Official Number:                      160390

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Lithgows Ltd., Port Glasgow

Launched:                                23 December 1927

Into Service:                            1939

Out of service:                         1945

Fate:                                         December 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:

 23 December 1927 launched by Lithgows Ltd., Port Glasgwo as Yard Nr: 802 named British Courage for British Tanker Co Ltd, London

March 1928 completed

25 May 1928 arrived at Swansea from Abadan with nine passengers

8 October 1928 arrived at Swansea from Abadan with one passenger

5 December 1928 having sailed from Port Said while on passage from Abadan to Grangemouth loaded with a cargo of 9,000 tons of crude oil. Smoke was seen issuing from the engine room skylights. The engines were stopped and the alarm sounded. The Chief Engineer Officer emerged from the engine room with his clothing on fire. Two life-boats were launched and the crew took to them. After two hours the Captain and 16 of the crew returned to the ship and fought the fire which was extinguished after twenty seven hours after the original out break. Donkeyman Robert Lamond discharged dead from injuries sustained fighting the fire

Donkeyman Robert Lamond

6 December 1928 Chief Engineer Officer Ritchie King Brown discharged dead from burns sustained fighting the fire (above)

Chief Engineer Officer Ritchie K Brown

30 January 1929 at Grangemouth 

21 March 1929 Lloyds Silver Medals were presented to Captain Albert Himsley, Chief Officer James Arthur Halcrow, 2nd Engineer Officer William Heslop Muckle, 4th Engineer Officer James Murdoch at the Committee Room of Lloyds for their actions when the ship caught fire – see above

8 December 1929 passed Perim

14 December 1929 on passage from Abadan sailed from Port Said

8 April 1930 berthed at Grangemouth from Abadan with five passengers. Captain William Rogers was the Master

17 April 1930 sailed the River Tyne

1 May 1930 arrived at Port Said

5 June 1930 sailed Port Said

18 June 1930 arrived at Swansea from Abadan with three passengers. Captain William Rogers was the Master

20 July 1930 sailed Abadan

4 August 1930 arrived at Suez

5 August 1930 sailed Port Said

21 August 1930 sailed Grangemouth

12 September 1930 arrived at Port Said

28 September 1930 sailed Abadan

21 December 1930 arrived at Swansea

7 January 1931 sailed Swansea

11 January 1931 while on passage to Abadan passed Gibraltar this day

6 February 1931 sailed Abadan

20 February 1931 sailed Port Said

6 March 1931 arrived at Swansea

26 March 1931 arrived at Port Said while on passage to Abadan

12 April 1931 sailed from Abadan

28 February 1932 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

17 April 1932 passed Perim

26 June 1932 arrived at Falmouth

2 August 1932 at Abadan

5 September 1932 arrived Port Said from Oran

13 November 1932 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

1 January 1933 arrived Suez from Abadan

13 February 1933 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east

14 February 1933 passed the Needles sailing east

20 February 1933 passed Gibraltar when on passage to Abadan

27 February 1933 arrived at Port Said from Southampton

8 May 1933 passed Perim

2 June 1934 sailed Suez for Abadan

8 July 1934 sailed from Port Said for Dunkirk

17 September 1938 sailed Aden for Oslo, Norway

4 January 1939 passed Gibraltar sailing east for Abadan

3 March 1939 arrived at the River Tyne from Oslo, Norway berthing on the Wallsend Shipway

9 June 1939 passed Aden for Abadan

1939 – 1945 requisitioned for Admiralty service and served as an Escort Oiler – name unchanged

1 September 1939 sailed Trinidad independently to London arriving 19 September 1939

29 September 1939 sailed Southend in escorted convoy OA12G which reformed as escorted convoy OG1 on 2 October 1939 to Gibraltar arriving 8 October 1939

8 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar in unescorted convoy GREEN 4 to Port Said arriving 17 October 1939

19 October 1939 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 1 November 1939

5 November 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 20 November 1939

22 November 1939 sailed Port Said independently to Gibraltar

8 December 1939 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG10 to Swansea arriving 16 December 1939. RFA’s THERMOL, WAR AFRIDI and WAR BHARATA each on passage to Devonport also sailed in this convoy

29 December 1939 sailed Swansea independently to Liverpool arriving 1 January 1940

2 February 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB84 until dispersal on 5 February 1940 and then independently to Aruba arriving 23 February 1940

25 February 1940 sailed Aruba independently to Halifax arriving 7 March 1940

9 March 1940 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX26 to the River Clyde arriving on 27 March 1940

17 April 1940 sailed the River Clyde joining in escorted convoy OB131 until dispersal on 21 April 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 7 May 1940

8 May 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving 15 May 1940

15 May 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX43 which joined escorted convoy HX43 from Halifax on 21 May 1940 and arrived at Liverpool on 31 May 1940

5 June 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB162 until it dispersed on 5 June 1940 and then independently to Trinidad arriving 22 June 1940

26 June 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Aruba arriving 28 June 1940

29 June 1940 sailed Aruba independently to Bermuda arriving 6 July 1940

6 July 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX56 which joined escorted convoy HX56 from Halifax on 11 July 1940 and arrived at Liverpool on 22 July 1940

1 August 1940 sailed the River Clyde in unescorted convoy WM4 to Methil arriving 4 August 1940

5 August 1940 sailed Methil in unescorted convoy FS243 to Southend arriving 7 August 1940

22 August 1940 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN260 to Methil arriving 24 August 1940

27 August 1940 sailed Methil in unescorted convoy OA205 until it dispersed on 30 August 1940 and then sailed independently to Cape Town arriving 29 September 1940

30 September 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 23 October 1940

25 October 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Bombay arriving 1 November 1940

3 December 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 9 December 1940

11 December 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Fremantle arriving 5 January 1941

5 January 1941 sailed Fremantle independently to Melbourne arriving 15 January 1941

29 January 1941 sailed Melbourne independently to Niri arriving 16 February 1941

21 February 1941 sailed Niri independently to Singapore arriving 22 February 1941

24 February 1941 sailed Singapore independently to Colombo arriving 3 March 1941

6 March 1941 sailed Colombo independently to Abadan arriving 15 March 1941

18 March 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 9 April 1941

11 April 1941 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 25 April 1941

1 May 1941 sailed Freetown independently to Aruba arriving 14 May 1941

18 May 1941 sailed Aruba independently to Bermuda arriving 25 May 1941

31 March 1942 suffered defective steering

4 July 1942 Acting Able Seaman William H James (DEMS Gunner) discharged dead – illness

10 March 1943 issued with 12 pounder ammunition from the US Naval Ammunition Deport, New Orleans

13 July 1943 at Bizerte with USS Murphy (DD603) alongside being refuelled

8 August 1943 at Gibraltar fire broke out in lagging in the boiler room damaging the boiler room and electrical equipment. Flag Officer Gibraltar signalled that she would be unable to sail as the Escort Oiler in convoy GUS11. USS Escalante sailed as Escort Oiler in lieu – source Admiralty War Diary of this date page 274

29 August 1943 during convoy GUS13 reported as ‘again’ breaking down – source Admiralty War Diary of this date page 621

15 October 1943 returned to Gibraltar from Convoy MKS27 with engine defects – source Admiralty War Diary of this day page 484

11 October 1944 Second Engineer Officer George Crouch discharged dead. He is buried Sunderland (Bishopwearmouth) Cemetery in Ward 24 Section C C, Grave 60

17 October 1945 Second Radio Officer George Henry Ronald Hadwin discharged dead. He is buried in Newcastle upon Tyne (St. Nicholas) Cemetery in Section V, Grave 69

16 December 1946 at Gothenburg 3rd Engineer Offcer Ernest Sydney Edwards discharged dead from a heart attack

25 June 1951 arrived at Abadan bar

23 December 1953 sold for scrap

24 December 1953 arrived Inverkeithing for demolition by T W Ward Ltd