Official Number:                      146550

Laid down:

Builder:                                    Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast

Launched:                               17 January 1922

Into Service:                            1939

Out of service:                         1942

Fate:                                        3 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:

17 January 1922  launched by Workman, Clark & Co Ltd., Belfast as Yard Nr: 465 named BRITISH WORKMAN for British Tanker Co Ltd, London

April 1922  completed

15 July 1922 sailed from Suez for Abadan

24 December 1923 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 7 passengers. Captain F J Hill was Master

14 January 1924 arrived at Aden from Port Said

5 August 1925 at Shields on the River Tyne

21 December 1925 at Port Said

7 October 1926 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 8 passengers

13 October 1929 sailed Swansea to Abadan with 7 passengers. Captain H B Large was Master

27 August 1933 sailed from Liverpool for Abadan

2 June 1934 sailed Suez

5 September 1934 berthed at Mombasa from Abadan

10 September 1934 sailed Mombasa to Abadan

8 November 1934 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 8 passengers. Captain A Akens was Master

24 November 1934 at 17°34N 56°40E infant passenger Patrick Loraine MacDonogh Hawker aged 5 months discharged dead – choked on vomit while asleep

4 July 1935 at sea Sailor Sulleyman Oosman discharged dead – lost overboard in heavy weather

12 July 1935 berthed at Mombasa from Abadan

14 July 1935 sailed from Mombasa to Abadan

23 October 1935 in the Suez Canal in collision with the Italian Troopship Belvedere – both vessels damaged but both continued on with their respective voyages

24 November 1935 sailed from Port Said for LEFO

27 December 1935 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound when on passage to Abadan

19 October 1937 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 7 paassengers. Captain A Ballie was Master

11 December 1937 passed Gibraltar

2 January 1939 sailed Abadan for Shellhaven

21 February 1939 passed Gibraltar

2 March 1939 arrived Port Said

8 March 1939 passed Aden

16 March 1939 berthed at Abadan

19 March 1939 sailed Abadan

1 April 1939 passed Gibraltar

15 April 1939 passed Dungeness

24 April 1939 radioed she was 50 nmiles W of Ushant

17 May 1939 sailed Texas City

10 June 1939 arrived at Hamburg

13 June 1939 arrived at Falmouth

21 June 1939 sailed Falmouth

25 June 1939 passed Gibraltar

2 July 1939 sailed Port Said

8 July 1939 passed Aden

16 July 1939 arrived at Abadan

18 July 1939 sailed Abadan

18 August 1939 arrived at Saltend, Hull from Abadan

5 September 1938 sailed Falmouth to Abadan with 6 passengers

1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an Escort Oiler, name unchanged

3 October 1939 sailed Methil in convoy FS16 to Southend arriving 5 October 1939

15 October 1939 sailed Southend in convoy OA20G which reformed into convoy OG3 on 17 October 1939 and then sailed to Gibraltar arriving on 23 October 1939

24 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar independently to Aruba arriving 7 November 1939

9 November 1939 sailed Aruba independently to Halifax on 18 November 1939

26 November 1939 sailed Halifax in escortedconvoy HX19 to Sheerness arriving 13 December 1939

30 December 1939 sailed Sheerness in escorted convoy OA63GF to Milford Haven arriving the next day

31 December 1939 sailed Milford Haven in escorted convoy OG13F then independently to Aruba arriving 21 January 1940

23 January 1940 sailed Aruba independently to Halifax arriving 4 February 1940

7 February 1940 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX19 with a cargo of benzine to Belfast Lough arriving 21 February 1940

25 February 1940 sailed Belfast Lough independently to Falmouth arriving 27 February 1940

9 February 1940 sailed Falmouth and joined escorted convoy OA105G. This convoy reformed as the escorted convoy OG21 while at sea on the the 11 March 1940 to Gibraltar arriving 17 March 1940 which British Workman passed and then sailed independently to Constanza arriving 25 March 1940

30 March 1940 sailed Constanza independently to Gibraltar arriving 7 April 1940

10 April 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG26F to the River Clyde arriving 19 April 1940

2 May 1940 sailed the River Clyde joining escorted convoy OB140. This convoy reformed at sea on the 5th May 1940 as the escorted convoy OG28 passing Gibraltar on the 10 May 1940 and then sailed independently to Port Said arriving 18 May 1940

29 May 1940 sailed Suez independently to Abadan arriving 11 June 1940

13 June 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town arriving 11 July 1940

13 July 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 27 July 1940

2 August 1940 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL42 to Belfast Lough arriving 20 August 1940

22 August 1940 sailed Belfast Lough independently to the River Clyde arriving the next day

28 August 1940 sailed the River Clyde in escorted convoy WN11 to Methil arriving 1 September 1940

2 September 1940 sailed Methil in the unescorted convoy FS270 to Southend arriving 4 September 1940. The Admiralty tanker British Lady also sailed in this convoy

14 September 1940 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN280 to Methil arriving 16 September 1940. RFA Larchol also sailed in this convoy

21 October 1940 arrived at Methil in unescorted convoy FN312 from Southend

22 October 1940 sailed Methil in escorted convoy OA223 which joined with convoy OB233 on 24 October 1940. British Workman then detached and sailed independently to Cape Town arriving 26 November 1940

27 November 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Abadan arriving on 19 December 1940

23 December 1940 sailed Abadan independently to Cape Town

16 January 1941 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 30 January 1941

10 February 1941 sailed Freetown in escorted convoy SL65 to Oban arriving 7 March 1941

9 March 1941 sailed Oban in escorted convoy WN96 to Methil arriving 11 March 1941

12 March 1941 sailed Methil in unescorted convoy FS434 to Southend arriving 14 March 1941

4 April 1941 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN449 to Methil arriving 6 April 1941

 8 April 1941 sailed Methel joining escorted convoy EC4 to Kirkwall arriving 10 April 1941

10 April 1941 in convoy EC4 at 58.31N 2.40W was attacked and hit by enemy aircraft together with ss Pandorian. Both ships were bombed and machine gunned. British Workman sailed to Kirkwall escorted by HMS SALTARELLO. SS Pandorian sailed to Invergordon escorted by HMS AUBRETIA. British Workman anchored at Kirkwall with a list and with four casualties

29 April 1941 sailed Kirkwall in convoy EC13SP to Loch Ewe arriving the next day

17 May 1941 arrived at New York having sailed independently

9 June 1941 sailed New York independently to Halifax arriving 12 June 1941

16 June 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX133 to Loch Ewe arriving 1 July 1941

1 July 1941 sailed Loch Ewe joining unescorted convoy WN147 from Ovan to Methil arriving 3 July 1941

5 July 1941 sailed Methil in unescorted convoy FS534 to Southend arriving 7 July 1941

9 July 1941 Chief Officer George R Mackillican awarded a Commendation – reasons not shown – details published in the London Gazette of this date

21 July 1941 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN496 to Methil arriving 23 July 1941

26 July 1941 sailed Methil in escorted convoy EC50 to Loch Ewe arriving on 29 July 1941 and then independently to New York arriving 13 August 1941

15 August 1941 sailed New York independently to Halifax arriving on 19 August 1941

21 August 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX146 to Liverpool arriving 6 September 1941

25 September 1941 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy ON20 until dispersal on 9 October 1941 and then independently to Baltimore arriving 15 October 1941

29 October 1941 sailed Baltimore independently to Aruba arriving 6 November 1941

6 November 1941 sailed Aruba independently to Galveston arriving 13 November 1941

19 November 1941 sailed Galveston independently to Port Arthur arriving the same day

23 November 1941 sailed Port Arthur independently to Halifax arriving 3 December 1941

8 December 1941 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX164 to Reykjavik, Iceland arriving 21 December 1941

8 January 1942 sailed Hvalfjord in escorted convoy PQ8 to Murmansk arriving 17 January 1942

10 April 1942 sailed Iceland for the Clyde

3 May 1942 torpedoed and sunk by U-455 in position 44.07 N 51.53 W in the Atlantic 300 miles SSE of Cape Race while on passage from Greenock to Galveston in ballast as a straggler from Convoy ON 89 with engine problems. Forty seven survivors were rescued by the Canadian destroyer HMCS ASSINIBOINE and the corvette HMCS ALBERNI  and landed at St John’s, Nfld. Seven of her crew were lost and six are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill memorial. The seventh – Fireman James M Wright – is remembered with pride on the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia, Canada on Panel 22

Image courtesy of Brian Watson