Official Number:                         161198

Laid down:

Builder:                                       Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Jarrow

Launched:                                  24 January 1929

Signal Letters:                            LCVK

Into Service:                               1939

Out of service:                            February 1944

Fate:                                          22 February 1944 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:

24 January 1929 launched by Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd., Jarrow as Yard Nr: 979: named  BRITISH CHIVALRY for British Tanker Co Ltd., London

25 January 1929 the Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intelligencer reported …

February 1929 completed

18 April 1930 sailed from Abadan

1 May 1930 arrived at Suez

2 July 1930 sailed from Port Said for Hamburg

11 September 1930 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 6 passengers. Captain A Preece was Master

30 December 1930 sailed Southampton for Abadan

5 January 1931 passed Gibraltar

12 January 1931 arrived at Port Said

13 January 1931 sailed from Suez

13 March 1931 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 3 passengers

7 April 1931 berthed at Abadan

23 April 1931 arrived Suez from Abadan

6 May 1931 berthed at Thameshaven from Abadan

10 May 1931 location 130 miles east of Lands End when on passage to Abadan

24 August 1931 berthed at London from Abadan with 1 DBS

9 September 1931 arrived at Port Said

3 November 1931 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 5 passengers

29 November 1931 arrived at Abadan

29 December 1931 arrived at Thameshaven from Abadan with 3 DBS

18 February 1932 sailed Table Bay for Falmouth

17 May 1932 berthed at Fawley, Southampton Water from Abadan with 1 DBS who joined the ship at Port Said

11 August 1932 arrived Port Said from Falmouth

26 October 1932 sailed Abadan for for Antwerp

6 December 1932 arrived Port Said from Antwerp

1 January 1933 sailed Aden for LEFO

17 February 1933 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

25 March 1933 berthed at Thameshaven from Abadan with 3 passengers

29 May 1933 arrived at the Medway from Abadan with 6 passengers. Captain A Druce was Master

17 July 1933 arrived Suez from Abadan

28 August 1933 arrived at Abadan from Sheerness

19 October 1933 sailed Port Said for Abadan

4 November 1933 sailed Abadan

5 December 1933 berthed at Shellhaven from Abadan with 4 passengers and 3 DBS. Captain H R Broad was Master

29 May 1934 sailed from Lourenzo Marques, Mozambique for Abadan

7 July 1934 sailed from Port Said for LEFO

11 November 1934 sailed Abadan

8 December 1934 berthed at Liverpool from Abadan with 2 passengers 

14 February 1935 on arrival from Basra ran aground in the River Humber while fully loaded 

16 February 1935 the Hull Daily Mail newspaper reported …

15 February 1935 off loaded cargo and refloated moored alongside pending examination of her hull. Source Lloyds Casualty List

19 February 1935 berthed at T W Greenwells, Sunderland for repair to damage sustained when she grounded

30 March 1935 arrived at Port Said

11 April 1935 at Bombay

12 August 1935 arrived at Suez

25 August 1935 passed Dungeness, Kent while on passage to Copenhagen

22 September 1935 passed Gibraltar while on passage to Abadan

30 October 1935 sailed Port Said for Antwerp and Hamburg

24 December 1935 arrived at Port Said

23 February 1936 passed Gibraltar while on passage to Hamburg

13 March 1936 Seven hundred miles south of Lands End when on passage to Abadan

13 June 1936 passed Gibraltar when on passage to Thameshaven

19 June 1936 berthed at Thameshaven from Abadan with 8 passengers and 4 DBS – 3 of whom joined the ship at Port Said and had previously sailed on RFA FORTOL. Captain J Davies was Master

8 July 1936 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

15 August 1936 passed Dover when on passage to Thameshaven

29 August 1936 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 5 passengers. Captain S Law was Master

14 September 1936 passed Perim while on passage to Abadan

30 November 1936 berthed at Newport, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from Abadan to discharge

7 December 1936 sailed Newport, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia to Sydney, NSW

10 December 1936 sailed Sydney, NSW for Balik Papan

13 February 1937 berthed in the River Wear, Sunderland in refit

20 June 1937 berthed at Sheerness from Abadan with 4 passengers. Captain George Johnson was Master

14 February 1938 berthed at Abadan

8 July 1938 berthed at Swansea

21 September 1938 sailed Port Said for Abadan

22 November 1938 sailed from Abadan for LEFO

9 June 1939 sailed Abadan for Oslo, Norway

1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service and served as an Escort Oiler, name unchanged

13 September 1939 berthed at Mombassa

13 September 1939 sailed Mombassa independently to Cape Town arriving 27 September 1939

7 October 1939 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 26 October 1939

30 October 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 21 November 1939

27 November 1939 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 27 December 1939

6 December 1939 in Indian Ocean stopped by HMAS STUART and examined. The warship took provisions from her. 

29 December 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 2 January 1940

3 January 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Gibraltar arriving 12 January 1940

13 January 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG15F to Devonport arriving 21 January 1940 with a cargo of FFO. RFA CEDARDALE was in the same convoy

25 January 1940 sailed Devonport independently to Falmouth arriving the next day

20 February 1940 sailed Falmouth joining convoy OA94. This convoy dispersed the next day and thence sailed independently to Curacao arriving 8 March 1940

10 March 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 19 March 1940

21 March 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX29 with a cargo of FFO for Sheerness. Arrived the Downs 5 April 1940

16 April 1940 sailed Southend in convoy OA130G. This convoy reformed into OG26 on 18 April 1940 and then sailed independently to Trinidad arriving 5 May 1940

7 May 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Freetown arriving 20 May 1940

24 May 1940 sailed Freetown independently to Trinidad arriving 3 June 1940

11 June 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Bermuda arriving 17 June 1940

20 June 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX52 joining escorted convoy HX52 on 25 June 1940 to the River Clyde arriving on 6 July 1940

16 July 1940 sailed the River Clyde in unescorted convoy WN1 to Methil arriving 19 July 1940

20 July 1940 sailed Methil in convoy MT115 arriving the next day

21 July 1940 sailed the Tyne in unescorted convoy FS227 to Southend arriving the next day

27 July 1940 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN234 to Methil arriving 29 July 1940

30 July 1940 sailed Methil in escorted convoy OA192 until dispersal on 3 August 1940 and then independently to Cape Town arriving 1 September 1940

2 September 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 26 September 1940

30 September 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 25 October 1940

26 October 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 9 Novemner 1940

12 November 1940 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL55 to the River Clyde arriving 2 December 1940

11 January 1941 sailed the River Clyde in escorted convoy OB272 until dispersal on 14 January 1941 and then independently to Trinidad arriving 1 February 1941

4 February 1941 sailed Trinidad independently to Bermuda arriving 10 February 1941

11 February 1941 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX109 joining escorted convoy HX109 on 17 February 1941 to the River Clyde arriving on 4 March 1941

16 April 1941 sailed the Clyde and joined escorted convoy OB311 from Liverpool until dispersal on 25 April 1941 and then independently to Curacao arriving 11 May 1941

12 May 1941 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving 18 May 1941

18 May 1941 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX128 joining escorted convoy HX128 on 27 May 1941 to the Loch Ewe arriving on 6 June 1941

8 June 1941 sailed Loch Ewe joining unescorted convoy WN137 for Scapa Flow arriving 8 June 1941

17 June 1941 sailed Scapa Flow in unescorted convoy EC33 to the River Clyde arriving 19 June 1941

22 June 1941 sailed the River Clyde joining escort convoy OB338 until dispersal on 3 July 1941 and then independently to Curaca arriving 13 July 1941

15 July 1941 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 25 July 1941

27 July 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX141 to the Clyde arriving 10 August 1941

2 September 1941 sailed the Clyde and joined escorted convoy ON12 from Liverpool until dispersal on 14 September 1941 and then independently to Trinidad arriving 27 September 1941

29 September 1941 sailed Trinidad independently to Sydney, Cape Breton arriving 10 October 1941

11 October 1941 sailed Sydney, Cape Breton in escorted convoy SC49 to the River Clyde arriving 27 October 1941

30 October 1941 sailed the River Clyde independently to Liverpool arriving the next day

6 November 1941 sailed Liverpool independently

12 November 1941 sailed Holyhead to Cardiff arriving the next day

21 December 1941 sailed Cardiff independently to Milford Haven arriving the next day

23 December 1941 sailed Milford Haven joining in escorted convoy ON50 until dispersal on 3 January 1942 and then independently to New York arriving on 8 January 1942

18 January 1942 sailed New York independently to Halifax arriving 21 January 1942

26 January 1942 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX172 to Loch Ewe arriving 7 February 1942 and the in unescorted convoy WN242 to Scapa Flow arriving 9 February 1942

17 February 1942 sailed Lyness in escorted convoy EN47 to Oban arriving the next day. RFA EAGLESDALE also sailed in this convoy

23 February 1942 sailed Oban and joined escorted convoy OS20 from Liverpool to Freetown arriving 12 March 1942. RFA GREEN RANGER also sailed in this convoy

14 March 1942 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL103 to Londonderry arriving 2 April 1942 

14 April 1942 at anchor at Moville, Lough Foyle with USS Benson (DD421) berthed alongside to be refuelled

USS Benson (DD421)

15 February 1943 arrived at Oran from Algiers

25 March 1943 sailed Methil in unescorted convoy FS1072 to Southend arriving 27 March 1943

15 May 1943 sailed the River Tyne in unescorted convoy EN229 to Loch Ewe arriving on 17 May 1943

15 June 1943 sailed New York in escorted convoy HX244 to Liverpool arriving 30 June 1943 – acted as an escort oiler during this convoy

6 August 1943 sailed Methil in unescorted convoy EN265 to Loch Ewe arriving on 8 August 1943

8 August 1943 escorted convoy ON196 sailed from Liverpool this day. Joined by British Chivalry as an escort oiler. The convoy arrived at New York on 21 August 1943

2 September 1943 sailed from Guantanimo Bay to Curaçao in unescorted convoy GAT84 arriving 8 September 1943

21 September 1943 off Trinidad the Medical Officer from USS John D Edwards (DD216) came onboard to give medical assistance to an injured seaman 

22 February 1944 torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-37 in the Indian Ocean SW of Addu Atoll, Maldive Islands in position 00°50S 68°00E while on an independent passage from Melbourne to Abadan in ballast with the loss of eighteen lives. The Master was taken prisoner and the crew, in two lifeboats and four rafts were machine gunned in the water by the submarine crew.Thirty eight survivors were rescued by the British steamer DELANE in position 04°55S 65°00 E after being adrift for thirty seven days and were landed at Durban. Those who died are remembed with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial and on the Chatham Naval Memorial. 

image courtesy of Brian Watson

23 January 1945 Chief Officer Pierre Payne appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) Civil Division and Second Officer Richard W Mountain, Third Engineer Officer John R Edwards, Donkeyman Francis P Alder and Able Seaman Henry J Belcher each awarded a Commendtion – for services when the ship was torpedoed and sunk and for their conduct during thirty seven days in an open boat – details published in the London Gazette of this day