Official Number: 165760
Builder: Odense Staalskibsvaerft, Odense
Launched: 29 February 1938
Into Service: 1939
Out of service: 9 April 1941
Fate: 9 April 1941 torpedoed and sunk
Items of historic interest involving this ship: –
Background Data: One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW2 to augment the ships of the RFA
Career Data:
28 March 1938 completed
17 June 1938 arrived on the River Tyne from Trinidad
20 June 1938 sailed from the River Tyne for Purfleet
9 January 1939 alongside at Purfleet
4 March 1939 sailed from Trinidad
19 March 1939 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on St Catherines Head sailing east bound
31 July 1939 sailed Curaçao for Aruba
1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler
21 September 1939 sailed Falmouth and joined escorted convoy OA7 until dispersal on 22 September 1939 and then sailed independently passing Gibraltar on 28 September 1939. RFA’s OLIGARCH and OLEANDER were in the same convoy
28 September 1939 on passing Gibraltar joined escorted convoy Green 3 to Port Said arriving on 7 October 1939
7 October 1939 transitted the Suez Canal arriving at Suez on 8 October 1939
8 October 1939 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving on 20 October 1939
21 October 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Port Said arriving on 13 November 1939
13 November 1939 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy HG8 to Liverpool arriving on 30 November 1939
5 December 1939 sailed Liverpool independently to Scapa Flow arriving on 6 December 1939
12 December 1939 sailed Scapa Flow independently as far as the Clyde and then escorted by HMS DUNCAN to Liverpool arriving 15 December 1939
HMS DUNCAN
26 December 1939 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB60 until 28 December 1939 joined escorted convoy OG12 passing Gibraltar on 4 January 1940
4 January 1940 on passing Gibraltar sailed independently to Port Said arriving on 10 January 1940
12 January 1940 sailed Suez independently to Basra arriving 23 January 1940
24 January 1940 sailed Basra independently to Aden arriving 1 February 1940
4 February 1940 sailed Aden independently to Abadan arriving 10 February 1940
12 February 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 24 February 1940
25 February 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Gibraltar arriving 2 March 1940
4 March 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG21 to Devonport arriving 13 March 1940
24 March 1940 sailed Devonport joining unescorted convoy OA115G. This convoy reformed as escorted convoy OG23 on 25 March 1940. Duffield passed Gibraltar 31 March 1940 and she then sailed independently to Port Said arriving 7 April 1940
8 April 1940 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 20 April 1940
23 April 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 3 May 1940
14 May 1940 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 19 May 1940
30 May 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day
17 June 1940 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 19 June 1940
23 June 1940 sailed Haifa independently to Alexandria arriving the next day
19 July 1940 sailed Alexandria indpendently to Haifa arriving 21 July 1940
29 July 1940 sailed Haifa independently to Alexandria arriving 31 July 1940
3 September 1940 sailed Alexandria independently to Port Said arriving the next day
20 September 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day
26 September 1940 sailed Alexandria independently to Port Said arriving the next day
5 October 1940 sailed Suez in escorted convoy BS6 until the convoy dispersed off Aden on 13 October 1940 then sailed to Bombay arriving 21 October 1940
12 December 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 17 December 1940
19 December 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 9 January 1941
11 January 1941 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 30 January 1941
1 February 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 21 February 1941
22 February 1941 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 5 March 1941
15 March 1941 sailed Freetown independently to Curaçao arriving 26 March 1941
29 March 1941 sailed Curaçao independently for Gibraltar
8 April 1941 attacked by an unknown German submarine SW of Madeira but escaped
9 April 1941 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-107 in the Atlantic WSW of Madeira in position 31.13°N 23.24°W while on passage from Curacao to Gibraltar carrying 11,700t of fuel oil and part of Convoy OG 57 with the loss of twenty five lives. Twenty eight survivors were rescued and landed on Hierro Island in the Canaries. Of those lost five are rememberd with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial and the remainer are remembered with pride on the Hong Kong Memorial
The image below has been taken from the Tower Hill Memorial
Image courtesy of Brian Watson
26 August 1941 Chief Officer Horace Thompson appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) Civil Division for services when the ship was torpedoed and sunk and for his conduct during nine days in an open boat. Details published in the London Gazette of this day. Ungazetted was the award of the Lloyd’s Bravery Medal to Chief Officer Thompson