Official No:                        149828

Builder:                             Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Low Walker

Launched:                        4 April 1927

Into Service:                    1939

Out of service:                 14 May 1942

Fate:                                14 May 1942 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:

4 April 1927 launched by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd., Low Walker as Yard Nr: 1224 named BRITISH COLONY for British Tanker Co Ltd, London

5 April 1927 the Shields Daily News newspaper reported …

12 May 1927 sailed from the River Tyne on trials. Returning the same day after completion of the trials. Sailed the same day for Abadan

17 December 1927 sailed from Colon

2 January 1928 passed Lands End when on passage to Rotterdam

19 January 1928 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 5 passengers. Captain F Main was Master

27 June 1928 arrived at Abadan from Thameshaven

28 December 1928 arrived at Suez from Abadan

22 November 1929 sailed Avonmouth

10 September 1929 in wireless contact with Niton when bound for Hamburg and 73 miles south west of the shore radio transmitter

23 November 1929 berthed at Swansea

7 January 1930 arrived at Abadan

23 January 1930 arrived at Suez

9 February 1930 arrived at Antwerp

26 February 1930 arrived at Port Said

20 March 1930 arrived at Karachi

25 March 1930 arrived at Abadan

11 April 1930 arrived Flushing bound for Antwerp

29 April 1930 arrived Falmouth for refit

23 June 1930 berthed at Hull from Abadan with 6 passengers. Captain W A Michie was Master

10 September 1930 sailed Manchester to Abadan with 8 passengers

11 January 1931 berthed at Southampton 

2 May 1931 berthed at Avonmouth from Abadan with 6 passengers

5 May 1931 sailed Avonmouth 

12 September 1931 sailed Falmouth for Abadan with 7 passengers. Captaiun G C Robson was Master

22 September 1931 arrived at Port Said 

13 October 1931 at 16°52N 55°41E 1st Mate James Stanley Mash discharged dead – drowned

1st Mate James Stanley Mash

10 May 1932 sailed Avonmouth

15 September 1932 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 8 passengers

10 November 1932 arrived at Falmouth

17 February 1933 sailed Abadan for Suez for order

19 May 1933 berthed at Liverpool from Abadan with 8 passengers. Captain Edwin Garland was Master

4 June 1934 on passage to Thameshaven

15 June 1934 berthed at Thameshaven from Abadan with 8 passengers. Captain John Davies was Master

30 June 1934 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

5 October 1934 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 8 passengers 

9 October 1934 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound for Abadan

11 December 1934 arrived at Abadan

27 December 1934 sailed from Abadan for LEFO

22 January 1935 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 8 passengers

21 April 1935 berthed at Port Victoria, Sheerness with 5 passengers

12 June 1935 sailed Port Said

28 December 1935 passed Gibraltar sailing east when on passage to Abadan

4 January 1936 at Port Said

11 March 1936 at Abadan

6 October 1936 berthed at Purfleet from Abadan with 1 passenger. Captain W D Jefferies was Master

19 April 1938 berthed at Swansea with 7 passengers. Captain R Mott was Master

16 September 1938 sailed from Port Said for Liverpool 

22 November 1938 sailed from Naples for Haifa

29 December 1938 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 2 passengers. Captain C M McAnally was Master

1939  requisitioned  for Admiralty service

15 June 1939 sailing 60 miles SW of Niton for Purfleet

16 June 1939 berthed at London from Abadan with 7 passengers

19 July 1939 sailed from Abadan for Swansea

11 August 1939 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound

16 August 1939 berthed at Swansea from Abadan with 1 passenger. Captain Alexander Henny was Master

29 August 1939 at Smith’s Dock, River Tyne

29 September 1939 sailed Southend in escorted convoy OA12G until 2 October 1939 when it reformed as escorted convoy OG1 at sea at 49°30N 7°30W to Gibraltar arriving on 8 October 1939

8 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar in convoy Green 4 to Port Said arriving on 17 October 1939

19 October 1939 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 31 October 1939

4 November 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 17 November 1939

19 November 1939 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy HG9 to Swansea arriving 8 December 1939

17 December 1939 sailed Swansea independently to Milford Haven arriving 19 December 1939

19 December 1939 sailed Milford Haven in escorted convoy OB55 which reformed as Convoy OG11 on 20 December 1939 and sailed to Gibraltar passing the Rock on 26 December 1939. She then sailed independently to Port Said arriving 2 January 1940

2 January 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Abadan arriving 16 January 1940

19 January 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 31 January 1940

1 February 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Gibraltar arriving 10 February 1940

14 February 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG19F to Swansea arriving 22 February 1940

3 March 1940 sailed Swansea independently to Milford Haven arriving the next day

6 March 1940 sailed Milford Haven in convoy OB104 until it dispersed some 750 nmiles from Lands End and the independently to Trinidad arriving 23 March 1940

24 March 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Caripito then back to Trinidad 

29 March 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Halifax arriving 8 April 1940

10 April 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX34 to the Downs arriving 26 April 1940. RFA Scottish American also sailed in this convoy and was torpedoed by German Submarine U13 and was towed to Loch Erribol

2 May 1940 sailed Southend in convoy OA140G until 5 May 1940 when the convoy reformed into Convoy OG28 and sailed to Gibraltar arriving 10 May 1940

10 May 1940 sailed Gibraltar independently to Port Said arriving 19 May 1940

29 May 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Abadan arriving 11 June 1940

13 June 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Bombay arriving 20 June 1940

4 July 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 11 July 1940

13 July 1940 sailed Abadan indpendently to Bombay arriving 20 July 1940

25 July 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 31 July 1940

3 August 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 29 August 1940

1 September 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 14 September 1940

19 September 1940 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL48 to Swansea arriving 12 October 1940

4 November 1940 sailed Swansea independently to the Clyde arriving 7 November 1940

9 November 1940 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy OB239/1 to Oban arriving on 10 November 1940 and then to dispersal on 14 November 1940. She continued independently to Cape Town arriving 9 December 1940

10 December 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 31 December 1940

5 January 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 28 January 1941

30 January 1941 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 12 February 1941

18 February 1941 sailed Freetown in convoy SL66 to Swansea arriving 14 March 1941

26 March 1941 sailed Swansea independently to Milford Haven arriving the next day

27 March 1941 sailed Milford Haven joining Liverpool escorted convoy OB303 until dispersal on 3 April 1941 and then independently to Baltimore arriving 16 April 1941

15 May 1941 having sailed from Baltimore independently arrived at New York

17 May 1941 sailed New York independently to Halifax arriving 20 May 1941

20 May 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX128 to the Clyde arriving 6 June 1941

12 June 1941 sailed the Clyde in escorted convoy OB334 a Liverpool/Halifax convoy. Detatched and sailed independently to Aruba arriving 3 July 1941

4 July 1941 sailed Arbuba independently to Halifax arriving 13 July 1941

16 July 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX139 to Loch Ewe arriving 29 July 1941

29 July 1941 sailed Oban in convoy WN159 to Methil arriving 31 July 1941

1 August 1941 sailed Methil in convoy FS557 to Southend arriving 3 August 1941

17 August 1941 sailed Southend in convoy FN506 to Methil arriving 19 August 1941

19 August 1941 sailed Methil in convoy EC62 to Loch Ewe arriving on 21 August 1941 and joining convoy ON11 to Reykjavik, Iceland arriving on 4 September 1941

27 September 1941 sailed Reykjavik, Iceland joining convoy SC45 to Loch Ewe arriving 4 October 1941 and then joined convoy WN188 to Methil arriving 6 October 1941

7 October 1941 sailed Methil in convoy FS614 to the River Tyne arriving 9 October 1941

14 October 1941 sailed the River Tyne in convoy EC85 to Loch Ewe arriving 17 October 1941 and then sailed independently to Curaçao arriving on 11 November 1941 

12 November 1941 sailed Curaçao independently to Halifax arriving 21 November 1941

21 November 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX161 to Reykjavik, Iceland arriving 4 December 1941

21 December 1941 sailed Reykjavik, Iceland a joined escorted convoy ON48 until it dispersed on 31 December 1941 at 43°.59N 54°.56W and then independently to Curaçao arriving 8 January 1942

10 January 1942 sailed Curaçao independently to Christobal arriving 13 January 1942

15 January 1942 sailed Balboa independently to Wellington, New Zealand arriving 14 February 1942

15 February 1942 sailed Wellington, New Zealand independently to Suva

7 March 1942 sailed Suva independently to Balboa arriving 3 April 1942

4 April 1942 sailed Christobal independently to Curaçao arriving 9 April 1942

11 April 1942 sailed Curaçao independently to Bermuda arriving 18 April 1942

26 April 1942 sailed Bermuda independently to Trinidad arriving 3 May 1942

12 May 1942 sailed Trinidad independently on a course for Gibraltar

14 May 1942 torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-162 (Kapitänleutnant Jürgen Wattenberg), having fired three torpedoes, in the Atlantic 90 miles NE of Bridgetown, Barbados in position 13°.12N 58°.10W while sailing independently from Trinidad to Gibraltar with a cargo of 9,800 tons of fuel oil with the loss of four lives. Forty three survivors were landed 13 miles north of Bridgetown, Barbados. Those who were killed are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial

Image courtesy of Brian Watson

4 January 1943 Chief Engineer Officer William E Dickinson appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) (Civil Division) and Firmen James R Anderson and Edward Jennings awarded the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) each in the New Years Honours List. Details were published in London Gazette of to-days date

14 September 1943 Second Engineer Officer Austin C Reynolds appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (Civil Division) and Donkeyman Charles Beckett awarded the British Empire Medal (Civil Division) and Chief Engineer Officer William E Dickinson, Chief Officer John J J Hambling, Third Engineer Officer Ian Hartley Ronald, Fourth Engineer Officer John Clark, Chief Steward James D Roberts, Fireman James R Anderson, Fireman Edward Jennings, Greaser David Mason and Mess Room Steward James O’Sullivan all awarded a Commendation for services when the ship was torpedoed and sunk. Further Bosun John O’Dowd for like services and for his conduct in taking charge of an open boat for three days. Details were published in London Gazette of to-days date.

Second Engineer Officer Austin C Reynolds, Donkeyman Charles Beckett and Mess Room Steward James O’Sullivan were each also awarded the Lloyds Bravery Medal