RFA Aldersdale (Dale class oiler) 1937

Convoy          Depart                   Arrive

Blue.1    Port Said 9th September 1939 – Gibraltar 19th September 1939 (RFA Abbeydale also sailed in this convoy)

HG.1      Gibraltar 26th September 1939 – Liverpool 6th October 1939
               (Aldersdale detached for Trinidad) (RFA’s Abbeydale and Serbol also sailed in this convoy)

HX.11     Halifax 4th December 1939 – Liverpool 18th December 1939
               (with cargo of Fuel Oil)

OB.70     Liverpool January 1940, joined OG.14 at sea – Gibraltar 19th January 1940

OG.14     Formed at sea 14th January 1940 – Gibraltar 19th January 1940
                (Aldersdale to Aden)

HG.16     Gibraltar 24th January 1940 – Liverpool 3rd February 1940
                (with cargo of FFO)

OA. 89     Southend 10th February 1940 – convoy dispersed 13th February 1940
                ( Aldersdale to Plymouth)

HX.28      Halifax 18th March 1940 – Liverpool 2nd April 1940
                (Aldersdale to Scapa Flow with FFO)

WN.16     Clyde 17th September 1940 – Methil 22nd September 1940
                (to Scapa Flow with FFO)

Dervish   Hvalfjord 21st August 1941 – Archangel 31st August 1941 

UR.2        Loch Ewe 19th December 1941 – Reykjavik 25th December 1941

PQ.14      Oban 26th March 1942 – Murmansk 19th April 1942

PQ.17      Reykjavik 27th June 1942 – Convoy dispersed 4th July 1942 (RFA Gray Ranger also sailed in this convey)

At 15:13 hrs on the 7th July 1942 Aldersdale was attacked by three enemy aircraft , two machine gunned the ship, whilst the third scored a direct hit on the engine room, the crew abandoned the ship and an attempt was made to take her in tow, but this proved impractical.

HM ship then attempted to sink the Aldersdale with gunfire, but this had to be abandoned, she was later sunk by torpedoes from U457, under the command of Korvetten Kapitan Karl Brandenburg at position 70 N 45 E.