Official Number:                        145243

Laid down:

Builder:                                      Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford Yard, Sunderland

Launched:                                 9 February 1921

Into Service:                              1939

Out of service:                           1945

Fate:                                          3 May 1953 broken up 

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 February 1921 launched by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd., Deptford Yard, Sunderland as Yard Nr: 626 named BRITISH COLONEL for British Tanker Co Ltd., London.

20 September 1921 completed

1 December 1921 arrived at Grangemouth and Greaser John Birkby discharged dead – heart attack

8 December 1921 sailed Grangemouth for Abadan

21 December 1921 arrived at Port Said from Grangemouth

12 August 1922 sailed Sunderland in ballast

19 November 1922 at Abadan

22 March 1923 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 7 passengers. Captain D O Davies was Master

2 June 1923 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 4 passengers 

22 August 1923 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 3 passengers

16 November 1923 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 4 passengers

31 January 1924 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 4 passengers

17 April 1924 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 6 passengers

5 August 1924 at Aden Fireman John Flannaghan discharged to hospital where he died on 13 August 1924 – natural causes

24 December 1924 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 2 passengers. Captain B R Jones was Master

4 August 1925 in wireless contact with Lands End Radio

21 October 1925 at sea at 16°30N 55°28E Greaser James McMillan discharged dead – natural causes

26 August 1926 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 3 passengers. Captain Horace R B Kent was Master

7 October 1926 passed Perim sailing north bound

2 November 1926 at Bideford County Magistrates’ Court a summons against the ship’s Master for discharging oil in Bideford Bay to the detriment of fishing was dismissed

5 November 1926 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 8 passengers

15 July 1927 passed Sagres

13 October 1927 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 7 passengers

2 January 1928 passed Lands End when on passage for Villa Franca

4 April 1929 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 5 passengers. Captain Eldridge was Master

28 November 1929 passed Perim

5 December 1929 sailed from Port Said

14 December 1929 passed Sagres

18 December 1929 on passage from Abadan reported she was 20 miles SW of Lands End

19 December 1929 berthed at Swansea

20 January 1930 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound

29 January 1930 arrived at Port Said

21 April 1930 sailed Grangemouth

26 April 1930 off the Downs alongside damaged tanker British Grenadier and took 4,000 tons of her cargo. Sailed to Antwerp to discharge and then returned to collect the rest of the cargo – details from Lloyds Casualty reports

3 May 1930 the Scotsman newspaper reported …

16 May 1930 sailed Hull

10 June 1930 sailed Port Said

19 June 1930 sailed Abadan for Melbourne, Australia

22 August 1930 arrived Colombo from Sydney, NSW, Australia

7 September 1930 sailed Abadan

17 April 1931 while on passage from Abadan sailed Port Said this day

10 May 1931 at Aden

8 November 1931 arrived Port Said from London

23 November 1931 arrived Abadan

11 December 1931 arrived Abadan from Bombay

13 February 1932 sailed Grangemouth for Abadan

14 July 1932 sailed Port Said for Swansea

24 November 1932 sailed Grangemouth

18 April 1933 while on passage from Abadan arrived at Aden this day

28 June 1934 sailed Ernakulam, India for Abadan

23 April 1935 at Aden

13 June 1935 sailed Port Said

1 December 1935 sailed from Melbourne for Abadan

16 March 1936 at Swansea

6 May 1936 at Abadan

25 December 1936 arrived at Port Said

20 January 1937 at Aden

17 June 1937 berthed at Avonmouth

26 November 1937 sailed Falmouth for Abadan

30 April 1938 arrived at the River Tyne

12 September 1938 sailed Tripoli, Syria for Port de Bouc, France

4 November 1938 sailed Abadan for Table Bay

12 January 1939 at the British Hospital at Port Said Able Seaman Carl Jensen discharged dead – natural causes

10 April 1939 at Abadan

12 June 1939 sailed Singapore for Alexandria

2 September 1939 sailed Rotterdam independently to Dunkirk arriving 5 September 1939

6 September 1939 sailed Dunkirk independently to Falmouth arriving 10 September 1939

1939 – 1945 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler, name unchanged

16 October 1939 sailed Falmouth joining convoy OA20G. This convoy formed convoy OG3 on 17 October 1939 passing at Gibraltar on 23 October 1939 and then sailed independently to Haifa arriving 1 November 1939

2 November 1939 sailed Haifa in convoy HG7 to the Downs arriving 23 November 1939

30 November 1939 sailed the Down independently to Dunkirk arriving 3 December 1939

17 December 1939 sailed Dunkirk to the Downs arriving the next day and then in convoy OA55G to Falmouth

17 March 1940 sailed Falmouth joining convoy OA110G which formed convoy OG22 on 18 March 1940 and passed Gibraltar on 23 March 1940. On passage independently arrived Port Said 31 March 1940

1 April 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Tripoli arriving 2 April 1940

3 April 1940 sailed Tripoli independently to Oran arriving 11 April 1940

16 April 1940 sailed Oran and joined a French convoy 20R & 88KS from Cassablanca to Brest arriving 23 April 1940

29 April 1940 sailed Pauillac independently to Verdon arriving 30 April 1940

30 April 1940 sailed Verdon in French convoy 54XS

6 May 1940 sailed Gibraltar independently to Constanza arriving 16 May 1940

21 May 1940 sailed Constanza independently to Alexandria arriving 25 May 1940

29 May 1940 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving the next day and at Beruit on 1 June 1940

5 June 1940 sailed Beruit independently to Port Said

18 June 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Haifa arriving the next day

24 June 1940 sailed Haifa independently to Port Said arriving the next day

7 July 1940 sailed Suez in convoy BS1 until it dispersed on 15 July 1940 arriving at Abadan 23 July 1940

28 July 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 9 August 1940

15 August 1940 sailed Aden independently to Abadan arriving 25 August 1940

27 August 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Trincomalee

12 September 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving 25 September 1940 and then onward to Abadan arriving 2 October 1940

6 October 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 16 October 1940

19 October 1940 sailed Aden joining convoy BN7 to Suez arriving 26 October 1940

17 April 1941 sailed Suez independently to Bombay arriving 3 May 1941

28 May 1941 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 4 June 1941

9 June 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 20 June 1941

20 June 1941 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 27 June 1941

30 August 1941 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day

5 September 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 7 September 1941

23 September 1941 sailed Haifa independently to Alexandria arriving 25 September 1941

1 October 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 3 October 1941

22 October 1941 sailed Haifa escorted by HMS PEONY and HM armed boarding vessel CHANTALA for Alexandria arriving 24 October 1941

30 October 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 1 November 1941

25 November 1941 sailed Haifa independently to Alexandria arriving 27 November 1941

2 December 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 4 December 1941

17 December 1941 sailed Haifa independently to Alexandria arriving 19 December 1941

28 December 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 30 December 1941

7 January 1942 sailed Haifa independently to Port Said arriving the next day

17 January 1942 sailed Port Said independently to Haifa arriving the next day

11 February 1942 sailed Haifa independently to Port Said arriving the next day

19 February 1942 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 10 March 1942

12 March 1942 sailed Abadan independently to Colombo, Ceylon arriving 27 March 1942

15 April 1942 sailed Colombo, Ceylon independently to Bombay arriving 19 April 1942

28 May 1942 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 5 June 1942

1 March 1943 sailed from Aden in escorted convoy AP22 to Bandar Abbas arriving on 10 March 1943 thence independently to Abadan

4 July 1943 sailed from Boston in unescorted convoy BX61 to Halifax arriving 6 July 1943

12 October 1943 at the Tyne fitted with emergency blondin gear and depth charge flotation release gear by Smiths Dock, North Shields. Sailed the Tyne this day for Greenock

24 November 1943 sailed from Boston in unescorted convoy BX84 to Halifax arriving 26 November 1943

18 May 1944 at New York a US Naval Mine Disposal team attended onboard to render safe and dispose of a damaged depth charge. The depth charge was removed and disposed of at sea

11 February 1945 sailed from Boston in escorted convoy BX145 to Halifax arriving 13 February 1945 

22 November 1946 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound

8 December 1946 sailed Suez for Abadan

25 December 1946 arrived at Abadan from Falmouth

7 May 1948 arrived at Port Said from Falmouth

11 May 1948 sailed Port Said for Abadan

21 June 1949 berthed at Middledocks, River Tyne

23 December 1950 Lascar Adam Hussein discharged dead – heart attack

1 February 1951 berthed at Wallsend Slipway, River Tyne for refit

3 May 1953 arrived Bo’ness for demolition by P & W McLellan Ltd