Official Number:                      162588

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Greenock Dockyard Co, Cartsdyke East Yard, Greenock

Launched:                               2 April 1931

Into Service:                            1939

Out of service:                         1945

Fate:                                        27 September 1955 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:

2 April 1931 launched by Greenock Dockyard Co, Cartsdyke East Yard, Greenock as Yard Nr: 422 named BRITISH ENERGY for British Tanker Co Ltd, London.

3 April 1931 the Scotsman newspaper reported … 

12 May 1931 registration at London No: 72/1931 refers

May 1931 completed

10 September 1931 berthed at Avonmouth from Abadan with 2 passengers and 1 DBS. Captain A Himsley was Master

19 December 1931 sailed Abadan for Las Palmas via the Cape of Good Hope

8 January 1932 passed the Cape of Good Hope bound for Las Palmas

25 January 1932 passed Las Palmas

30 January 1932 when on passage to Dunkirk by radio reported she was 270 miles south of Land End

4 February 1932 arrived at Southampton

7 February 1932 arrived at Falmouth

14 February 1932 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 4 passengers

17 December 1932 berthed at Avonmouth from Abadan with 4 passengers. Captain H C Piper was Master

5 January 1933 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 6 passengers

26 February 1933 passed Sagres for Hamburg

March 1934 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 8 passengers

4 November 1933 arrived at Shell Haven from Abadan

11 November 1933 passed Gibraltar for Abadan

2 June 1934 passed Perim for Abadan

8 July 1934 passed Dungeness when on passage to Hull

6 September 1934 berthed at Liverpool from Abadan with 1 DBS. Captain Piper was Master

20 April 1935 berthed at Jarrow from Abadan with 8 passengers

16 June 1935 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound for Liverpool

31 November 1935 berthed at Liverpool from Abadan with 2 passengers and 1 DBS. Captain A Himsley was Master

12 January 1936 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound for Abadan

1 May 1936 berthed at Southampton from Abadan with 8 passengers

4 May 1936 sailed from Southampton for Abadan

29 May 1936 at Abadan

28 November 1936 berthed at Grangemouth from Abadan with 5 passengers. Captain A Preece was Master

3 April 1937 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 5 passengers

15 May 1937 arrived at Suez

21 January 1938 berthed at Jarrow from Abadan with 1 passenger. 

13 September 1938 sailed from Abadan for Massowa, Eritrea

9 November 1938 berthed at London from Abadan with 5 passengers and 1 DBS. Captain J Robertson was Master

12 November 1938 sailed Shellhaven

18 November 1938 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 11 passengers

29 March 1939 sailed Falmouth to Baton Rouge with 1 passenger. Captain J S Commander was Master

3 June 1939 arrived at Port Said 

5 June 1939 sailed from Suez for Abadan

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

4 September 1939 sailed Antwerp independently to Falmouth arriving 6 September 1939

15 September 1939 sailed Falmouth in convoy OA4 until it dispersed on 16 September 1939 and then independently to Gibraltar arriving 25 September 1939

28 September 1939 sailed Gibraltar in convoy GREEN 3 to Port Said arriving 7 October 1939

8 October 1939 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 21 October 1939

23 October 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 6 November 1939

11 November 1939 sailed Port Said in convoy HG8 to Belfast arriving 1 December 1939

4 December 1939 sailed Belfast independently to the River Clyde arriving 5 December 1939

31 December 1939 sailed the River Clyde independently to Liverpool arriving 2 January 1940

8 January 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB68. This convoy reformed at sea on 10 January 1940 into escorted convoy OG14F to Gibraltar arriving 15 January 1940

15 January 1940 passed Gibraltar and sailed independently to Port Said arriving 22 January 1940

23 January 1940 sailed Suez independently to Aden arriving 28 January 1940

28 January 1940 sailed Aden independently to Abadan arriving 5 February 1940

8 February 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Suez arriving 21 February 1940

22 February 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Gibraltar

1 March 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG21F to the River Clyde arriving 10 March 1940. RFA BOARDALE was also in this convoy

13 March 1940 sailed the River Clyde independently to Preston arriving 14 March 1940

16 March 1940 sailed Preston independently to Liverpool arriving the next day

19 March 1940 sailed Liverpool in unescorted convoy OB113. This convoy reformed on 21 March 1940 into escorted convoy OG23F passing Gibraltar on 28 March 1940 and then independently to Port Said arriving 4 April 1940

5 April 1940 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 17 April 1940

29 April 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 16 May 1940

20 May 1940 sailed Aden independently to Cape Town arriving 8 June 1940

10 June 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 23 June 1940

25 June 1940 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL37 to the River Clyde arriving 12 July 1940

27 July 1940 sailed the River Clyde independently to Avonmouth arriving 30 July 1940

23 August 1940 sailed Avonmouth independently to Liverpool arriving 25 August 1940

26 August 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB204 which dispersed on 29 August 1940

11 October 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB227 which dispersed on 15 October 1940 and then sailed independently to Cape Town arriving 12 November 1940

14 November 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving 4 December 1940

9 December 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 18 December 1940

18 December 1940 sailed Aden in convoy BN11 to Suez arriving 25 December 1940

1 January 1941 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day

7 January 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Port Said arriving the next day

24 January 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Port Said arriving the next day

1 February 1941 sailed Alexandria

10 February 1941 sailed Suez in escorted convoy BS15 until dispersed on 16 February 1941 and then independently to Abadan arriving 25 February 1941

28 February 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 8 March 1941

10 March 1941 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 17 March 1941

1 April 1941 sailed Suez in escorted convoy BS22 until dispersal on 9 April 1941 and then independently to Abadan arriving 18 April 1941

27 April 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 6 May 1941

8 May 1941 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 16 May 1941

31 May 1941 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 13 June 1941

19 June 1941 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 29 June 1941

29 June 1941 sailed Aden independently to Massawa arriving 2 July 1941

10 July 1941 sailed Massawa independently to Suez arriving 14 July 1941

28 July 1941 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the same day

10 August 1941 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 12 August 1941

15 June 1941 sailed Haifa independently to Beriut arriving the next day

21 April 1942 sailed Colombo, Ceylon in unescorted convoy MB2 arriving Bombay 25 April 1942

1 April 1943 at sea General Servant Diago de Sousa discharged death from natural causes

23 April 1943 C in C Eastern Fleet reported to the Admiralty that British Energy had developed engine defects which would take 2 months to correct – source Admiralty War Diary

11 April 1944 sailed Aden in escorted convoy AP68 to Bandar Abbas arriving 18 April 1944

13 November 1944 sailed Boston in unescorted convoy to Halifax arriving 15 November 1944

23 December 1944 sailed Augusta in unescorted convoy AH87 to Taranto arriving 24 December 1944

5 February 1945 sailed Southend in escorted convoy ON283 to New York City arriving 27 February 1945. Deployed as the escort oiler during this convoy

24 December 1946 berthed at Smith’s Dock, River Tyne together with Requisitioned Auxiliary British Hope

29 October 1948 sailed from Abadan for Amsterdam, Holland

17 June 1949 berthed at Avonmouth from Abadan with 8 passengers. Captain J G Hill was Master

12 May 1951 berthed at Smith’s Dock, River Tyne

16 October 1951 sailed Galveston for Curaçao

27 September 1955 arrived Bo’ness for demolition by P & W McLellan Ltd