Subsequent name:              Aletta

Official Number:                   185898

Class:                                     EDDY CLASS Fleet Attendant Oiler

Pennant No:                          A198

Laid down:
Builder:                                   Blyth Dry Dock, Cowpen Quay
Launched:                             16 December 1952
Into Service:                           7 June 1953   
Out of service:                       27 June 1967
Fate:                                        Sold commercially at Singapore

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data: This Class were a part of the RFA’s first post-WW2 construction programme and the ships were Admiralty-designed to act as Fleet Attendant Oilers. Even as they were being built for world-wide service however, their designed functions had become obsolete due to the rapid and wide scale practice of refuelling at sea. This resulted in RFA EDDYCOVE, ordered on 23 January 1951 and RFA EDDYMULL, ordered on 27 March 1951 being cancelled in 1952 and the remaining 8 ships in the Class refocused on harbour and coastal service within a short time. With the exception of RFA EDDYFIRTH, the remainder of the Class had very short service lives with the RFA.

22 January 1953 arrived in tow on the River Tyne from Blyth

26 January 1953 arrived at Blyth from the River Tyne 

13 May 1953 sailed Blyth on sea trials returning later in the day

16 May 1953 at London registered as EDDYROCK with entry 79/53 in the Registry Book

26 May 1953 sailed from Blyth

7 June 1953 sailed Blyth

5 October 1953 Mr F A Essam RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 December 1953 Captain Allistoun M Macquire-Samson RFA appointed as Master

30 March 1954 relieved RFA OAKOL (2) as Station Oiler at Singapore and spent most of her career based there

7 April 1954 Captain John Toms RFA appointed as Master

21 December 1955 Captain Ronald V Warren DSC RFA appointed as Master

5 April 1956 arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia to load cargo and stores for the ships at Monte Bello Island off Australia

May 1956 took part in Operation Mosaic 1 – the British nuclear trials at Monte Bello Island off Australia

2 July 1956 Mr E A H Chantler RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

7 September 1956 off Singapore at anchor with HMAS ANZAC alongside being refuelled

HMAS ANZAC

9 September 1956 at Singapore Roads at anchor with HMAS ANZAC alonside being refuelled – 100 tons of FFO supplied

13 June 1957 at Singapore Roads at anchor with HMAS’s ANZAC and TOBRUK alongside being refuelled

2 September 1957 at Singapore Roads at anchor with HMAS ANZAC alongside being refuelled

15 November 1957 Captain Iden W J Hall RFA appointed as Master

16 June 1958 Captain T H Macrow RFA appointed as Master

7 August 1958 Mr J McI Lumsden RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

21 June 1959 at Singapore Seaman Ding Suey Kwang discharged dead – he drowned while the ship was alongside

24 May 1960 Captain George Robson RFA appointed as Master

14 September 1960 Mr C A Herbert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 September 1960 off Singapore HMAS VAMPIRE alongside to be refuelled

HMAS VAMPIRE

4 April 1961 Captain H E Michael RFA appointed as Master

30 January 1962 together with RFA FORT CHARLOTTE supported ships of the Commonwealth being lead by HMS WOODBRIDGE HAVEN in Exercise Minijet – a seven day mine clearance exercise

1 April 1962 Captain W A Hiorns RFA appointed as Master

11 September 1962 at anchor north of the Johore Shoal Buoy HMAS PARRAMATTA alongside being refuelled

11 December 1962 – 28 February 1963  sailed Singapore for an area off Borneo and supported HM ships on operations there.

31 March 1963 Mr J G Yuill RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

16 August 1963 Captain George Baker RFA appointed as Master

11 February 1964 Mr J N Lumsden RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

18 July 1964 at Tawau Jetty refuelling HMAS CURLEW berthed alongside

1 October 1964 Captain A Smith RFA appointed as Master

28 November 1964 off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

21 December 1964 off the entrance to Muara Tebas refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

January 1965 – 11 August 1965 supported naval units performing patrols in East Malaysia, Singapore and in the Malacca Straits during the Indonesian Confrontation along with RFA’s GOLD RANGER, FORT CHARLOTTE, TIDEREACH and WAVE SOVEREIGN

29 January 1965 while at anchor off the Sisters refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

18 February 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

20 February 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

11 March 1965 at Tawau Harbour refuelled HMAS GULL alongside

29 March 1965 Captain G Barker appointed as Master

10 April 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS DERWENT alongside

14 April 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS YARRA alongside

19 May 1965 while at anchor off Angle Shoal refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

18 July 1965 refuelled HMAS CURLEW alongside at Tawau – 1,995 gallons of diesol transferred

23 July 1965 while at anchor off Tanjong Tohor refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

26 July 1965 while outboard of HMAS PARAMATTA refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

30 July 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

2 August 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

6 August 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

10 August 1965 while at anchor off Tawau refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

22 September 1965 in the Malacca Straits refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

14 November 1965 while at anchor off the Johore Shoal Buoy refuelled HMAS DUCHESS alongside

5 November 1965 in the Malacca Straits refuelled HMAS IBIS alongside

28 November 1965 refuelled HMAS DUCHESS alongside off Port Dickson

29 November 1965 refuelled HMAS VENDETTA in the Malacca Straits during the Indonesian Confrontation

28 December 1985 refuelled HMAS CURLEW at Wallace Bay

7 January 1966 off Sandakan alongside RFA ORANGELEAF (2) – pump over 

10 January 1966 off Tawau with HMS WILKIESTON berthed alongside 

14 January 1966 off Tawau with HMAS DUCHESS alongside being refuelled

17 January 1996 off Tawau with HMAS DUCHESS alongside being refuelled

21 January 1966 off Tawau with HMAS DUCHESS alongside being refuelled

25 January 1966 off Tawau alongside RFA ORANGELEAF (2) – pump over

28 January 1966 in Cowie Bay with HMAS DUCHESS alongside being refuelled

1 February 1966 off Tawau with HMAS DUCHESS alongside being refuelled

14 March 1966 off Port Swettenham refuelled HMAS GULL

31 March 1966 Mr J W Ritchie RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1 April 1966 refuelled HMAS HAWK off Tawau

6 April 1966 refuelled HMAS HAWK alongside

28 May 1966 Captain Ronald V Warren DSC RFA appointed as Master

22 June 1966 refuelled HMAS CURLEW alongside

25 June 1966 at Darvel Bay refuelled HMAS GULL

5 August 1966 at Sandakan refuelled HMAS PARRAMATTA alongside

March 1967 destored and laid up at Singapore

April 1967 placed on the disposal list at SIngapore

8 May 1967 offered for sale in the Times newspaper “as lying” at Singapore

27 June 1967 sold commercially at Singapore to Chip Hwa Shipping & Trading Co Ltd, Singapore name unchanged

13 January 1968 an application by the Chip Hwa Shipping and Trading Company to change the ships name from Eddyrock to Aletta was published in the Straits Times of this day

ss ALETTA

1968 sold to Tunas Tankers (Singapore) Pte Ltd under Singapore registry

1970 sold to Tunas Tankers & Bunkering Services Pte Ltd under Singapore registry

1974 sold to Cia de Nav Sofia SA under Panama registry

16 December 1976 arrived for breaking up at Jurong which commenced 31 March 1977 by National Iron & Steel Mills