Built as a cargo vessel under yard No 299 by Charles Connell & Co., Scotstoun, Scotland for Knight Steamship Co. Ltd (Greenshields, Cowle & Co.), Liverpool.
10 October 1905 launched as the KNIGHT TEMPLAR (2).
Tonnage 7,175 gross. Dim. 143.3 x 17.7 x 9.69m., draught 8.32m.
Powered by one 3-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, 2,755 ihp, one shaft, speed 11 knots.
November 1905 completed.
After completing used as a tramping vessel world-wide.
1914 Requisitioned as an Expeditionary Force Transport by the British Government.
1915 Chartered by the New Zealand Government as a transport renamed in HMNZT-22 KNIGHT TEMPLAR.
17 April 1915 in convoy with WILLOCHRA and WAITOMO sailed from New Zealand with on board troops of the 4th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force, arrived 25 May 1915 in Egypt.
27 May 1917 till 05 February 1919 hired as escort, by the British Government, armed with 4 – 6 inch guns.
June 1917 sold to Ocean Steamship Co. Ltd. (Alfred Holt & Co. manager), Liverpool.
07 April 1918 torpedoed by the U-53 when she was in ballast from London in a position SW of Eddystone Lighthouse, she was damaged and towed into Plymouth.
After the war again tramping world-wide.
April 1925 sold for £35,000 to A/S Tonsberg Hvalfangen (Oscar Hytten managers), Tonsberg, converted in a floating whale factory on a yard in Rotterdam. Renamed ORWELL (2).
Tonnage 7,968 grt, 4,685 nrt, 11,500 dwt.
Crew 40 and 260 factory labourers.
After the conversion used for pelagic whaling off the South Orkneys with five whale catchers in the seasons 1925/26 till 1939/31. She produced annually around 600 till 700 whales which yielded a production of 40,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil.
1931 She was laid up at Tonsberg.
1932 Returned to South Orkneys Isles for the next two whaling seasons.
1934 Chartered by Star Whaling Co., (Tonsberg Hval Group) for the 1934/35 whaling season.
1937 Converted by the Amsterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij in a combined tanker/transport.
The processing plant was sold to Falkland Whaling Co., (Tonsberg Hval Group), Jersey U.K.
After the conversion the ORWELL was used as a tanker/transport for the company’s Husvik Harbour shore-station, South Georgia in the season 1937/38 and 1939/40.
1940 Requisitioned as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary under management of Nortraship.
After the war in 1945 again used in service in Husvik Harbour to her last season 1953/54.
1954 Sold for £66.000 to German breakers and arrived 26 November 1954 by Eisen & Metall, Hamburg for scrapping.
Guyana 2015 $80 sg?, scott?
http://historicalrfa.org/requisitioned- ... ary-orwell (So many crewmembers died on this ship.) http://www.lardex.net/TONSBERG/hvalfang ... Orwell.htm https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLK_%C2%A ... %BB_(1905) http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz