Previous name: City of Durban
Subsequent name: City of Gloucester
Official Number: 167644
Class: Special Service Freighter – Q-ship
Pennant No: X96 / F114
Laid down:
Builder: Earle’s, Hull
Launched: 30 September 1920
Into Service: January 1940
Out of service: 1 April 1942
Fate: Broken up
Items of historic interest involving this ship: –
Background Data: In 1939 Winston Churchill gave authority for a number of merchantmen to be requisitioned for service as Q-ships, although for security purposes they were referred to as Special Service Freighters. A fleet of 9 small mainly coal-burning vessels were acquired, 6 for deep-sea work and 3 for coastal work. All were commissioned as HM ships under their original names but were given RFA cover names and on entering harbour and while in harbour they wore the Blue Ensign, behaved as RFA’s and adopted the RFA commercial practices. None of them was really suitable for their intended roles and met with a complete lack of success. Their Q-ship service officially ended on 2 March 1941
30 September 1920 launched by Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Hull as yard Nr: 627 named CITY OF DURBAN for Ellerman Lines Ltd (Hall Line, Managers) London
March 1921 completed
25 August 1921 sailed Hull – light
19 December 1921 sailed Hull on builders trials
2 January 1922 the Hull Daily Mail reported …
9 January 1922 arrived the River Tees from Hull
1 February 1922 sailed Gravesend for Port Natal
2 March 1922 berthed at Simonstown, South Africa
8 March 1922 arrived at Port Natal, South Africa
13 March 1922 sailed Port Natal, South Africa for Delagoa Bay
15 March 1922 arrived at Delagoa Bay
7 June 1922 at Gravesend from Calcutta, India
21 June 1922 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard steaming west bound
20 July 1922 sailed Liverpool for Calcutta with one passenger. Captain E Walton was the ship’s Master
19 August 1922 arrived at Calcutta
12 March 1923 arrived at Glasgow from Liverpool
22 March 1923 at Glasgow before sailing for Birkenhead
13 April 1923 sailed Liverpool for Calcutta
28 June 1923 at Perim
4 July 1923 sailed Port Said for Hull
10 August 1923 sailed Hull for Middlesborough
24 September 1923 arrived at Alexandria from the River Tyne
22 February 1924 alongside on the main wharf at Singapore
12 April 1924 sailed Colombo, Ceylon
20 April 1924 passed Perim
22 May 1924 arrived the River Tyne
28 June 1924 sailed Rotterdam
22 October 1924 sailed Colombo, Ceylon
3 November 1924 arrived Suez
30 June 1925 sailed Colombo for New York
24 August 1925 arrived Philadelphia from Boston
29 October 1925 sailed Suez for Singapore
21 October 1926 arrived Aden
18 July 1927 sailed Middlesborough
17 May 1928 sailed Liverpool for Calcutta
15 September 1928 arrived New York from Calcutta
6 March 1929 arrived at Avonmouth
7 March 1929 before Bristol Magistrates’ Court the ship’s Chief Steward Samuel Nelson pleaded Guilty to avoiding customs duty on wine, spirits, cigarettes and cigars when the ship docked at Avonmouth . He was fined £43/5/8d or 3 months imprisonment
28 April 1930 loss her propeller while on passage from New York at 2N 46E radioed seeking towage assistance.
29 April 1930 Government tug Nguvu from Kilindini sailed to provide assistance. British ship City of Dunkirk also making her way to the scene.
10 May 1930 arrived in tow at Kilindini but due to heavy monsoon could not enter port. At anchor and no longer considered in danger.
12 May 1930 in tow of City of Dunkirk expected to arrive at Mombassa this day
11 June 1931 at 13.09N 43.10E Coal Trimmer Hoosein Fackeer discharged dead – drowned
1 July 1931 berthed at Dunkirk
6 August 1932 sailed Suez for Busreh
12 August 1932 at 14.30N 43.57E Fireman Ma’hd Essack Sk Abdoola discharged dead – drowned
15 November 1932 from Busreh arrived at Suez
30 November 1932 sailed Algiers for London
14 February 1933 arrived Table Bay from Philadelphia
20 February 1933 berthed at Port Natal
21 February 1933 sailed Port Natal for Beira
14 April 1933 sailed Calcutta for Baltimore
19 April 1933 arrived at Colombo from Calcutta
1 September 1924 sailed Aden
8 September 1934 arrived Mombasa
14 September 1934 sailed Dar-es-Salaam
25 October 1934 arrived Colombo, Ceylon
6 December 1934 arrived Suez
17 December 1934 arrived Gibraltar sailing the next day for Dunkirk
24 December 1934 berthed at London
12 April 1935 sailed Birkenhead
14 February 1936 arrived at Port Said from Liverpool
25 February 1936 at Port Said British Hospital Lascar Suleyman Sk Hassan discharged dead Lumbar Pneumonia
4 March 1936 sailed Karachi for Maulmain
17 April 1936 sailed Aden
27 April 1936 sailed Malta
1 May 1936 sailed Gibraltar
6 May 1936 berthed at London
20 May 1936 sailed Hamburg
9 June 1936 sailed the Clyde
10 June 1936 arrived at Birkenhead
25 June 1936 sailed Port Said
26 July 1936 sailed Calcutta
19 August 1936 sailed Port Said
13 September 1936 arrived Middlesborough
27 September 1936 arrived Antwerp
6 November 1936 sailed Bushire
25 November 1936 sailed Bushire
17 March 1937 arrived Calcutta
28 May 1937 sailed Karachi
9 June 1937 from Karachi arrived Suez
10 June 1937 sailed Port Said
30 June 1937 arrived St John
8 July 1937 from New York arrived at Philadelphia
22 July 1937 arrived at Montreal, Canada
10 August 1937 sailed New York for Table Bay
23 August 1937 sailed St Vincent
11 September 1937 sailed Table Bay
7 September 1939 sailed Liverpool independently to the Clyde arriving the next day
17 September 1939 requisitioned by the Admiralty for conversion into a Special Service Freighter by Devonport Dockyard
21 September 1939 commissioned as HMS CITY OF DURBAN then sailed the Clyde independently to Plymouth arriving on 23 September 1939
January 1940 conversion completed, cover name RFA BRUTUS. Complement 99 under the command of Commander Humfrey G. Hopper Royal Navy. Armed with 8 (later increased to 9) x single 4-inch guns, 1 x 12 pdr gun, 4 x Lewis machine guns, 4 x single 21-inch torpedo tubes, 100 x depth charges and was fitted with Asdic
20 January 1940 sailed Devonport for the Solent Area for work-up, then ranged across the Atlantic to Bermuda, Halifax, Sierra Leone, back to Devonport, Gibraltar, Simonstown, Durban and Mauritius
25 September 1940 berthed at Simontown Dockyard for bunkers and repairs
4 October 1940 sailed from Simontown Dockyard
7 November 1940 berthed at Simonstown Dockyard
12 November 1940 sailed from Simonstown Dockyard
March 1941 hoisted the White Ensign for service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser with Pennant Number F 114
12 March 1941 400 miles SE of Madagascar with HMS LEANDER and HMAS CANBERRA searching for German commercial raiders and supply ships
HMS LEANDER
27 March 1941 arrived at Durban after patrolling to the South of Madagascar for refit
1 April 1941 entered dry dock at Durban
5 April 1941 towed out of dry dock at Durban
23 April 1941 completed refit at Durban
26 April 1941 sailed Durban to Cape Town arriving on 30 April 1941
2 May 1941 sailed Cape Town for Freetown
5 August 1941 sailed Freetown as escort for convoy SL 83 with HMS CATHAY (another AMC) until 28 August 1941
17 September 1941 sailed Methil in convoy FS597 to Southend arriving 19 September 1941
20 September 1941 Seaman James Nelson RNR discharged dead. Buried in Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery
29 September 1941 sailed Methil in convoy EN13 to Scapa Flow
1 January 1942 sailed Rosyth for work – Commanding Officer was Acting R G Hopper Royal Navy
10 January 1942 arrived at Scapa Flow as AMC escort for convoy EN93
14 January 1942 sailed Scapa Flow with HMS CAPE SABLE and HMS CALPE to take part in Operation EM – the operation was postponsed so all three ships returned to Scapa Flow the next day
17 January 1942 as an AMC was at Sullom Voe with HMS CAPE SABLE (RFA Cyprus) with the destroyer HMS CALPE as Operation EM had been postponed
29 January 1942 sailed Sullom Voe with HMS CAPE SABLE (RFA Cyprus) with the destroyer HMS CALPE for Operation EM – sighted by German aircraft on 30 January and 1 February – operation cancelled
1 February 1942 arrived at Scapa Flow with HMS CAPE SABLE (AMC) and escorted by HMS CALPE
6 February 1942 at Scapa Flow reconditioning for return to commercial service
8 February 1942 sailed Scapa Flow with HMS CAPE SABLE for Rosyth in convoy WN42
9 February 1942 berthed at Rosyth for a boiler clean
1 April 1942 transferred to MoWT control by the Admiralty
28 June 1942 sailed the River Tyne to Middlesburgh arriving the same day
16 July 1942 sailed Middlesborough in convoy FN761 to Methil arriving the next day
21 July 1942 sailed Methil in convoy EN113 to Oban arriving 23 July 1942
1 August 1942 sailed Oban in convoy OS36 to Freetown and then independently to Cape Town arriving 3 September 1942
11 September 1942 sailed Cape Town independently to Port Elizabeth arriving on 13 September 1942
16 September 1942 sailed Port Elizabeth independently to East London arriving the next day
18 September 1942 sailed East London independently to Beira arriving 23 September 1942
29 September 1942 sailed Beira independently to Lourenco Marques arriving 1 October 1942
6 October 1942 sailed Lourenco Marques independently to Port Elizabeth arriving 9 October 1942
13 October 1942 sailed Port Elizabeth independently to Pernambuco arriving 31 October 1942
13 November 1942 sailed Pernambuco independently arriving St Thomas 25 November 1942
26 November 1942 sailed St Thomas independently
1 December 1942 sailed Guantanamo, Cuba in convoy GN24 to New York arriving 8 December 1942
19 December 1942 sailed New York in convoy SC114 to Liverpool arriving 8 January 1943
15 February 1943 sailed Liverpool in convoy UC1 and then independently to Walvis Bay arriving 20 March 1943
23 March 1943 sailed Walvis Bay in convoy NC8 to Cape Town arriving 27 March 1943
1 April 1943 sailed Cape Town in convoy CA17 which then dispersed arriving at Karachi on 24 April 1943
29 April 1943 sailed Karachi independently to Bombay arriving 1 May 1943
13 May 1943 sailed Bombay independently to Colombo arriving 17 May 1943
20 May 1943 sailed Colombo independently to Calcutta arriving 26 May 1943
15 June 1943 sailed Calcutta independently to Madras arriving 20 June 1943
4 July 1943 sailed Madras independently to Aden arriving 20 July 1943
23 July 1943 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 29 July 1943
30 July 1943 transit of Suez Canal
31 July 1943 sailed Port Said independently to Alexandria arriving the next day
3 August 1943 sailed Alexandria in convoy MKS21 to Gibraltar arriving on 14 August 1943
14 August 1943 sailed Gibraltar in convoy MKS21G to Loch Ewe arriving 25 August 1943
25 August 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy WN471 to Methil arriving 27 August 1943
24 September 1943 sailed Methil in convoy EN 285 to Loch Ewe arriving 26 September 1943
2 October 1943 joined convoy KMS28G (Liverpool to Gibraltar) having sailed late from Loch Ewe and passing Gibraltar on 7 October 1943 onto Port Said arriving 19 October 1943
20 October 1943 transit of the Suez Canal
21 October 1943 sailed Suez independently to Aden arriving 26 October 1943
2 November 1943 sailed Aden in convoy AB19 to Bombay arriving 10 November 1943
19 November 1943 sailed Bombay in convoy BM75 to Colombo arriving 24 November 1943
24 November 1943 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving 26 November 1943
5 December 1943 sailed Trincomalee in convoy JC28 to Calcutta arriving 13 December 1943
5 January 1944 sailed Calcutta independently arriving Vizag 8 January 1944
19 January 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy MB62 and the independently to Aden arriving 29 January 1944
30 January 1944 sailed Aden independently to Suez arriving 4 February 1944
9 February 1944 sailed Port Said in convoy MKS40 passing Gibraltar on 21 February 1944. r/v with convoy SL149 arriving at Liverpool 7 March 1944
14 March 1944 sailed Liverpool independently to the Clyde arriving the next day
31 March 1944 sailed the Clyde in convoy ON230 to New York arriving 16 April 1944
10 May 1944 sailed New York independently to Hampton Roads arriving the next day
13 May 1944 sailed Hampton Roads in convoy UGS42 to Port Said arriving on 8 June 1944
8 June 1944 transit Suez Canal
9 June 1944 sailed Suez independently to Aden arriving on 14 June 1944
16 June 1944 sailed Aden in convoy AB41 to Karachi arriving 23 June 1944
30 June 1944 sailed Karachi independently to Bombay arriving 2 July 1944
7 July 1944 sailed Bombay independently to Colombo arriving 11 July 1944
13 July 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy JC56 to Calcutta arriving on 21 July 1944
6 August 1944 sailed Calcutta independently to Adelaide arriving 31 August 1944
6 September 1944 sailed Adelaide independently to Port Pirie arriving the next day
13 September 1944 sailed Port Pirie
5 October 1944 sailed Lyttleton independently to Balboa arriving 2 November 1944
2 November 1944 transit the Panama Canel
3 November 1944 sailed Cristobal independently to New York arriving 12 November 1944
14 November 1944 sailed New York in convoy HX320 to the Clyde arriving 30 November 1944
19 December 1944 Commander Humfrey Greenwood Hopper Royal Navy, the ship’s Commanding Officer when commissioned as HMS CITY OF DURBAN awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the London Gazette of this day. He was also awarded the Belgian Order of Leopold and the Croix de Guerre
7 January 1945 sailed the Clyde in convoy OS103KM passing Gibraltar on 15 January 1945 to Alexandria arriving on 22 January 1945
23 January 1945 sailed Alexandria independently to Haifa arriving the next day
10 February 1945 sailed Haifa independently via the Suez Canal to Suez
13 February 1945 sailed Suez independently to Aden arriving 19 February 1945
21 February 1945 sailed Aden independently to Colombo arriving 5 March 1945
5 March 1945 sailed Colombo independently to Calcutta arriving 11 March 1945
26 March 1945 sailed Calcutta independently to Akyab arriving 29 March 1945
5 April 1945 sailed Akyab independently to Vizag arriving 7 April 1945
14 April 1945 sailed Vizag independently to Chittagong arriving 16 April 1945
23 April 1945 sailed Chittagong independently to Calcutta arriving 25 April 1945
5 May 1945 sailed Calcutta independently to Chittagong arriving the next day
13 May 1945 sailed Chittagong independently to Calcutta arriving 15 May 1945
22 May 1945 sailed Calcutta independently to Rangoon arriving 27 May 1945
6 June 1945 sailed Rangoon independently to Vizag arriving 10 June 1945
6 August 1945 sailed Vizag independently to Rangoon arriving 6 August 1945
22 August 1945 sailed Rangoon independently to Calcutta arriving 30 August 1945
2 September 1945 sailed Calcutta independently to Rangoon arriving on 6 September 1945
30 September 1945 sailed Rangoon independently to Calcutta arriving 4 October 1945
28 October 1945 sailed Calcutta independently to Singapore arriving 5 November 1945
9 December 1945 sailed Sourabaya independently to Bombay arriving 23 December 1945
28 March 1946 returned to her owners as CITY OF DURBAN
11 September 1946 at Port Said Fireman Magbul Aymed Mohar Ali discharged dead – natural causes
12 November 1946 sailed Port Said when on passage from Bombay to Liverpool
9 January 1947 passed Gibraltar while on passage from Liverpool to Bombay
20 May 1947 arrived Port Said while on passage from Liverpool to Dar es Salaam
28 April 1948 sailed Suez while on passage from Liverpool to Lindi
24 February 1949 in Port Said Hospital Greaser Dilawar Khan Abdool Sattar discharged dead – stab wound to the throat
13 July 1951 at Calcutta Deck Serang Fuckeer Ahmed discharged dead – natural causes
1952 name changed to City of Gloucester
7 August 1957 arrived at Briton Ferry to be broken up by T.W. Ward Ltd
Notes:
- RFA Brutus was a cover name for the ‘Q’ Ship HMS City of Durban. The name Brutus was used when the ship was in port so her true identity was not disclosed. She never sailed as an RFA
- The Official Number listed above is the bogus number issued so the true identity of the ship was untraceable. The City of Durbans genuine Official Number was 145892