Official Number:                      162649

Laid down:

Builder:                                  Hawthorn, Leslie & Co Ltd., Hebburn

Launched:                              17 July 1931

Into Service:                           1939

Out of service:                        1945

Fate:                                      3 October 1959 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

17 July 1931 launched by Hawthorne, Leslie & Co Ltd., Hebburn as Yard No: 580 named Capsa for Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd., London

October 1931 completed

5 March 1935 at Curacao Fireman Kuan Wong discharged dead – natural causes

16 March 1937 at Curacao

2 April 1937 radioed she was 1,000 nmiles SW of Lands End

2 June 1937 sailed Quebec for Key West

3 May 1939 berthed at Southampton

19 July 1939 sailed Curacao

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

5 September 1939 sailed Trinidad independently to the Downs arriving 19 September 1939

3 October 1939 sailed Rotterdam independently to Falmouth arriving 7 October 1939

26 October 1939 sailed Falmouth joining escorted convoy OA24G. This convoy was renamed OG4 while at sea on 26 October 1939. Capsa passed Gibraltar on 1 November 1939 and then sailed independently to Haifa arriving 9 November 1939

10 November 1939 sailed Haifa independently to Port Said arriving 29 November 1939

30 November 1939 sailed Port Said independently to Tripoli arriving the next day

2 December 1939 sailed Tripoli independently to Gibraltar arriving 12 December 1939

16 December 1939 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG11 to Brest arriving 24 December 1939

24 December 1939 sailed Brest independently to Pauillac arriving 28 December 1939

29 December 1939 sailed Pauillac independently to Rouen arriving 1 January 1940

8 January 1940 sailed Rouen independently to Brest

11 January 1940 sailed Brest in French convoy 20BS to Casablanca arriving 17 January 1940

18 January 1940 sailed Oran independently to Constanza arriving 25 January 1940

30 January 1940 sailed Constanza independently to Gibraltar arriving 8 February 1940

9 February 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG18 to Liverpool arriving 19 February 1940

29 February 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB101 until dispersal on 3 March 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 19 March 1940

21 March 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 1 April 1940

2 April 1940 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX32 to Pauillac arriving about 17 April 1940

19 April 1940 sailed Pauillac independently to Rouen arriving 22 April 1940

26 April 1940 sailed Rouen independently to St Helens Roads, off the Isle of Wight

2 May 1940 sailed St Helens Roads, off the Isle of Wight joining escorted convoy OA139 until dispersal on 4 May 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 20 May 1940

22 May 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving 28 May 1940

31 May 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX47 which merged with escorted convoy HX47 on 8 June 1940 and arrived at Falmouth 20 June 1940

26 November 1940 at Gibraltar 2nd Cook Suan Ong Joon discharged dead – committed suicide

27 June 1942 sighted and challenged by USS Walke (DD416) while on passage from San Pedro to Australia (Source USS Walke’s war diary)

12 September 1947 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east bound

1948 purchased by Evan Thomas Radcliffe, Cardiff and renamed Llanarth

1951 purchased by Cia Atlantica Pacifica S A (Tidewater Commercial), Panama and renamed Bridgewater

3 October 1959 arrived at Osaka for demolition