HMS Sokoto

[Gibeltarik]

Would anyone have an image of the depot ship HMS Sokoto please either during her WW1 service or before?

Gibeltarik

[g6yfb]

Hi there I have attached a link to RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) ships as HMS Sokoto is listed as RFA Sokoto she was sold9 August 1919 purchased for £95,000 by Cia Naviera Sevillana S.A, Seville and renamed TABLEDA

January 1925 sold to Spanish ship breakers.

There is a history of the ships movements from when launched in Feb 1899 and the builders Vickers Maxim of Barrow in Furness, I hope this helps

Graham

http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-sokoto-ships-details

[horatio2]

As a submarine depot ship with several tenders dependent upon her for parenting, SOKOTO would have been a commissioned HM Ship and, therefore, HMS SOKOTO. She also served as the Grand Fleet Wireless Telegraphy School from early 1915.

[Gibeltarik]

Thank you - both of you - All RFA's in WW1 were commissioned as HMS with the exception of the 17 or 18 freighting tankers which were managed by Lane & MacAndrew - these were renamed using 'Leaf' names, if not already 'Leafs'. Thus they were allowed to sail to the US for cargo and thus circumvented that countries non intervention laws of the time.

RFA's which became HMS's were manned by mixed crews - the senior officers were appointed as Lieutenants and/or Sub Lieutenants RNR while most of the rest of the Officers and crew were MMR (Mercantile Marine Reserve). Some RN crew members were serving on these ships as, for example, Gunners or W/T Operators. During their service as commissioned ships their crews 'enjoyed' the pleasures of Naval Discipline - see http://historicalrfa.org/rfa-naval-discipline. Even this wasn't always a normal Discipline Process - see http://historicalrfa.org/rfa-reliance entries dated 1 July 1915 to 4 August 1915 - these proceedings were under the Merchant Shipping Act.

Close to or on 1 November 1919 the Officers and crews of these RFA's which were HMS's signed Board of Trade Articles and reverted to being Merchant Ships again. Thus the Commanding Officers (who were Lieutenant RNR) became Masters, Engineer Lieutenants became Chief Engineers etc. at the stroke of a pen.

I come back to my original request please - Does anyone have an image of HMS Sokoto (a Commissioned RFA) please?

(I'm one of the Editors of the RFA Historical Society web site)

Gibeltarik

[Darloboy]

On 29/01/2012 at 11:05, horatio2 said:

As a submarine depot ship with several tenders dependent upon her for parenting, SOKOTO would have been a commissioned HM Ship and, therefore, HMS SOKOTO. She also served as the Grand Fleet Wireless Telegraphy School from early 1915.

I am a newby and resurrecting some old threads.

This one threw me as in the campaign for German Kamerun the R N captured a German 'gunboat' named SODEN, she was a stern wheel paddleboat and was pressed into British service as the SOKOTO between 27.9.1914 and 31.3.1916 though obviously not commissioned.

[horatio2]

According to Dittmar and Colledge, SOKOTO (ex-SODEN) was a Nigerian Government patrol vessel captured at Duala in September 1914.

The log of HMS DWARF for 28 September -  https://www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-19-HMS_Dwarf.htm -  records SODEN's taking up-river at Bonaberi and bringing into service and later use. The DWARF log says SODEN was "commissioned" but this must be a loose description for being 'taken into service' as DWARF would have had no authority to issue a commissioning warant for an HM Ship. It is not until July 1915 that the DWARF log mentions her again as SOKOTO.

An interesting diversion to Cameroon but far-removed from the Scapa Flow depot ship!

Edited 22 April , 2020 by horatio2

[Darloboy]

Far removed indeed, which is why I was thrown by there being two ships 'commissioned' bearing the same name!

She gets a number of mentions in The Official History...Togoland and the Cameroons.

Edited 22 April , 2020 by Darloboy