Other FORT CLASS Mercantile Fleet Auxiliaries    by James R Smith   Following the outbreak of WW2, the first cargo vessels built in Canada for the War Effort were of the “North Sands” type, the hulls of which conformed…

  During the 1920s the Mediterranean Fleet’s Spring Cruise was supported by the RFA       Image taken by Guillem Bestard Cànaves   During a 1920s Mediterrean Fleet’s Spring Cruise – RFA War Bahadur was alongside HMS Emperor of India…

  INDUSTRY’S DAZZLING EFFECT IN WW1   by   James R Smith RFA 1/O(X) (ret’d)     Merchant ships and in particular large passenger liners had always tried to show themselves off in the best possible light by looking boldly resplendent…

  BAGGOTT OF THE PERTHSHIRE   by  James R Smith RFA 1/O(X) (ret’d)     Chief Steward ALLEN M. BAGGOTT   A little-known fact in the annals of the RFA is that one of the survivors from the sinking of the White…

  Portsmouth‘s unsung dockyard heroes commemorated with Falklands plaque    by Andrew Cave       On display in Boathouse No: 7 in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a memorial plaque which honour the efforts of the Dockyard staff in preparing…

  The TARPENBEK Incident    by James R Smith     MV TARPENBEK   Over the years, in common with a number of other well-known ship operators, the RFA has suffered a number of unfortunate collisions and one of the…

The WW1 LEAF Group Freighting Tankers   by James R Smith   The outbreak of World War 1 authorised the Admiralty (under the “General Authority of the Crown”) to requisition any completed British-registered vessel and this was later enlarged to…