Official Number:                      167160

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Wm Doxford & Sons Ltd., Pallion Yard, Sunderland

Launched:                               8 November 1938

Into Service:                            1939

Out of service:                         1945

Fate:                                        12 May 1961 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:

8 November 1938 launched by Wm Doxford & Sons Ltd., Pallion Yard, Sunderland as Yard Nr: 644 named BRITISH GENIUS for British Tanker Co Ltd, London

January 1939 completed

13 February 1939 sailed Abadan

16 March 1939 berthed at Grangemouth

22 March 1939 sailed Gravesend for Abadan

14 April 1939 at Abadan Able Seaman A J Sutherland discharged dead having drowned

28 April 1939 sailed from Port Said

13 June 1939 sailed the River Tyne for Abadan

1939 – 1945 requisitioned for Admiralty Service as a Station Oiler and was based in the Seychelles – name unchanged

1 October 1939 sailed Port Said in convoy BLUE 3 to Gibraltar arriving on 11 October 1939. RFA WAR KRISHNA also sailed in this convoy

13 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG3 to Liverpool arriving on 21 October 1939. RFA WAR KRISHNA also sailed in this convoy

British Genius in war time colours

(image courtesy of Brian Watson)

8 November 1939 sailed Liverpool in convoy OB32 – formed convoy OG6 at sea on 11 November 1939 for Gibraltar passing there on the 16 November 1939 and then independently to Haifa arriving on 24 November 1939

25 November 1939 sailed Haifa independently to Gibraltar arriving there on 5 December 1939

8 December 1939 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG10 arriving at the Downs on 23 December 1939. RFA’s WAR AFRIDI and WAR BHARATA were both in this convoy as far as Devonport

27 December 1939 sailed the Downs independently to Dunkirk arriving on 29 December 1939

11 January 1940 sailed Dunkirk independently to Spithead arriving on the next day

16 January 1940 sailed Spithead joining convoy OA73GF which joined convoy OG15F on its formation on 18 January 1940 to Gibraltar passing there on 23 January 1940 and then sailed independently to Port Said arriving on 30 January 1940

30 January 1940 transitted the Suez Canal arriving at Suez on 31 January 1940 and then sailed independently to Abadan arriving on 12 February 1940

9 March 1940 reported by radio she had sighted an object (mine?) attached to a parachute 6 cables west of Shingles Patch No 3 buoy – reported in the Admiralty War Diary of this date on page 580

5 July 1941 at the Seychelles alongside HMAS HOBART refuelling her

11 September 1941 at Seychelles refuelled HMS EMERALD and then sailed for Diego Garcia

2 February 1942 arrived Colombo

12 March 1942 sailed Colombo in convoy C7

15 March 1942 arrived Trincomalee in convoy C7

18 March 1942 sailed Trincomalee

28 March 1942 arrived Mahe, Seychelles

1 April 1942 sailed Mahe, Seychelles

8 April 1942 at Addu Atoll

10 April 1942 in company with British Colonel sailed Addu Atoll to Abadan to load cargo – escorted by HMS BADARPUR

24 April 1942 arrived at Abadan

3 September 1942 while bound for Aden was unsuccessfully attacked at dawn in position 13N.34 , 50E.05 and again at dusk in position 13N.00, 48E.03

1 January 1943 Corporal Frederick E Clark RM awarded the Distinguished Service Medal in the New Years Honours List 1943. Details were published in the London Gazette of this date

6 February 1943 sailed Abadan to Trincomalee – reported in the Admiralty War Diary of 7 February 1943 on page 423 

1 May 1943 at Khor Kuwai with HMAS BATHURST alongside being refuelled

18 May 1943 at Kassab Bay with HMAS BATHURST alongside being refuelled

18 June 1943 sailed Kilindini at 9knots – reported in the Admiralty War Diary of this date page 748

21 July 1943 arrived at Mauritius

27 March 1944 sailed Augusta in unescorted convoy AH33 to Bari arriving 29 March 1944

14 May 1944 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy GUS40 to Augusta arriving 20 May 1944

21 May 1944 sailed Augusta in unescorted convoy AH44 to Bari arriving 23 May 1944

27 May 1945 sailed Aruba for LEFO

4 January 1947 arrived at Falmouth

3 June 1947 having sailed the Clyde for Abadan developed engine trouble and returned to Greenock and entered James Watt Dock

18 August 1947 passed Gibraltar when on passage from Falmouth for Abadan

26 August 1947 sailed Suez

9 November 1947 sailed Suez for Abadan

21 November 1947 arrived Abadan from Falmouth

2 May 1949 sailed Southampton for Beaumont, Texas

21 May 1949 sailed Miami, Florida having landed a female stowaway and two crew members discharged for fighting and resumed her voyage to Texas

20 October 1950 at 17′.57N 40′.14E Greaser/Fireman Sydney Desmond Parr discharged dead – drowned

30 March 1951 arrived at Melbourne, Australia

28 April 1951 berthed at Abadan to load

30 May 1951 sailed from Fremantle, W. Australia

24 June 1951 arrived at Abadan

7 September 1952 berthed at Swan Hunters, River Tyne

1956 owners restyled as BP Tanker Co Ltd, London name unchanged

12 May 1961 arrived Briton Ferry for demolition by T.W. Ward Ltd