SS Murex (1892)

Murex was a 3,564-gross register ton (GRT) M-class oiler, built by William Gray & Company, West Hartlepool in 1892 for Marcus Samuel & Company. She was the first bulk-oil tanker to pass through the Suez Canal en route to Thailand in 1892. She was chartered by the Royal Australian Navy and took part in operations against the German colonies in the Pacific with the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force during the First World War in 1914, as an oiler. Murex was given the battle honour "Rabual 1914", for her service.^[1][2] She was later requisitioned by the Admiralty.

History
Name	Murex (1892–1916)
Owner	Marcus Samuel & Company (1892–1898) Shell Transport & Trading Company (1898–1907) Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company (1907–1916)
Builder	William Gray & Company, West Hartlepool
Yard number	442
Launched	28 May 1892
Completed	July 1898
Honours & awards	Battle honours: (RAN): Rabaul 1914
Fate	Torpedoed and sunk on 21 December 1916
General characteristics
Tonnage	3,564 GRT 2,329 NRT
Length	338 ft (103 m)
Beam	43 ft (13 m)
Draught	326.4 ft (99.5 m)
Installed power	Triple expansion steam engine aft (Central Marine Engine Works, West Hartlepool)

Fate

Murex was torpedoed on 21 December 1916 by the Imperial German Navy submarine U-73 in the Mediterranean Sea 94 miles (151 km) off Port Said, Egypt, at 32°20′N 31°00′E and was sunk with the loss of one man.