Official Number: 168388
Class: SPRITE CLASS Spirit Carrier
Pennant No: X115 / A115
Laid down: September 1941
Builder: Blythswood S. B. Co Ltd., Glasgow
Launched: 22 December 1942
Into Service: 16 February 1943
Base Port: Portland (1952)
Out of service: October 1963 – Laid up in reserve at Devonport.
Fate: Broken up
Items of historic interest involving this ship: –
Background Data:
There were two ships in this Class which were Admiralty-designed and they both spent most of their careers in U.K. and Mediterranean waters
22 December 1942 launched by Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd., Scotstoun as Yard Nr: 72 named AIRSPRITE
2 January 1943 Mr Robert A Higgie RFA appointed as Acting Chief Engineer Officer
Acting Chief Engineer Officer Robert A Higgie RFA
4 February 1943 Captain Walter L Holtam RFA appointed as Master
Captain Walter L Holtam RFA
16 February 1943 at Glasgow
17 February 1943 joined the Fleet Fuelling Service as a petrol carrier carrying high octane fuel for coastal forces
24 February 1943 sailed in unescorted convoy WN 398 from Loch Ewe to Methil arriving on 25 February 1943
26 April 1943 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS ANSON refuelling her – 950 gallons aviation spirit
HMS ANSON
1 May 1943 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS HOWE refuelling her. RFA PETRONEL was alongside at the same time delivering fresh water
HMS HOWE
7 August 1943 at Scapa Flow
18 August 1943 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS ANSON refuelling her
6 February 1944 at Scapa Flow
10 June 1944 when going alongside Sutherland Pier in the Orkney Islands grounded – with no apparent damage to the ship. Blame was attributed to Captain Holtam RFA but only to a minor extent as it was his first attempt at taking up a very difficult berth
5 August 1944 at Scapa Flow
17 August 1944 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS INDEFACTIGABLE refuelling her
1 September 1944 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS INDEFACTIGABLE refuelling her
26 September 1944 sailed Methil Roads
11 December 1944 at Scapa Flow
20 March 1945 Mr R W Cook RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
11 September 1945 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
15 September 1945 sailed Portsmouth Harbour to the Downs
16 September 1945 sailed the Downs to Sheerness arriving the next day
18 December 1945 at Sheerness
20 December 1945 at Dover
27 December 1945 sailed Sheerness to the Downs – remained anchored at the Downs until 29 December 1945
29 December 1945 at Dover
19 January 1946 sailed Sheerness to Dover
21 January 1946 sailed Dover to Sheerness
1 February 1946 Captain Walter E Tate RFA appointed as Master
5 March 1946 sailed Sheerness to Dover arriving the same day
19 April 1946 sailed Dover to London
25 April 1946 sailed London to Greenock
27 April 1946 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard
11 June 1946 at Greenock thence to Faslane Dock
17 August 1946 sailed Faslane Dock passing the Lizard on 19 August 1946 to Devonport
11 October 1946 Captain H Oakley RFA appointed as Master
16 October 1946 Mr R B Turner RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
25 October 1946 sailed Devonport to Malta arriving 6 November 1946 with minor defects
11 November 1946 sailed Malta to Port Said arriving 15 November 1946
16 November 1946 sailed Port Said to Aden arriving 23 November 1946
28 November 1946 sailed Aden to Colombo arriving 8 December 1946
12 December 1946 sailed Colombo to Singapore arriving 19 December 1946
16 April 1947 at Singapore
7 April 1948 arrived at Port Said from Tobruk
11 April 1948 sailed Port Said to Malta arriving 15 April 1948
26 April 1948 sailed Malta to Port Said 30 April 1948
8 May 1948 sailed Port Said to Benghazi and Haifa
23 May 1948 sailed Haifa to Beirut
25 May 1948 arrived at Haifa from Beirut
27 May 1948 sailed Haifa to Benghazi
1 June 1948 sailed from Benghazi to Haifa
12 July 1948 Mr John McI Lumsden RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
RFA’s AIRSPRITE & NASPRITE alongside of each other in Misida Creek, Malta astern of HMS RIFLEMAN in February 1949
1 April 1949 Captain A R Wheeler RD RFA (Lieutenant Commander RNR) appointed as Master
20 April 1949 sailed Malta to Lisbon to load a commercial cargo for the UK
21 May 1949 entered the Cromaty Firth off Invergordon and moored alongside HMS IMPLACABLE
HMS IMPLACABLE
24 May 1949 sailed Cromaty Firth
8 July 1949 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
7 September 1949 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
23 September 1949 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
2 September 1949 Mr J J Moore RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
23 January 1950 at Spithead alongside HMS IMPACABLE and HMS VENGENCE refuelling both of them. Anchored at No 10 berth at Spithead
26 January 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
22 February 1950 Captain G O W Evans DSC RFA appointed as Master
23 February 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
29 March 1950 in dock at Immingam
10 April 1950 in dock at Immingham
29 April 1950 still in dock at Immingham
2 May 1950 sailed Immingham
8 May 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
19 July 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
26 July 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
20 September 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
1 November 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
3 November 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
9 November 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
10 November 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
16 November 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
17 November 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
23 November 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
24 November 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
4 December 1950 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
5 December 1950 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
20 December 1950 Mr Arthur L Barr RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
Chief Engineer Arthur L Barr RFA
20 January 1951 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
29 January 1951 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
17 February 1951 the Portsmouth Evening News reported …
28 March 1951 Captain Richard L Barber MID RD RFA (Commander RNR) appointed as Master
1 August 1951 Captain Arthur Jackson OBE RFA appointed as Master
24 October 1951 Mr William H Macfarlane RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
8 January 1952 Mr Wilfred C Shortland RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
4 March 1952 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
29 May 1952 at Chatham alongside HMS CAMPANIA refuelling her with Aviation fuel oil
16 January 1953 at Malta alongside HMS OCEAN which discharged AVGAS to her
HMS OCEAN
23 January 1953 Mr E A H Chantler RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
3 March 1953 suffered a fair amount of structural damage when going alongside the carrier HMS THESEUS at the Detached Mole in Gibraltar when she became jammed under the port bow of the carrier and was freed with the assistance of a Harbour Launch
HMS THESEUS
7 March 1953 Captain George Baker RFA appointed as Master
May 1953 at Aarhus refuelled HMS’s GAY ARCHER, GAY FENCER, GAY BOMBARDIER and an older Vosper ‘shortboat’ boat 1023
4 December 1953 when berthed in the East India Dock, London a lifeboat was damaged by fire
11 December 1953 Mr David Meikle RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
Chief Engineer Officer David Meikle RFA
6 January 1954 Captain Stanley S Maddock RFA appointed as Master
13 January 1954 at Portland
14 April 1954 at Plymouth
10 June 1954 at Plymouth
27 July 1954 Captain R J Lockwood RFA appointed as Master
2 November 1954 Mr J McL Lumsden RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
14 December 1954 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing west bound
15 December 1954 at Portsmouth
19 March 1955 Captain George Robson RFA appointed as Master
11 May 1955 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing west bound
2 June 1955 at Plymouth
27 July 1955 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing east bound
3 September 1955 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing east bound
18 October 1955 Mr D Meikle RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
17 December 1955 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing west bound
3 January 1956 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
13 February 1956 at Grimsby
26 March 1956 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing east
10 July 1956 at Plymouth
18 July 1956 Captain H W Lawford RFA appointed as Master
27 July 1955 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing east
5 November 1956 at Plymouth
7 August 1957 Mr B C Jeremiah RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
2 January 1958 Captain Walter Gibb MBE RFA appointed as Master
27 June 1958 Mr B W Edwards RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
30 October 1958 sailed from Southampton
8 December 1958 entered Chatham Dockyard from the River Medway
27 January 1959 sailed from Chatham Dockyard into the River Medway
7 February 1959 entered Chatham Dockyard from the River Medway
9 February 1959 sailed from Chatham Dockyard into the River Medway
18 April 1959 at Devonport alongside HMS CENTAUR refuelling her with aviation spirit
15 June 1959 Captain Samuel C Dunlop MBE RFA appointed as Master
29 June 1959 at Portsmouth
1 October 1959 at Plymouth
12 October 1959 Mr B W Edwards RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
14 January 1960 moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 8 wharf in Devonport Dockyard
17 January 1960 at Devonport Dockyard moved from No: 8 wharf to Plymouth Sound
19 February 1960 at Devonport Dockyard from Plymouth Sound moved to 6/7 wharf berthing alongside HMS DUNKIRK
21 February 1960 at Devonport Dockyard on No: 7 wharf with RFA BIRCHOL (2) berthed alongside
23 February 1960 at Devonport Dockyard moved from 7 wharf to Plymouth Sound berthing on HMS VICTORIOUS
1 March 1960 at Devonport Dockyard moved from No: 1 jetty to 5/6 wharf berthing on HMS ARK ROYAL
18 March 1960 at Devonport moved from No:4 wharf to No:2 wharf
21 March 1960 at Devonport Dockyard while on No: 2 wharf RFA BIRCHOL (2) berthed alongside
24 March 1960 at Devonport Dockyard also while on No: 2 wharf RFA BIRCHOL (2) berthed alongside again
1 April 1960 moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 4 wharf Devonport Dockyard
6 April 1960 moved from No: 4 wharf Devonport Dockyard to Milbay Docks
19 April 1960 moved from Milbay Docks to No 9 Buoy, Devonport Dockyard berthing on RFA TIDEREACH
20 April 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 9 buoy to No: 4 wharf also at Devonport Dockyard
26 April 1960 at Devonport moved from No 4 wharf to Plymouth Sound berthing on RFA TIDESURGE (1) then returning to No 4 wharf
9 May 1960 at Devonport moved from No 4 wharf to No: 7 buoy then returning to No: 4 wharf
13 May 1960 at Devonport moved from No 4 wharf to No: 6 buoy then returning to No: 4 wharf
28 May 1960 at Devonport Dockyard moved Slip Jetty to Plymouth Sound
15 June 1960 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 8 Wharf
16 June 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 8 wharf to No: 9 wharf
20 June 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 9 wharf to No: 4 wharf also at Devonport Dockyard
1 July 1960 at Devonport moved from No 4 wharf to Plymouth Sound
5 July 1960 at Spithead
29 July 1960 berthed at Malta from Gibraltar
1 August 1960 sailed Malta to the UK
13 August 1960 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to Millbay Docks
19 August 1960 at Plymouth
10 October 1960 at Devonport moved from Millbay Docks to West Mud moorings on RFA SURF PIONEER astern of RFA NASPRITE
29 May 1962 at Devonport moved from West Mud moorings on RFA SURF PIONEER to 2/3 Looking Glass Trot
24 August 1962 at Devonport moved from 2 Looking Glass Trot to 2B Lynher trot
October 1963 laid up in reserve at Devonport
January 1965 transferred to the MoT for disposal
12 January 1965 offered for sale, ‘as lying’, at Devonport in ‘The Times’ of this day
11 March 1965 sold for scrap to a Brussels based company
13 March 1965 sailed Devonport in tow of the Dutch tug CLYDE for the breakers
14 March 1965 arrived at Antwerp for breaking up by Scrappingco, Willebroek. Belgium
Notes:
1. Care should be taken not to confuse RFA Airsprite with HMAS Air Sprite which was in commission as an air sea rescue vessel between 1960 and 1976 in the Royal Australian Navy