Official Number:                     149943

Laid down:

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

Launched:                              26 September 1927

Into Service:                           1939

Out of service:                        1941

Fate:                                       18 January 1941 – sunk by German raider

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:

15 November 1927 completed

14 April 1928 arrived at Suez

26 April 1928 berthed at Swansea from Abadan 

29 June 1928 berthed at Swansea from Abadan with three passengers

7 October 1928 sailed from Port Said for Abadan

4 January 1929 berthed at Swansea from Trinidad with one passenger

30 July 1930 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound

22 April 1931 berthed at Grangemouth from Abadan with six passengers

31 May 1932 berthed at Grangemouth from Abadan with six passengers

2 December 1933 paid off 40 of the crew at North Shields Board of Trade Office, River Tyne

5 January 1934 sailed Suez for Abadan

3 April 1934 at Grangemouth from Abadan with four passengers. Captain William Kutchison was Master

8 July 1934 passed Gibraltar sailing east for Abadan

19 July 1934 passed Perim when on passage to Abadan

15 September 1934 sailed Falmouth for Abadan with four passengers. Captain P Quenet was Master

13 November 1934 berthed at Swansea from Abadan with six passengers

16 August 1935 berthed at London from Abadan with two passengers who had boarded at Port Said

14 November 1935 sailed Falmouth for Abadan with five passengers

26 November 1935 arrived at Port Said  when on passage for Abadan

21 April 1938 berthed at No: 1 Jarrow Slake, River Tyne

30 November 1938 sailed Falmouth for Abadan with four passengers. Captain R Wastell was Master

4 February 1939 berthed at Hull from Abadan with one passenger

1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service

17 September 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Mombassa arriving 1 October 1939

1 October 1939 sailed Mombassa independently to Cape Town arriving 13 October 1939

19 October 1939 sailed Cape Town independently to Curacao arriving 12 November 1939

14 November 1939 sailed Curacao independently to Kingston arriving 18 November 1939

18 November 1939 sailed Kingston independently

4 December 1939 sailed Halifax in convoy HX11 to the Downs arriving 20 December 1939. RFA ALDERSDALE also sailed in this convoy

20 December 1939 sailed Southend in Convoy FN57 to the River Tyne

5 February 1940 sailed the River Tyne in convoy FS88 to Southend arriving 7 February 1940

7 February 1940 sailed Southend in convoy OA87 until it dispersed on 9 February 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 29 February 1940

1 March 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 12 March 1940

13 March 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX27 to Devonport with a cargo of FFO arriving 27 March 1940

31 March 1940 sailed Devonport joining convoy OA120G from Southend. Convoy renamed on 1 April 1940 as Convoy OG24 when at 49.27N 06.32W sailing to Gibraltar

8 April 1940 passed Gibraltar and sailed independently to Port Said arriving 16 April 1940

17 April 1940 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 1 May 1940

3 May 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Aden arriving 13 May 1940

13 May 1940 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 19 May 1940

4 June 1940 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day

12 June 1940 sailed Alexandria independently to Piraeus arriving 15 June 1940

22 June 1940 sailed Piraeus independently to Alexandria arriving 15 July 1940

14 August 1940 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving 16 August 1940

21 August 1940 sailed Haifa independently to Alexandria arriving 24 August 1940 and then on to Port Said arriving 2 September 1940

5 September 1940 sailed Suez in convoy BS4 until dispersal at 12.42N 47.54E on 13 September 1940 and then independently to Bombay arriving 21 September 1940

14 October 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 20 October 1940

23 October 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Durban arriving 14 November 1940

14 November 1940 sailed Durban independently to Cape Town arriving 19 November 1940

21 November 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 6 December 1940

15 December 1940 sailed Freetown in convoy SL59 to Gibraltar arriving 28 December 1940

10 January 1941 sailed Gibraltar independently

18 January 1941 was sunk by the German raider KORMORAN in the Atlantic NW of Cape Verde Islands in position 26°34N 30°58W while on passage from Gibraltar to Curacao in ballast with the loss of 9 lives details of whom are recorded with pride on the Tower Hill memorial. 35 other crew members were taken as prisoners of war. The Raider used three torpedoes, sixty one 15cm shells and thirty six 15cm star shells to set the British Union on fire and to sink her. The Radio Officer on the British Union managed to transmit a RRR signal reporting the attack by a raider. This signal was received by British war ships.

 Image courtesy of Brian Watson

6 April 1942 Greaser Ernest Albert Leaman from the ship died while in German cistody as a prisoner of war and is buried in Hamburg Ohlsdorf Cemetery, Hamburg, Germany in grave 7A B 11

Greaser Ernest Albert Leaman

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project