Official Number:           

Class:                         Replenishment Oiler

Pennant No:               

Builder:                      Gotaverkena A/B, Gothenburg

Launched:                  1936

Fate:                          Sunk

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data  One of a group of ships requisitioned by the Admiralty during WW2 to augment the ships of the RFA

9 April 1940 arrived at Houston, Texas

10 April 1940 sailed Houston to Tampico arriving 14 April 1940

15 April 1940 sailed Tampico to Houston arriving 17 April 1940

20 April 1940 sailed Houston to Vera Cruz arriving 23 April 1940

24 April 1940 sailed Vera Cruz to Tampico arriving the next day

27 April 1940 sailed Tampico to Houston arriving 29 April 1940

13 May 1940 sailed Houston to Tampico arriving 16 May 1940

17 May 1940 sailed Tampico to Houston arriving 20 May 1940

22 May 1940 sailed Houston to Tampico arriving 24 May 1940

25 May 1940 sailed Tampico to Houston arriving 28 May 1940

31 May 1940 sailed Houston to Galveston arriving 2 June 1940

3 June 1940 sailed Galveston to Houston arriving 8 June 1940

27 June 1940 sailed Houston to Tampico arriving 29 June 1940

3 July 1940 sailed Tampico to Tuxpan arriving 5 July 1940 

In Admiralty Service from 1941

24 January 1941 – at Salamis Bay HMAS VENDETTA alongside to refuel

15 March 1941 arrived at Suda Bay, Crete and was used as a replenishing oiler for Allied warships there

20 March 1941 at Suda Bay, Crete HMAS PERTH alongside to refuel

26 March 1941 an Italian midget submarines launched an attack on the ships in Suda Bay. HMS YORK and a tanker were lost, whilst Pericles was badly damaged. The ship had just finished replenishing HMS COVENTRY when an air raid warning was given, the ship was struck by a bomb in No 2 Starboard wing tank, the bomb penetrated No 3 centre tank and ended up in No 2 Port tank.  Oil gushed out of the damaged tanks and the pump room became partially flooded, and she listed about 40 degrees to Starboard. The majority of the crew abandoned ship in the Starboard lifeboat, the rest of the crew managing to escape in a life raft, which was rescued by the lifeboat. The ship appeared to settle, and the Captain and a number of the crew re-boarded and opened the Port tank valves, the ship straightened and the rest of the crew then returned. The attacked resulted in the ship loosing 500 tons of cargo – souce Admiralty war Diary copying a signal from the Senior British Naval Officer Suda Bay

28 March 1941 RFA CHERRYLEAF came alongside and proceeded to pump out the Pericles’s cargo, returning again on the 4th April to pump out the remaining fuel.

11 April 1941 sailed Suda Bay escorted by HMS MOONSTONE

12 April 1941 while on passage to Port Said heavy weather developed and when about 35 miles off Alexandria, with her engines stopped, the crew abandoned the ship again and were picked up by HMS GRIMSBY.  Shortly afterwards the ship broke in two, and whilst still afloat, was sunk by gunfire from HMS GRIMSBY. The crew of 30 Norwegian, 6 Greek and 2 Danish seamen survived without casualty.