Official Number:                    164589

Laid down:                              

Builder:                                    Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend

Launched:                               December 1935

Into Service:                           1939

Out of service:                        1945

Fate:                                         March 1959

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  One of several ships requisitioned by the Admiralty for service to augment the ships of the RFA  during the Abyssianian Campaign

Career Data:

 27 December 1935 launched by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend as Yard Nr 1511 named MACTRA for Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London

March 1936 completed

18 October 1936 at 33°30N 121°48E Chief Mate John Harold Dawson discharged dead from accidental injuries sustained on board

27 May 1937 sailed Brisbane via Townsville for Balik Papan

25 June 1937 sailed Melbourne

28 June 1937 berthed at Port Pirie, South Australia from Balik Papan

30 June 1937 having discharged her cargo sailed Port Pirie, South Australia to Batavia

28 December 1938 sailed Curacao for LEFO

17 January 1939 arrived Shell Haven from Curacao

26 January 1939 in Mountstuart dry dock at Cardiff

15 February 1939 sailed Curacao for Gibraltar

25 February 1939 at 30°42N 35°01W Bosun Ah Sing discharged dead – hit on the head with a piece of metal

3 April 1939 berthed at Avonmouth to discharge

5 April 1939 at Bristol Police Court Pumpman Yeap Ching Pui appeared charged with the Murder of Bosun Ah Sing on 25 February 1939. He was remanded in custody

Press report from the Western Daily Press of 5 April 1939

8 April 1939 sailed Ardrossan

30 April 1939 arrived at Houston, Texas from Ardrossan

1 May 1939 the trial of Pumpman Yeap Ching Pui was held at the Central Criminal Court, London. Pumpman Yeap Ching Pui pleaded Not Guilty to murder. He was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter by the jury and was discharged

13 June 1939 arrived at Curaçao

16 June 1939 sailed Curaçao for Gibraltar

15 July 1939 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound  

30 July 1939 sailed Curaçao

1939 – 1945 requisitioned for Admiralty service and served as an Escort Oiler, name unchanged

3 September 1939 sailed Curaçao independently to Trinidad arriving 6 September 1939

7 September 1939 sailed Trinidad independently to Pauillac arriving 24 September 1939

28 September 1939 sailed Pauillac independently to Spithead arriving 2 October 1939

4 October 1939 sailed Spithead independently to Plymouth arriving the next day

7 October 1939 sailed Plymouth independently to Cardiff arriving the same day

31 October 1939 sailed Cardiff independently to Milford Haven arriving the next day

3 November 1939 sailed Milford Haven and joined convoy OB29 from Liverpool until dispersal on 7 November 1939 thence independently to Corpus Christi arriving 26 November 1939

28 November 1939 sailed Corpus Christi independently to Halifax arriving 8 December 1939

12 December 1939 sailed Halifax in convoy HX12 to Le Harve arriving 28 December 1939

30 December 1939 sailed Le Harve independently to Southampton arriving 2 January 1940

6 January 1940 sailed St Helens Roads joining convoy OA67 until dispersal on 8 January 1940 and then independently to Trinidad arriving 22 January 1940

25 January 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Freetown arriving 8 February 1940

23 February 1940 sailed Freetown independently to Curacao arriving 7 March 1940

10 March 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 20 March 1940

21 March 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX29 to Avonmouth with a cargo of FFO arriving 4 April 1940

11 April 1940 sailed Avonmouth independently to Milford Haven arriving the next day

13 April 1940 sailed Milford Haven joining convoy OB128 which formed convoy OG26F the next day and then independently to Curacao arriving 2 May 1940

5 May 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Dakar arriving 21 May 1940

23 May 1940 sailed Dakar independently to Curacao arriving 3 June 1940

5 June 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving 11 June 1940

12 June 1940 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX50. This convoy joined convoy HX50 which had sailed from Halifax on 13 June 1940 and arrived at Liverpool on 27 June 1940

21 July 1940 sailed Liverpool in convoy OB187 until dispersal on 25 July 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 9 August 1940

10 August 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving 15 August 1940

19 August 1940 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX67. This convoy joined convoy HX67 which had sailed from Halifax on 20 August 1940 and arrived at Methil Roads on 5 September 1940

6 September 1940 sailed Methil Roads in convoy FS274 to Hull arriving 8 September 1940

13 September 1940 sailed Hull in convoy FN279 from Southend to the River Tyne arriving 15 September 1940

8 October 1940 sailed the River Tyne in convoy FN301 arriving at Methil the same day

10 October 1940 sailed Methil in the escorted convoy OA227 until it dispersed 14 October 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 31 October 1940

2 November 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving 8 November 1940

8 November 1940 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX87. This convoy joined convoy HX86 which had sailed from Halifax on 10 November 1940 and arrived at Oban on 25 November 1940

8 December 1940 sailed Methil in the unescorted convoy FS356 to Southend arriving 10 December 1940

16 December 1940 sailed Southend in the unescorted convoy FN360 to Methil arriving 18 December 1940

20 December 1940 sailed Methil in the escorted convoy EN44 to Oban arriving 24 December 1940

27 December 1940 sailed Oban in the escorted convoy OB275 until dispersal on 30 December 1940 and the independently to Curacao arriving 17 January 1941

28 January 1941 sailed from Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX106 and joined escorted convoy HX106 on 2 February 1941  thence arriving at Liverpool on 18 February 1941 with a cargo of crude oil

20 March 1942 paravanes streamed from the Mactra cut the mooring wire of a mine at 34.13°S 17.51°E in the approaches to Cape Town harbour. Signals to all ships warning them of the danger and advising they should approach this port on a course of 060° – source Admiralty  War Diary of this day

7 January 1943 in an Egyptian Government Prison at Port Said 2nd cook Tsang Sui discharged dead – suicide

23 August 1944 sailed from Boston in unescorted convoy BX121 for Halifax arriving 25 August 1944

4 January 1945 sailed Cape Cod Canal independently to New York arriving the next day

8 February 1945 sailed New York independently

11 February 1945 sailed Boston in convoy BX145 to Halifax arriving 13 February 1945

25 February 1945 sailed Halifax in convoy SC168 to Ardrossan arriving 13 March 1945 – during this convoy acted as an Escort Oiler with one other tanker – Macoma

23 March 1945 sailed the River Clyde joining convoy ONS45 from Liverpool to Halifax and then onto the Cape Cod Canal arriving 12 April 1945 – during this convoy acted as an Escort Oiler with two other tankers – British Honour and Peik

12 April 1945 sailed Cape Cod Canal independently to New York arriving the next day

19 April 1945 sailed New York independently

22 April 1945 sailed Boston in convoy BX158 to Halifax arriving 24 April 1945

28 April 1945 sailed Halifax in convoy SC174 to Loch Ewe arriving 14 May 1945 – during this convoy acted as an Escort Oiler with three other tankers – British Energy, Miralda and Peik

16 May 1945 arrived Scapa Flow from Loch Ewe

18 May 1945 sailed Scapa Flow joining convoy WN692 to Methil Roads arriving the next day 

20 May 1945 sailed Methil Roads independently to Immingham arriving 22 May 1945

23 May 1945 sailed Immingham independently to Cuxhaven arriving 25 May 1945

25 May 1945 sailed Cuxhaven independently to Immingham arriving 6 June 1945

8 June 1945 sailed Immingham independently to New York arriving 25 June 1945

3 July 1945 sailed New York independently to Bermuda arriving 6 July 1945 

7 July 1945 sailed Bermuda independently for Naples arriving 24 July 1945

28 July 1945 sailed Naples independently to Port Said arriving 2 August 1945

23 September 1947 berthed at Empire Dock, Singapore

14 January 1948 berthed at West Wharf, Singapore

16 April 1948 sailed Singapore

2 November 1948 sailed Curacao for LEFO

7 December 1948 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing westwards

10 December 1948 berthed at Heysham from Falmouth

31 December 1951 suffered damage steering in the North Atlantic. Taken in tow by the rescue tug Turmoil and towed to Falmouth Bay arriving 1 January 1951

22 September 1955 berthed at Singapore

5 February 1957 berthed at Singapore

14 March 1958 berthed at Singapore

23 December 1958 at Pladju No 2 Fireman Chia Sou discharged dead from pneumonia

12 February 1959 was in the outer roads of Singapore Harbour

30 March 1959 arrived Hong Kong for demolition.