Official Number:                     161840

Laid down:

Builder:                                   N V Scheeps, Dordrecht

Launched:                               1925

Into Service:                            1939

Out of service:                         23 March 1942

Fate:                                       23 March 1942 torepdoed and 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:

1925 launched by N V Scheeps, Dordrecht as Yard Nr: 33 named Peder Bogen for South Georgia Co Ltd., (Chr. Salvesen & Co., Managers) Leith

June 1925 completed

28 June 1925 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east

4 January 1927 sailed St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands

5 December 1934 sailed the River Tyne for South Georgia

9 March 1935 sailed the Antarctic Whaling Grounds for St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands

25 April 1937 sailed Beaumont, Texas for Naples

16 May 1937 at 30.26N 12.25W Greaser John Santo discharged dead from heart failure

12 September 1937 arrived Galveston from Pauillac

15 March 1938 arrived at Liverpool from Antartica

1939 requisitioned for Admiralty service as an oiler, name unchanged

21 September 1939 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB8 until dispersal on 25 September 1939 and then independently to Curacao arriving 9 October 1939

12 October 1939 sailed Curacao independently to Halifax arriving 23 October 1939

25 October 1939 sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX6 to Liverpool arriving on 10 November 1939 and then independently to Avonmouth arriving 11 November 1939

13 November 1939 sailed Avonmouth independently to Falmouth arriving the next day

20 November 1939 sailed Falmouth joining escorted convoy OA37 until dispersal on 21 November 1939 and then independently to Aruba arriving 11 December 1939

13 December 1939 sailed Aruba independently to Freetown arriving 29 December 1939

30 December 1939 sailed Freetown independently to Cape Town arriving 14 January 1940

14 January 1940 sailed from Cape Town

29 February 1940 sailed Antartic Whaling Ground independently to Cape Town arriving 9 March 1940

16 March 1940 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 30 March 1940

30 March 1940 sailed Freetown

23 April 1940 sailed Southend in unescorted convoy FN153 to the River Tyne arriving 25 April 1940

31 May 1940 sailed the Tyne in unescorted convoy FS184 to Southend arriving 2 June 1940 there joining escorted convoy OA16 to Falmouth arriving 4 June 1940

6 June 1940 sailed Falmouth joining escorted convoy OA162 until dispersal and then independently to Aruba arriving 24 June 1940

25 June 1940 sailed Aruba independently to Bermuda arriving 1 July 1940

2 July 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX55 with a cargo of fuel oil with the intent to join convoy HX55 from Halifax but returned to Bermuda 3 July 1940

13 July 1940 at Bermuda 3rd Engineer Officer James W Dawson discharged dead following an accident on board

30 July 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX62 joining escorted convoy HX62 to Liverpool arriving 15 August 1940

13 September 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB213 until dispersal on the 18 September 1940 and then independently to Aruba arriving 3 October 1940

4 October 1940 sailed Aruba independently to Bermuda arriving 10 October 1940

14 October 1940 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX81 which joined escorted convoy HX81 to the River Clyde arriving 1 November 1940

19 November 1940 sailed the Clyde independently to Liverpool arriving the next day

20 December 1940 sailed Liverpool in escorted convoy OB262 ntil dispersal on the 23 December 1940 and then independently to Curacao arriving 10 January 1941

13 January 1941 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda arriving on 19 January 1941

21 January 1941 sailed Bermuda in escorted convoy BHX104 to Liverpool arriving 9 February 1941. RFA DARKDALE also sailed in this convoy

23 March 1942 torpedoed and sunk by gunfire by the Italian submarine Morosini in the Atlantic east of the West Indies in position 24.41N 57.44W while on an independent passage from Trinidad to Halifax, N S carrying 14,000 tons of fuel oil without any casualties. Fifty two of her complement were rescued by the Spanish tanker GOBEO and landed at Lisbon while the remaining thirty two survivors were landed at New York by an unknown ship