Official Number:                       169842 

Laid down:

Builder:                                   Gray’s Iron Works Inc., Galveston, Texas

Launched:                               30 May 1943

Pennant No:                            B502

Into Service:                           1943

Out of service:                         1946

Fate:                                      About 1991

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:

30 May 1943 launched by Gray’s Iron Works Inc., Galveston, Texas as Yard Nr: 105 named DARST CREEK for the US WSA

June 1943 completed and bareboat chartered by MoWT under management of Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd., London – name unchanged

9 February 1944 sailed Galeston Bar in unescorted convoy HK191 to Key West arriving 13 February 1944

13 February 1944 sailed Key West in unescorted convoy KN295 to New York arriving 19 February 1944

3 March 1944 sailed Boston in unescorted convoy BX98 to Halifax arriving 5 March 1944

14 March 1944 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy SC155 to Liverpool arriving 29 March 1944

11 June 1944 sailed Barry in escorted convoy EBC9 to Seine Bay arriving 15 June 1944

6 July 1944 sailed Seine Bay in escorted convoy FTC28 to Southend arriving 7 July 1944

7 July 1944 in collision with USS LST503 in Area 18 causing damage to the USS vessel and suffering slight damage herself

18 July 1944 sailed Portsmouth in escorted convoy ETC40 to Seine Bay arriving the same day

20 July 1944 sailed Seine Bay in escorted convoy FTC42 to Southampton arriving the same day

23 July 1944 sailed Portsmouth in escorted convoy ETC45 to Seine Bay arriving the same day

24 July 1944 Electrician Frederick Round discharged dead having been killed by the explosion of a German anti personal land mine ashore. He is buried in Bayeux War Cemetery in grave II M 2

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

25 July 1944 sailed Seine Bay in unescorted convoy FTM48 to Portsmouth arriving the same day

30 June 1945 at Manus Harbour, Admiralty Islands

30 August 1945 sailed Manus Harbour, Admiralty Islands

5 November 1945 at Amoy alongside HMAS MARYBOROUGH to refuel her

HMAS MARYBOROUGH

8 November 1945 at Amoy alongside HMAS BALLARAT and HMAS MARYBOROUGH to refuel them

1946 purchased by China Tanker Co Ltd., Shanghai and renamed YUNG HUANG

1949 renamed CHIEH SHE 1 by her owners now styled as China Tanker Co Ltd., Kaohsiung

November 1991 deleted from the Registers – existence in doubt

Notes:

Served with the British Pacific Fleet Train – hence the ‘B’ Pennant Nr.