Official Number:                      159816 

Laid down:

Builder:                                     Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack

Pennant No:                           

Launched:                               1938

Into Service:                            WW2

Out of service:                         30 May 1944

Fate:                                          30 May 1944 sunk as a block ship at Burra Sound, Scapa Flow

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

 Background Data:  One of an additional group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW2 to use as a block ship

Career Data:

1938 launched by Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack as Yard Nr: 750 named Inverlane for Inver Tankers Ltd., (A Weir & Co., Managers), Dublin

July 1938 completed

17 August 1938 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound and arrived at Falmouth

31 August 1938 arrived at Curaçao from Falmouth

18 November 1938 sailed Port Arthur, Texas for Venice

20 March 1939 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound

4 April 1939 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound

10 April 1939 sailed Teneriffe for Port Arthur, Texas

4 June 1939 sailed Port Arthur for Vigo

24 June 1939 at Bilbao

22 July 1939 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound

1939 re registered at Glasgow

29 September 1939 sailed Southend in escorted convoy OA12G. This convoy reformed at 49°30N 7° 30W as escorted convoy OG1 on 2 October 1939 for Gibraltar arriving 8 October 1939

8 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar in unescorted convoy Green to Port Said arriving 17 October 1939

19 November 1939 sailed Port Said in escorted convoy HG9 for Liverpool and Invergordon arriving at Liverpool on 8 December 1939 with a cargo of FFO

12 December 1939 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN53 for Methil but did not arrive

13 December 1939 mined off the East Coast of England near Tynemouth in position 55°05N  01°07W caught fire and was beached with the loss of seven lives

WW2 after being purchased by the Admiralty for use as Block Ship the bow and midship sections were made secure and towed to Scapa Flow

30 May 1944 scuttled in Burra Sound, Scapa Flow between the islands of Graemsay and Hoy

ss Inverlane – (c) Orkney Library & Archive

Notes:

The owners were a subsidiary of Bank Line Ltd and the seven ships in the Fleet were initially registered in Dublin as part of the Liffey Transport and Trading Co Ltd but were re-registered under the British flag on the outbreak of WW2.  All seven tankers were lost on War Service.