Official Number: 162337
Laid down:
Builder: Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend
Launched: 8 December 1930
Into Service: 1939
Out of service: 1941
Fate: April 1941 torpedoed and later 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
8 December 1930 launched by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend as Yard Nr 1439 named CAPULET for Bear Creek Oil & Shipping Co Ltd., (C.T. Bowring & Co Ltd, Managers), Liverpool
November 1932 completed
20 April 1934 in the English Channel in thick fog while on passage from Trinidad to London was in collision with the Norwegian motor tanker Vera on passage from Hull to Gibraltar. Suffered damage to a hawse pipe and two plates. The Vera suffered damage to her port quarter
15 August 1935 sailed Coryton
20 August 1935 at Mounts Bay while on passage from Coryton to Houston landed a injured crew member and sailed
4 September 1935 near the Great Isaac Lighthouse, Bahamas stranded as a result of a hurricane – managed to be refloated and continued to Houston
9 June 1937 put into Falmouth while on passage from Coryton to Curacao with compressor trouble
15 December 1937 at 32.04 N, 41.41 W radioed she had had an engine breakdown and expected repairs would take four days
23 December 1937 arrived Horta, Azores under tow. Later left, again under tow of the tug Albatross for London
12 January 1938 passed Dungeness sailing east under the tow of tugs
1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler, name unchanged
3 September 1939 sailed New Orleans independently to Bermuda arriving 9 September 1939
16 September 1939 sailed Halifax in convoy HX1 for Liverpool arriving on 3 October 1939
19 October 1939 sailed Liverpool in convoy OB22 until dispersal on 22 October 1939 and then independently to Trinidad arriving on 5 November 1939
7 November 1939 sailed Trinidad independently to Freetown arriving on 20 November 1939
30 November 1939 sailed Freetown independently to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands arriving on 18 December 1939
2 January 1940 sailed Port Stanley, Falkland Islands independently to Trinidad arriving on 20 January 1940
25 January 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Halifax arriving on 3 February 1940
7 February 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX19 to Portsmouth arriving on 24 February 1940. The ocean escort for this convoy was provided by the battleship HMS REVENGE
26 February 1940 sailed Portsmouth and joined convoy OA99 from St Helens Roads to Falmouth arriving on 29 February 1940
19 March 1940 sailed Falmouth and joined convoy OA112 until dispersal on 21 MArch 1940 then independently to Curacao arriving on 6 April 1940
8 April 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Montevideo arriving on 1 May 1940
6 May 1940 sailed Montevideo independently to Trinidad arriving on 23 May 1940
27 May 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Bermuda arriving on 3 June 1940
4 June 1940 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX48 to Halifax where she joined Convoy HX48 on 10 June 1940 sailing to Devonport arriving on 19 June 1940
21 June 1940 sailed Devonport to Gibraltar arrived on 26 June 1940
2 July 1940 sailed Gibraltar independently to Curacao arriving on 19 July 1940
20 July 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving on 26 July 1940
30 July 1940 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX62 to Halifax where she joined Convoy HX62 on 4 August 1940 sailing to the Clyde arriving on 15 August 1940
1 October 1940 sailed the Clyde in ballast and joined convoy OB222 from Liverpool until dispersal on 5 October 1940 and then independently to Trinidad arriving on 18 October 1940
23 October 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Bermuda arriving on 29 October 1940
30 October 1940 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX85 to Halifax where she joined Convoy HX85 on 1 November 1940 sailing to Sydney, Cape Breton arriving on 9 November 1940 sailing on 11 November 1940 to Oban arriving on 25 November 1940
2 December 1940 sailed Oban in convoy WN48 to Scapa Flow arriving 3 December 1940
14 December 1940 sailed Scapa Flow in ballast in convoy EN40/1 to the Clyde arriving on 16 December 1940
29 December 1940 sailed the Clyde and joined convoy OB266 from Liverpool until dispersal on 1 January 1941 and then independently to Trinidad arriving 19 January 1940
22 January 1941 sailed Trinidad independently to Gibraltar arriving on 8 February 1941
12 March 1941 sailed Gibraltar independently to Curacao arriving on 27 March 1941
30 March 1941 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving on 10 April 1941
16 April 1941 sailed Halifax in convoy HX121 for Scapa Flow. RFA DENBYDALE was in the same convoy. The battleship HMS REVENGE was the Ocean Escort for this convoy
28 April 1941 torpedoed and damaged by German submarine U-552 (Oberleutnant zur SeeErich Topp)then later sunk by gunfire from German submarine U-201 (Oberleutnant zur See Adalbert Schnee) south of Iceland in position 60.00 N 16.00 W while on passage from Curacao to Scapa Flow carrying three passengers and 11,200t of fuel oil as part of Convoy HX 121 with the loss of eight lives. Eighteen survivors were rescued by the destroyer HMS DOUGLAS (Commander William E Banks DSC Royal Navy) and landed at Londonderry and seventeen survivors by the Rescue Ship ZAAFAREN and landed at Greenock. Those who were lost are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial
Image courtesy of Brian Watson