Official Number:                       161261  

Laid down:

Builder:                                      Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd, Low Walker

Launched:                                 9 May 1929

Into Service:                             1939

Out of service:                          1945

Fate:                                         1959 scrapped

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:

9 May 1929 launched by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd, Low Walker as Yard Nr 1046 named LAURELWOOD for Molasses & General Transport Co Ltd., (J.I. Jacobs & Co Ltd, Managers) London

10 May 1929 the Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intelligencer reported …

July 1929 completed

17 February 1930 sailed from Avonmouth

28 November 1932 sailed River Blackwater after a period of being laid up

3 December 1932 sailed from the River Tyne

25 February 1934 arrived at Port Arthur

17 August 1934 while under repair at Middle Docks, South Shields and explosion occured in a tank. Three men working in the tank were injured, one seriously burnt later died of his injuries

1 September 1934 sailed the River Tyne for Curaçao

17 September 1934 at Bullen Bay, Curaçao Cabin Boy Harold Austin Petch discharged dead from natural causes

7 May 1935 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east

14 May 1935 arrived at the River Tyne from London

17 July 1935 passed Lloyds Flamborough Head Signal Station sailing south 

3 September 1935 sailed Falmouth

27 October 1936 grounded while on passage from Tampico to Harburg at Gluckstadt

30 October 1936 still grounded even after 3,500 tons of cargo discharged into lighters

25 August 1937 while passage from Curaçao to Lands End reported by radio her main feed pipe was broken. The Master advised he was making for St Thomas for repairs

19 November 1937 at Falmouth

19 January 1938 sailed Tripoli (Syria) for Le Harve

27 January 1938 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound

25 June 1939 radioed she was 40 miles east of Start Point

26 June 1939 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound

28 June 1939 when on passage to Curaçao radioed she was 420 miles SW of the Lizard

14 July 1939 sailed Curaçao

31 July 1939 arrived at Shellhaven from Curaçao

5 August 1939 sailed Gravesend for Falmouth

7 August 1939 arrived at Falmouth from Shellhaven and was then towed to the River Fal to be laid up

1939 – 1945 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler and did valuable service on the Russian Convoys as an Escort Oiler

25 October 1939 sailed Falmouth joining escorted convoy OA24G which on 27 October 1939 reformed as convoy OG4 to Gibraltar arriving 1 November 1939. 

21 January 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG16F to Liverpool arriving 28 January 1940

16 June 1940 sailed the Clyde joining escorted convoy OB169 which sailed 17 June 1940 from Liverpool, until dispersal on 22 June 1940 then sailing independently to Trinidad

12 September 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX73 to join escorted convoy HX73 which had sailed Halifax 13 September 1940 to Liverpool arriving 28 September 1940

20 January 1941 while off St Helena Able Seaman John Lambert discharged dead from cardiac failure from shock following a ruptured gall bladder

16 May 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX127 to Liverpool arriving 2 June 1941

10 June 1941 sailed Oban to join escorted convoy OG65 which had sailed from Liverpool on the 14 June 1941 to Gibraltar arriving 28 June 1941

4 September 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX148 to Loch Ewe and Scapa Flow with a cargo of FFO arriving 15 September 1941

15 November 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX160 to Liverpool with a cargo of FFO and then in unescorted convoy WN212 to Methil arriving 2 December 1941

11 December 1941 sailed Lyness in escorted convoy WN216 to Methil arriving the next day

17 December 1941 sailed Methil in escorted convoy EN20 in ballast to Loch Ewe arriving 20 December 1941

5 January 1942 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OS16 to Freetown arriving 23 January 1942

9 February 1942 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL100 to Liverpool arriving 4 March 1942. Acted as the escort oiler during this convoy

13 March 1942 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OS22 to Freetown arriving 1 April 1942

3 April 1942 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL105 to Liverpool arriving 22 April 1942. Acted as the escort oiler during this convoy

2 May 1942 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OS27 to Freetown arriving 19 May 1942

24 May 1942 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL111 to Liverpool arriving 16 June 1942. Acted as the escort oiler during this convoy

1 July 1942 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OS33 to Freetown arriving 29 July 1942

25 July 1942 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL111 to Liverpool arriving 15 August 1942. Acted as the escort oiler during this convoy

30 August 1942 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OS39 but had to return to Liverpool the next day

20 September 1942 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy ON132 to New York arriving 8 October 1942

18 October 1942 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX212 to Liverpool with a cargo of FFO arriving 2 November 1942

4 December 1942 sailed the River Clyde joining escorted convoy ON151 to New York arriving 23 December 1942 during which she acted as an escort oiler

14 January 1943 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX223 to Liverpool arriving 2 February 1943

31 May 1943 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX242 to Liverpool arriving 15 June 1943 during which she acted as an escort oiler. In addition she was fitted with improvised provision to drop depth charges and carried a total of 109 depth charges – source Admiralty War Diary of 7 June 1943 page 315

15 July 1943 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX248 to Liverpool arriving 29 July 1943 during which she acted as an escort oiler

31 July 1943 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy ON195 to New York arriving 13 August 1943 during which she acted as an escort oiler

23 February 1944 sailed from Bari in unescorted convoy HA26 to Augusta arriving 25 February 1944. Escorted convoy GUS32 had sailed from Port Said on 24 February 1944 for Hampton Roads. Laurelwood joined this convoy having sailed from Augusta

24 June 1944 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX297 for Liverpool arriving 11 July 1944 – during which acted as an escort oiler

18 July 1944 sailed from Seine Bay in escorted convoy FBC30 to the Bristol Channel arriving 20 July 1944

20 October 1944 sailed from Loch Ewe in escorted convoy JW61 to Kola Inlet arriving 28 October 1944

29 November 1944 sailed from Loch Ewe in escorted convoy JW62 to Kola Inlet arriving 7 December 1944

28 December 1944 sailed Southend in escorted convoy ON275 to New York arriving there on 13 January 1945 during which she acted as an escort oiler

16 April, 1945 sailed from the Clyde in escorted convoy JW66 to Kola Inlet arriving 25 April 1945. RFA’s BLACK RANGER and BLUE RANGER were also in the convoy

17 December 1947 sailed Limhamn, Sweden for Abadan

15 December 1948 sailed London in ballast

26 December 1948 off Finisterre in collision with unknown vessel which was not displaying navigation lights

8 June 1949 sailed Abadan

24 June 1949 sailed Port Said while on passage from Abadan to LEFO

1952 purchased by T. Entz Tanker Co (Zerssen & Co, Managers) Germany and renamed MARGOT ENTZ

31 May 1959 arrived Hamburg for demolition