RFA C614

 

C614

RFA C614 after being sold out of Service and renamed Commodity

 

Subsequent name:                          COMMODITY

Official Number:                              168464

Class:                                             Coaling Lighter

Pennant No:                                    X114  /  A113

Laid down:                                      11 June 1942
Builder:                                           Yarwood, Northwhich
Launched:                                       22 February 1943                        
Into Service:                                    July 1943
Out of service:                                1956
Fate:                                                Broken up 1969

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

 

Background Data:  Naval Stores harbour craft were usually allocated a number bearing the prefix C. This descended from the days when the Coaling Officer operated the fuelling craft and many of these craft were operated by the Naval Stores Department under the Director of Stores (Navy) C numbers were allocated to craft such as dumb barges, coal lighters, dumb coal lighters, self-propelled diesel lighters, self-propelled stores lighters, launches and tugs of which a number were registered as RFA’s and wore the ‘green stripe’ that indicated the Naval Stores Department

 

24 February 1943 launched by W.J. Yarwood & Sons (1938) Ltd, Northwich as Yard Nr: 713 named C614 for the Naval Stores Department

July 1943 completed

22 June 1943 Captain Robert Smith RFA appointed Master

9 July 1943 sailed Ellesmere Port

10 July 1943 arrived Campbletown

16 July 1943 sailed Campletown arriving at Ayr the same day

17 July 1943 sailed Ayr

29 July 1943 sailed Partington

31 July 1943 arrived at Glasgow

5 August 1943 sailed Glasgow

14 August 1943 arrived at Ayr

19 August 1943 sailed Ayr and arrived at Campbletown the same day

24 August 1943 sailed Campbletown and arrived at Ayr the same day

26 August 1943 sailed from Ayr to Campbleton arriving the same day

31 August 1943 sailed from Campbletown to Ary arriving the same day

3 September 1943 sailed from Ayr to Campbleton arriving the same day

9 September 1943 sailed from Campbletown to Glasgow arriving the same day

10 September 1943 sailed from Glasgow to Ayr arriving the same day

11 September 1943 sailed from Ayr to Campbleton arriving the same day

15 September 1943 sailed from Campletown

16 September 1943 arrived at Glasgow

17 September 1943 sailed from Glasgow

18 September 1943 arrived at Londonderry

21 September 1943 sailed from Londonderry

23 September 1943 arrived at Partington

25 September 1943 sailed from Partington

26 September 1943 arrived at Glasgow

1 October 1943 sailed from Glasgow

10 October 1943 arrived at Ayr

13 October 1943 sailed from Ayr

18 October 1943 sailed from Campbletown to Glasgow arriving the same day

20 October 1943 sailed from Glasgow

1 November 1943 arrived at Partington

2 November 1943 sailed from Partington

4 November 1943 arrived at Glasgow

2 January 1944 Mr Alexander A Brown RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Alexander Anderson BROWN 3

Mr Alexander A Brown RFA
image taken  when he was serving as a 3rd Engineer Officer.
Image kindly donated by his Grandson Mr Gordon Cutting
 
 
30 May 1944 grounded in thick fog at Groomsport Breakwater, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. Damage to the vessel was slight and did not impair the ships sea going efficiency. The ships Master was held to blame.

3 July 1944 berthed at Campletown

8 July 1944 sailed from Campletown

11 July 1944 sailed from Glasgow

16 July 1944 sailed from Tobermoray

11 August 1944 sailed from Greenock

12 August 1944 sailed from Glasgow

21 August 1944 sailed from Belfast

24 August 1944 sailed from Ayr

28 August 1944 sailed from Belfast

31 August 1944 sailed from Ayr

2 September 1944 sailed from Londonderry

5 September 1944 sailed from Ardrossan

7 September 1944 sailed from Londonderry

9 September 1944 sailed from Glasgow

14 September 1944 sailed from Londonderry

19 September 1944 sailed from Preston

22 September 1944 sailed from Londonderry

28 September 1944 sailed from Preston

7 October 1944 sailed from Londonderry

11 October 1944 sailed from Preston

16 October 1944 sailed from Londonderry

26 October 1944 sailed from Preston

29 October 1944 sailed from Douglas, Isle of Man

31 October 1944 sailed from Maryport, Cumberland

11 November 1944 sailed from Loch Ewe

16 November 1944 at Ayr Chief Engineer Alexander A Brown RFA discharged dead having been accidentally drowned. He is buried in Grange Cemetery, West Kirby in Section B Grave No: 649

 

A A BROWN Grave Stone

 

19 November 1944 sailed from Ayr

20 November 1944 sailed from Maryport, Cumberland

30 November 1944 sailed from Londonderry

14 December 1944 sailed from Preston

21 December 1944 sailed from Londonderry

23 December 1944 sailed from Ayr

29 December 1944 sailed from Campletown

4 January 1945 sailed from Ayr

11 January 1945 berthed at Campletown

26 January 1945 Captain George N Stokoe RFA appointed Master

12 August 1945 sailed Milford Haven to Penzance arriving 16 August 1945

17 August 1945 sailed Penzance to Devonport arriving 18 August 1945

23 August 1945 sailed Devonport to Newlyn arriving 25 August 1945

26 August 1945 sailed Newlyn to Birkenhead arriving 29 August 1945

1 September 1945 sailed Birkenhead to Belfast arriving 2 September 1945

4 September 1945 sailed Belfast to Campbletown arriving the same day

5 September 1945 sailed Campbeltown to Greenock arriving the same day

16 November 1945 Mr William H G Rogers RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

1 CEO William H G Rogers

Chief Engineer Officer  William H G Rogers RFA

 

17 January 1946 at Greenock

28 December 1946 berthed at Dunston, River Tyne at the same time as RFA BRITISH LADY

30 December 1946 berthed at Dunston, River Tyne

31 December 1946 sailed from the River Tyne for Portsmouth

16 February 1947 arrived at the River Tyne from Portsmouth  berthing at Dunston

23 October 1947 arrived at the River Tyne from Chatham  berthing at Dunston

3 January 1948 arrived at the River Tyne from Chatham  berthing at Dunston 

21 January 1948 arrived at the River Tyne from Chatham

27 January 1948 berthed at No: 7 Tier, South Shields, River Tyne

12 March 1948 berthed at Dunston, River Tyne

24 August 1948 sailed from the River Tyne for Portsmouth

25 February 1949 arrived River Tyne from Sheerness

1 March 1949 at Dunston, River Tyne

15 March 1949 arrived at Hartlepool with a cargo of refuge

4 April 1949 berthed at Dunston, River Tyne

30 April 1949 arrived at Blyth from Chatham

11 May 1949 arrived at Blyth from Sheerness

23 May 1949 sailed from Blyth

14 June 1949 sailed from Blyth for Sheerness

3 September 1949 sailed Blyth for London

9 September 1949 berthed at Blyth from Chatham

12 September 1949 the Shields Daily News reported …

 

12 9 49 Shields Daily News C614

 

4 October 1949 sailed from Blyth

7 December 1949 arrived River Tyne from Sheerness

11 December 1949 sailed from the River Tyne

13 December 1949 sailed Hartlepool with a cargo of coke

30 December 1949 arrived at Blyth from Sheerness

March 1956 on the disposal list at Sheerness

C85 plus others 14 3 56 for sale

 

May 1956 sold to F T Everard and Sons Limited and renamed COMMODITY

5 July 1956 notice of change of name given in The Times of this day to ‘Commodity’

 

Change of Name 5 7 1956

 

1957 rebuilt as a tanker – tonnages now 470 grt   225 nrt   570 dwt and dimensions now 166’03” x 28’03” x 10’05½”

May 1969 purchased by Belcon Shipping & Trading Co for breaking up

28 May 1969 arrived Bruges and resold to Jacques Bakker en Zonen

August 1969 demolition begun