congo Free State
14 February 1902 sailed Southampton for the Cameroons
18 December 1902 berthed at Southampton from the Congo. The ship's Master was Captain George B Sparrow RNR. The ship sailed the same day for Continental ports
25 December 1902 berthed at Southampton to embark passengers for Teneriffe, the West Coast of Africa and the Congo
1 January 1903 arrived Teneriffe from Antwerp
20 June 1903 arrived Southampton from Teneriffe sailing the same day
4 September 1903 sailed Southampton for the Congo
18 November 1903 sailed Accra for Antwerp
29 December 1903 sailed Southampton for Sierra Leone
1904 transferred to African Steamship Co (Elder, Dempster & Co Ltd., Managers) Liverpool and renamed ARO after a town 58 miles from Lagos, Nigeria
September 1904 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 55 passengers
13 September 1904 at 43°34N 5°39W Able Seaman J Lavert discharged dead - missing at sea
1 January 1905 arrived at Sekondi from Liverpool
21 April 1905 at Calabar Hospital Trimmer Tommy Harding discharged dead - heart failure
23 May 1905 at Accra Able Seaman Stephen Hanion discharged dead - Bright's disease
23 September 1905 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 45 passengers
13 June 1906 at 24°13N 16°18W Captain F R Ewart DSO discharged dead - natural causes
20 November 1906 passenger Edward Hoyle discharged dead - black water fever
11 December 1906 at Calabar passenger Ashong Opotey discharged dead - drowned
27 July 1907 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 38 passengers. Captain E J Hughes was Master
7 October 1907 at 33°59N 13°23W passenger Thomas Oscar Warren discharged dead - black water fever
9 June 1908 at the Colonial Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone Ordinary Seaman James Heywood discharged dead - pneumonia
29 October 1908 at sea passenger John George Gerald Mewette discharged dead - black water fever
13 February 1909 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 60 passengers. Captain J Anderson was Master
1 May 1909 sailed Liverpool for the Canary Islands and West African ports with 86 passengers. Captain R Minto was Master
12 June 1909 Lagos Roads passenger Alexander H McNeil discharged dead - black water fever
14 June 1909 at 5°38N 0°38W passenger Vernon B Boswell discharged dead - natural causes
13 July 1909 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 60 passengers. Captain J Anderson was Master
15 February 1910 at Burutu Forcados, Nigeria Ordinary Seaman H Hart discharged dead - drowned
19 November 1910 at 10°32N 16°41W Apprentice Francis George Parsons discharged dead - drowned
20 April 1911 at Accra passenger Aji Mamamadie discharged dead - malaria
21 June 1911 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 43 passengers. Captain Joseph Morgan was Master
3 January 1912 at 6°35N 11°25W Assistant Steward G Peart discharged dead - malaria
9 January 1912 sailed Las Palmas for Liverpool
24 January 1912 sailed Liverpool for Lagos, Cape Coast and other West African ports with 75 passengers. Captain R Minto was Master
19 June 1912 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 68 passengers with Captain J T Coft as Master
23 August 1912 berthed at Liverpool from West African ports
18 September 1912 off West Africa Surgeon J T Kilpatrick Thomson discharged dead - natural causes
4 November 1912 berthed at Liverpool from West African ports. Captain J Anderson was Master
27 November 1912 sailed Liverpool for West African ports with 88 passengers. Captain J Anderson was Master
26 January 1913 arrived Plymouth Sound from West African ports
27 January 1913 berthed at Liverpool from Plymouth. 66 passengers disembarked. Captain J Anderson was Master
27 September 1914 when on passage from Dover to Liverpool was spoken to by HMS CAESAR
19 October 1914 purchased by Admiralty from Elder Dempster along with (later) SOBO and SOKOTO for £55,000 for conversion into submarine depot ships
1915 to 1918 served at Rosyth
7 January 1915 Lieutenant Noel Francis Calrow RNR appointed in Command
30 June 1915 at Rosyth
4 December 1916 Engineer Commander Frederick Kelly RN appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
14 August 1918 became a troopship - name unchanged
6 October 1918 River Seine Fireman Henry Kane discharged dead - pneumonia. At Southampton Infirmary Fireman & Trimmer William Robertson & Able Seaman T Ross both discharged dead - natural causes - both entered hospital on 1 October 1918
12 October 1918 No: 3 Hospital, Rouen Chief Steward Francis Ernest Nye discharged dead - bronchitis - he entered the hospital 9 October 1918
Chief Steward Francis Ernest Nye
19 June 1919 at Archangel HMS CICALA moored alongside to receive ammunition
HMS CICALA
11 August 1919 at Archangel HMS MANTIS berthed abreast
14 August 1919 and 15 August 1919 working party from HMS PEGASUS onboard
22 August 1919 store party from HMS PEGASUS onboard
1 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M33 berthed alongside
6 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M31 alongside receiving provisions
10 September 1919 and 11 September 1919 at Archangel store party from HMS PEGASUS onboard
18 September 1919 at Archangel working party from HMS PEGASUS onboard
4 January 1920 sold for £40,000 to W.R. Davies, Liverpool - name unchanged
1921 purchased by Cie des Vapeur Francaise, Paris and renamed STELLA
1924 purchased by Soc Anon Les Affreteurs Reunis, Paris name unchanged
1925 owners company in liquidation
23 June 1925 sold to N. Angelo Bertorelli, Sampieradena for demolition at Genoa.
Notes:
1. Image above is of the SS Alberville before purchase by the Admiralty and being renamed RFA Aro