Official No:                                  120712

Builder:                                      Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast

Launched:                   13 January 1906

Into Service:               18 November 1914

Out of service:             6 July 1920

Fate:                          1953 Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW1 to augment the ships of the RFA

 

Career Data:

13 January 1906 launched by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Belfast as Yard Nr: 378 named Heroic for the Belfast Steamship Co Ltd., Belfast

23 April 1906 completed

18 November 1914 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an armed boarding steamer and commissioned as HMS HEROIC

12 March 1915 while sailing in company with HMS VENUS was challenged by HMS LANCASTER

11 April 1915 sailed Queenstown

19 April 1915 arrived at Queenstown

31 May 1915 sailed Queenstown

3 June 1915 arrived at Gibraltar

25 June 1915 while blockading Turkish coast, lowered two boats under command of Lt Macdonald and Sub-Lt William to examine five schooners at 1350. Maxim fire opened up from shore on the boats at 1400, boats recalled and covering fire given, men picked up and boats hoisted in around 1430, no doctor aboard, headed back and anchored by HMS Vengeance to transfer wounded. Able Seaman Graham Wilson RNVR discharged dead. He is remembered with pride on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial

26 June 1915 Petty Officer James Marks and Seaman Hector McLeod  discharged dead. They are remembered with pride on the Chatham and Plymouth Naval Memorials

5 May 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

15 May 1916 sailed Port Mudros

18 May 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

26 May 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

21 July 1916 sailed Port Mudros with HMS M18

3 August 1916 sailed Port Mudros

20 September 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

26 September 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

28 September 1916 arrived at Salamis

30 September 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

4 October 1916 at Port Mudros issued stores to HMS EXMOUTH

18 October 1916 sailed from Port Mudros

4 November 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

25 November 1916 arrived at Port Mudros

4 January 1917 at Salamis berthed alongside HMS EXMOUTH sailing later the same day

9 January 1917 arrived at Salamis sailing the next day

16 January 1917 arrived at Salamis and berthed alongside HMS EXMOUTH sailing the next day

3 February 1917 sailed from Port Mudros

17 May 1917 arrived at Port Mudros

19 May 1917 sailed from Port Mudros

1 June 1917 arrived at Port Mudros sailed again the same day

16 June 1917 arrived at Port Mudros sailed again the same day

July 1917 became a trooper - name unchanged

12 July 1917 arrived at Alexandria and anchored

19 September 1917 Engineer Lieutenant James W Grant RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

January 1918 trooping service ended

26 January 1918 Captain Louis A Brooke-Smith RD appointed as Commanding Officer

5 February 1918 arrived Port Mudros

9 February 1918 sailed Port Mudros

28 July 1918 Trimmer C Johnson MMR 950342 discharged dead. He is buried in Taranto Town Cemetery Extention.Italy in grave III E 3

2 May 1919 Sub Lieutenant William Dalziel RNR discharged dead, illness, while attached to RFA SUNHILL. He is buried in Malta (Capuccini ) Naval Cemetery in grave Prot 67

19 May 1919 sighted west bound off Pantelleria by HMS MOTH

6 October 1918 arrived at Piraeus

8 November 1918 sailed Piraeus

14 December 1918 arrived Piraeus sailing the same day

6 July 1920 decommissioned, refitted and was returned to her owners as Heroic

1929 purchased by British & Irish Steam Packet Co Ltd., Dublin and renamed Lady Connaught

9 March 1932 in the River Mersey and while at anchor in thick fog was struck by the steamer Star of Cairo inbound from Alexandria. Suffered damage to the passenger saloon but was able to make passage to Liverpool. The Star of Cairo was able to continue to Liverpool once the fog had lifted - source report in the Edinburgh Evening News

6 December 1933 at Liverpool while attempting to enter Princes Dock entrance struck the pier head and suffered damage to her stern - source Lloyds Casualty Report

21 June 1936 while on passage from Dublin to Liverpool off the Skerries was struck by lightening - suffered no damage

1938 renamed Longford by her owners

18 June 1944 sailed Barry in escorted convoy EBC15 for Seine Bay. Put into Falmouth

20 March 1945 sailed Falmouth in escorted convoy TBC101 for Milford Haven arriving the next day

30 January 1953 arrived Barrow for demolition by T W Ward Ltd