Official Number: 165489
Class: 1st DALE CLASS Freighting Tanker
Pennant No: X 67
Laid down:
Builder: Harland & Wolff, Govan
Launched: 22 April 1937
Into Service: 7 June 1937
Out of service: 30 April 1940
Fate: Stranded at Narvik
Items of historic interest involving this ship: –
Background Data: Originally there were to have been ninteen ships in this Class. The first six were purchased off the stocks from the British Tanker Co Ltd whilst building at the instigation of the then Director of Stores, Sir William Gick, who was concerned at the age of the RFA Fleet and ships that were approaching the end of their economic lives. A further two ships were purchased from Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd for evaluation purposes. At the outbreak of WW2, a further eleven ships were acquired from the MoWT war programme although one of these, to have been named EPPINGDALE, which had been registered in London as EMPIRE GOLD on 21/02/43 and intended for transfer to the Admiralty for manning and management as an RFA and despite five Officers being appointed to her, the intended transfer was cancelled the following day and she thus never entered RFA service. Three of this Class were converted into LSG’s and were then reconverted back into tankers at the end of the War.
10 April 1936 ordered by the British Tanker Company Ltd., London
22 April 1937 launched by Harland & Wolff Ltd., Govan as Yard Nr: 971 G named BOARDALE for the Admiralty
15 June 1937 Captain Leonard Elford RFA appointed as Master
Captain Leonard Elford RFA
7 July 1937 completed
8 July 1937 commenced her maiden voyage from Glasgow – Port Said – Abadan
19 September 1937 arrived Plymouth from Abadan
21 September 1937 sailed Plymouth and passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound for Glasgow
30 November 1937 arrived at Glasgow from Liverpool in ballast
31 March 1938 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound
4 April 1938 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at St Catherines Point sailing east bound
5 April 1938 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
8 April 1938 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
3 June 1938 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
5 June 1938 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
9 June 1938 Mr Alexander B McIntyre RFA (Lieutenant Commander (E) RNR) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
Chief Engineer Officer Alexander B McIntyre RFA
17 July 1938 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound
21 July 1938 arrived Malta from Glasgow, sailed the same day to Costanza
11 October 1938 sailed Malta
17 November 1938 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound
13 December 1938 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound
31 January 1939 arrived at Sydney, NSW Australia from Abadan to discharge
4 February 1939 sailed Sydney, NSW Australia for Bahrein
5 February 1939 passed Gabo Island sailing west
14 April 1939 at Malta Donkeyman Greaser Thomas Toye discharged dead – drowned. He is buried in Kalkara Royal Naval Cemetery
24 May 1939 in collision with the British steamer GENERTON in Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta
Photograph by Walter E. Frost
4 June 1939 sailed from Abadan
10 September 1939 arrived at Basra
16 September 1939 sailed Abadan
28 September 1939 arrived at Port Said
17 November 1939 arrived at Haifa
18 November 1939 sailed from Haifa for Malta arriving on 24 November 1939
4 December 1939 sailed Malta for Haifa arrived on 8 December 1939
9 December 1939 sailed Haifa for Alexandria arrived 10 December 1939
22 February 1940 sailed Alexandria for Gibraltar – arrived 29 February 1940
1 March 1940 sailed Gibraltar in escorted convoy HG21F for the Clyde arriving 9 March 1940 with a cargo of FFO
11 March 1940 sailed Greenock for Bowling arrived the same day
14 March 1940 undergoing repairs on the Clyde
10 April 1940 announced this day that Chief Engineer Officer Alexander B McIntyre RFA (Lieutenant Commander (E) RNR) awarded the Reserve Officers Decoration
14 April 1940 grounded in Ardrossan Harbour but was refloated
17 April 1940 sailed the Clyde independently for Scapa Flow arriving 21 April 1940
30 April 1940 while on passage from the Clyde to Narvik with a cargo of aviation spirit, and following a destroyer and another storeship, in thick fog she ran aground on a reef in Assan Fjord owing to a navigational error and was abandoned without any casualties The crew were rescued by the Polish destroyer Burza
1 May 1940 caught fire and sank in 67 metres of water. Her Master was stated to be roughly to blame for the loss
Notes:
She was originally destined to be one of a Class of what was to become 93 tankers over a 15 year period, the lead ship of this Class being launched at Newcastle as BRITISH FAME on 19 June 1936