Official Number:                     131461                              

Builder:                                 Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee

Launched:                             17 July 1912

Into Service:                          1935

Out of service:                       1936

Fate:                                     23 July 1943 torpedoed and sunk

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of several ships requisitioned by the Admiralty for service to augment the ships of the RFA during the Abyssianian Campaign

Career Data:

17 July 1912 launched by Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee as Yard Nr: 227 named ARDEOLA for Ardeola Steamship Co, Liverpool

October 1912 completed. Carried 80 x 1st Class passengers

27 November 1914 off the River Tagus checked by HMS EUROPA

2 April 1915 at Funchal, Maderia checked by HMS EUROPA

21 June 1915 off Great Salvage Island sighted by HMS ARGONAUT

HMS ARGONAUT

19 July 1915 arrived Funchal, Maderia

20 June 1917 Able Seaman Walter H Harris RNVR discharged dead – remembered with pride on the Plymouth Naval Memorial

19 August 1918 at Lisbon 2nd Engineer Officer Percy Douglas McConechy discharged dead from Typhoid Fever

20 February 1919 at sea Assistant Steward Albert Edward Sugden discharged dead from pneumonia

27 December 1919 at Funchal, Maderia First Class Passenger Violet May Hastie discharged dead from pneumonia

1920 purchased by Yeoward Line Ltd., (Yeoward Bros, Managers), Liverpool name unchanged

20 July 1921 at Las Palmas 1st Class Radio Officer Ewan Gladstone Hill discharged dead from a heart attack

25 January 1922 at 30.30N 16.05W 1st Class passenger Percy Henry Byrd discharged dead from pneumonia

24 January 1923 at 39.25N 9.46W 1st Class passenger Dr Thomas Wood discharged dead from heart failure

16 January 1924 at 30.59N 14.23W 1st Class passenger Robert Upham discharged dead from heart failure

18 May 1925 berthed at Liverpool

21 January 1926 at Santa Cruz First Class Passenger Alfred Ashcroft discharged dead from heart failure

16 April 1931 at 44.45N 9.50W First Class Passenger Cecil A Grut dischargded dead from a stroke

29 September 1931 sailed Liverpool to Maderia and the Canary Islands with 68 passengers. Captain H Martin was the Master

13 May 1933 sailed Liverpool to Corruna, Lisbon, Morroco, Las Palmas and Tenerife with 41 passengers.Captain H Martin was the Master

1935 requisitioned by the Admiralty for service as a Naval Stores Supply Ship, based at Aden, during the Abyssinian Campaign with name unchanged  

1936 returned to her owners

17 February 1937 at 31.38N 16.30W Able Seaman Phillip Beck discharged dead from heart failure

19 July 1939 arrived Gibraltar from Genoa

9 September 1939 berthed at Penarth

9 September 1939 sailed Cardiff independently to Swansea arriving 26 September 1939

26 September 1939 sailed Penarth independently to Milford Haven arriving 5 October 1939

8 October 1939 sailed Milford Haven and joined convoy OB16 which had sailed from Liverpool. This convoy reformed on 11 October 1939 into convoy OG2 to Gibraltar arriving 17 October 1939

19 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar independently to Marseilles arriving 24 October 1939

6 November 1939 sailed Marseilles independently to Algiers arriving 14 November 1939

15 November 1939 sailed Algiers joining convoy HG9 from Port Said to Valencia arriving 21 November 1939

15 December 1939 sailed Liverpool independently to the River Clyde arriving the next day

6 January 1940 sailed the River Clyde independently to Liverpool arriving the next day

11 January 1940 sailed Liverpool with a cargo of coal in escorted convoy OB70 which reformed at sea on the 14 January 1940 into convoy OG14 to Gibraltar arriving 22 January 1940. RFA ALDERSDALE also sailed in these convoys

10 February 1940 sailed Leghorn independently to Valencia 12 February 1940

16 February 1940 sailed Valencia independently to Malaga arriving the same day

17 February 1940 sailed Malaga independently to Gibraltar arriving the next day

22 February 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG20F to Liverpool arriving 1 March 1940

5 March 1940 sailed Liverpool independently to the River Clyde arriving the next day

9 March 1940 sailed the River Clyde independently to Liverpool arriving the next day

12 March 1940 sailed in unescorted convoy OB108 which reformed as unescorted convoy OG22F on 14 March 1940 to Teneriffe arriving 20 March 1940

23 March 1940 sailed Teneriffe independently to Las Palmas arriving the same day

22 February 1942 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG79 to Liverpool arriving on 6 March 1942. RFA DEWDALE (1) sailed in the same convoy. The Convoy Commodore was Captain Sir A J Baxter KBE DSC RD RNR who sailed in Ardeola

9 November 1942 captured by Vichy French motor torpedo boats near Cape Bon, North Africa and was taken to Bizerta and later handed over to German forces

11 January 1943 handed over to the Italian Government under management of Soc Anon di Nav Linee Triestine per L’Orientena (Lloyd Triestino) and renamed ADERNO and was used on stores transport duty in the Mediterranean

23 July 1943 torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS TORBAY in position 42.04N 11.47E