True Name HMS King Gruffydd
Previous name: AMBATIELOS War Trooper
Official Number: 167645
Class: Special Service Freighter – Q ship
Pennant No: X28 F116
Laid down:
Builder: HK & Whampoa, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Launched: 11 October 1919
Into Service: 1939
Out of service: 17 March 1943
Fate: Torpedoed and Sunk
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 nine small mainly coal-burning vessels were acquired , six for deep-sea work and three 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
11 October 1919 Launched by Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co Ltd, Hong Kong as Yard Nr: 564 named WAR TROOPER for the Shipping Controller and was purchased by Nicolas E. Ambatielos, Argostoli while fitting out
December 1919 completed as AMBATIELOS for the above owners
28 January 1920 sailed Colombo for Rotterdam
13 February 1920 sailed Port Said
10 May 1920 sailed Queenstown, Ireland for Hampton Roads
26 September 1920 arrived at Queen Alexandra Dock, Cardiff from Gothenburg
22 October 1920 arrived at Philadelphia from Cardiff
17 July 1921 sailed Port Said for Marseilles
5 October 1921 entered Barry Dock
22 March 1922 the Western Mail newspaper reported –
15 January 1923 the Lincolnshire Echo reported –
June 1923 auctioned by order of the Admiralty Marshall following a dispute with the owners who had failed to take delivery; purchased by King Line Ltd (Dodd, Thomson & Co Ltd, Managers) London and renamed KING GRUFFYDD
5 September 1923 arrived at Fowey from Cardiff
2 October 1923 arrived at Philadelphia from Fowey
5 May 1924 arrived at Portland, Dorset from Bahia Blanca
24 June 1924 sailed Newport for Buenos Aires
23 September 1924 sailed Callao for San Francisco
1 December 1924 sailed Colon
6 May 1925 sailed Durban, South Africa for Australia
1 June 1925 arrived at Port Thevenard, South Australia
19 June 1925 arrived at Walaroo from Port Thevenard, South Austrlia
29 June 1925 arrived at Albany from Walaroo
1 July 1925 after loading bunkers sailed Albany for Durban, South Africa
22 October 1925 entered Newport from Buenos Ayres
3 June 1927 arrived Port Piries, South Australia to load zince concentrates
15 June 1927 grounded before sailing Port Pirie, South Australia for Avonmouth
18 July 1927 arrived Port Natal
20 July 1927 sailed Port Natal for Avonmouth
13 August 1927 sailed St Vincent, Cape Verde Islands
28 August 1927 arrived at Avonmouth
10 September 1927 sailed Avonmouth
19 September 1927 at Portland, Oregon
1 November 1927 arrived Portland, Oregon from Cardiff
5 April 1928 sailed the River Tyne for Hampton Roads
16 July 1928 arrived at Cardiff from La Plata
17 September 1928 at Rosario, Argentina Able Seaman George Browning discharged dead from drowning
9 April 1929 at Le Havre, France
6 May 1929 on board 1st Mate Thomas L Simpson discharged dead – committed suicide by shooting
1st Mate Thomas L Simpson
16 May 1929 the Commercial News & Shipping List newspaper (an Australian newspaper) reported –
14 November 1929 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
4 December 1929 cleared Cardiff
20 June 1930 sailed Las Palmas for Falmouth
2 July 1930 berthed at London from Bunbury, Australia with four stowaways as passengers. Captain Leonard W Litton was Master
8 July 1930 arrived at Hull
19 August 1930 arrived at Immingham
28 November 1930 berthed at King George Dock, Hull
16 February 1931 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
14 May 1931 when on passage to the River Plate radioed when 20 miles east of Niton
3 August 1931 at Sunderland
3 December 1931 at Sunderland
10 December 1931 at Sunderland
25 February 1932 sailed Las Palmas having loaded bunkers
24 April 1932 sailed Bahai Blanca for Maderia
1 June 1932 passed Southend
2 July 1932 ship under repair at T W Greenwell & Co Ltd., South Dock, Sunderland
25 April 1933 sailed Falmouth passing the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west
25 May 1933 at Liverpool
16 November 1933 sailed from Barry Roads but had to put back when the main stop valve stop chest burst
21 February 1934 sailed Port Natal for Las Palmas
19 March 1934 cleared Las Palmas for Falmouth
1 June 1934 arrived at Hull from Australia
8 September 1934 arrived at Melbourne
15 September 1934 sailed Port Piries, South Australia for Melbourne and UK ports
21 October 1934 sailed Port Natal
4 December 1934 at Brunswick Dock, Liverpool Fireman and Trimmer Jacob Lutis discharged dead after he disappeared
Fireman & Trimmer Jacob Lutis
13 December 1934 sailed from Manchester for Barry
19 December 1934 sailed Barry for Tampico
27 January 1935 sailed Panama for Australia
8 March 1935 berthed at Sydney, NSW
9 March 1935 the Commercial News & Shipping List newspaper (an Australian newspaper) reported –
22 March 1935 berthed at Adelaide
9 May 1935 sailed Port Pirie, South Australia for Shanghai via Port Lincoln
18 August 1935 ship signalled her owners that the port bunkers were on fire but the Master considered he could secure control. The ship was 250 miles NE Singapore
20 August 1935 the ship being on fire was reported in the Western Daily Press –
21 August 1935 the ship further reported that the fire was not extinguished but was being subdued. The ship was 215 miles from Sabang, Sumatra
22 August 1935 arrived at Sabang. Hull not damaged by the fire
23 August 1935 sailed from Sabang for Aden
27 September 1935 at Marseilles, France
7 October 1935 sailed Tampico for Australasian ports
10 April 1936 sailed Sabang for Hamburg
16 May 1936 from Darien when on passage to Hamburg radioed she was 70 miles south of Land’s End
5 June 1936 berthed on the River Tyne
1 September 1936 on passage to Buenos Aires
18 November 1936 berthed at Los Angeles
19 November 1936 sailed from Los Angeles
18 December 1936 at San Pedro
14 April 1937 arrived Kingston, Jamaica from Pacific ports
10 June 1937 arrived at New York
19 June 1937 sailed New York
29 July 1937 sailed Balboa
27 September 1937 sailed Vancouver
2 October 1937 sailed from Victoria, British Columbia
5 October 1937 at Port Alberni
24 November 1937 at Immingham
2 December 1937 arrived at King George Dock, Hull from British Columbia via Immingham
8 December 1937 radioed she was 27 miles WSW from Niton on passage to Barry
9 December 1937 arrived at Barry in ballast
17 December 1937 radioed she was 25 nmiles SW of Lands End for Port Natal
15 January 1938 arrived at Port Natal
21 February 1938 at Port Sudan
29 March 1938 at Port Natal
29 April 1938 sailed St Lucia for New Orleans
28 May 1938 sailed New Orleans for Rotterdam
19 June 1938 arrived at Rotterdam
24 June 1938 arrived River Tyne
1 December 1938 berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
15 December 1938 berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
31 December 1938 berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
16 March 1939 still berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
4 April 1939 still berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
25 April 1939 still berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
29 April 1939 still berthed on South Shields No: 9 Tier – River Tyne
17 May 1939 sailed Falmouth and passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west
19 May 1939 radioed she was 500 miles SW of Valentia
7 June 1939 sailed Christobal for Vancouver
30 June 1939 arrived Vancouver
4 July 1939 sailed New Westminster
11 July 1939 sailed Port Alberni
31 July 1939 arrived at Balboa, Panama when on passage from Vancouver to Hull
14 September 1939 requisitioned by the Admiralty for conversion into a Special Service Freighter by Chatham Dockyard
21 October 1939 commissioned as HMS KING GRUFFYDD
17 November 1939 conversion completed. Cover name RFA MAUNDER. Complement 99 under command of Commander Edward M Loly R.N. Armed with 7 x single 4-inch guns, 4 x Lewis machine guns, 4 x single 21-inch torpedo tubes and 100 x depth charges
26 November 1939 sailed Sheerness for work-up in the Solent area
2 December 1939 on completion of work-up sailed from the Solent.
19 December 1939 arrived Gibraltar
1 January 1940 sailed Gibraltar
11 January 1940 arrived in the Solent area and to Southampton arriving 14 January 1940
3 March 1940 sailed Southampton arriving Gibraltar 26 March 1940
5 April 1940 sailed Gibraltar returning 16 April 1940
17 April 1940 sailed Gibraltar to Freetown arrviing 7 May 1940
12 May 1940 sailed Freetown to Simonstown Dockyard arrving 7 June 1940
15 June 1940 sailed Simonstown Dockyard to Durban arrving 20 June 1940
21 June 1940 sailed Durban to Mauritius 15 July 1940
22 July 1940 sailed Mauritius returning 14 August 1940
20 August 1940 sailed Mauritius to Durban arrving 30 August 1940
4 September 1940 sailed Durban returning 24 September 1940
2 October 1940 sailed Durban returning 23 October 1940
26 October 1940 entered dry dock at Durban
1 November 1940 undocked from dry dock in Durban
22 November 1940 sailed Durban to Colombo arriving 11 December 1940
16 December 1940 sailed Colombo returning 6 January 1940
16 January 1940 sailed Colombo returning 6 January 1940
16 January 1940 sailed Colombo to Durban arriving 9 February 1940
12 March 1941 openly hoisted the White Ensign for service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser with Pennant Nr: F 116 then served in the East Indies
1 May 1941 East Indies Service ended
13 May 1941 with HMIS CLIVE took part in Operation Chapter – Cape Guardafui Channel the most easterly point of Africa. In order to facilitate the passage in this channel it was decided to undertake a combind operation to captrure and operate the Cape Guardafui lighthouse and to clear the north east corner of Italian Somaliland. This was done and the Italian troops there had immediately surrendered
20 May 1941 sailed with 23 officers and 96 prisoners of war and landed them at Aden on 24 May 1941
4 June 1941 joined the Red Sea Force
22 June 1941 sailed Aden
5 August 1941 berthed at Simontown Dockyard
14 August 1941 sailed from Simonstown Dockyard
1 September 1941 at Port Elizabeth reconditioning for return to commercial service
22 September 1941 transferred to MoWT control as KING GRUFFYDD
8 January 1942 sailed Port Elizabeth independently to Cape Town arriving 12 January 1942
13 March 1942 sailed Cape Town independently to Rio de Janeiro arriving 28 March 1942
5 April 1942 sailed Rio de Janeiro independently to Freetown arriving 18 April 1942
4 May 1942 sailed Freetown in convoy SL109 to Loch Ewe arriving 28 May 1942
31 May 1942 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy WN290 to Kirkwall arriving the next day
3 June 1942 sailed Kirkwall in convoy WN291 to Methil arriving the next day
6 June 1942 sailed Methil in convoy FS822 to Hull arriving the next day
15 July 1942 sailed Hull in convoy FN761 to Methil arriving 17 July 1942
17 July 1942 sailed Methil in convoy EN112 to Loch Ewe arriving 19 July 1942
19 July 1942 sailed Loch Ewe and joined convoy ON114 until it dispersed on 4 August 1942. Then sailed independently to New York arriving the next day
6 August 1942 sailed New York independently to Norfolk arriving 8 August 1942
23 August 1942 sailed Norfolk independently to New York arriving 26 August 1942
29 August 1942 sailed New York for Cape Cod Bay
2 September 1942 at Cape Cod Bay joined convoy BX36 to Halifax arriving on 4 September 1942
5 September 1942 sailed Halifax in convoy SC99 to the Clyde arriving 20 September 1942
4 October 1942 sailed the Clyde in convoy ON136 to New York arriving on 26 October 1942
28 October 1942 sailed New York independently to Philadelphia arriving the same day
15 November 1942 sailed Philadelphia independently to New York arriving the next day
25 November 1942 sailed New York in convoy SC111 but returned to Sydney, Cape Breton Island with collision damage on 3 December 1942
10 December 1942 sailed Sydney, Cape Breton Island in convoy SH68 to Halifax arriving 13 December 1942
16 December 1942 sailed Halifax in convoy SC113 to Liverpool arriving 2 January 1943
24 January 1943 sailed Liverpool in convoy ON163 to New York arriving 17 February 1943
5 March 1943 sailed New York in convoy SC122 to the UK
17 March 1943 while en route in convoy SC 122 from New York to Loch Ewe she was torpedoed by U338 (Kapitänleutnant Manfred Kinzel) and sunk with 24 of the crew being killed at 51°55N 32°41W. They are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial. The ship was carrying a cargo of steel, tobacco and explosives. The German U-Boat arm referred to attack on convoy SC122 and HX 229 as “Geleitzug Nummer 19″. Of the fifty ships in convoy SC122 nine were sunk with a total weight of 53,094 tons. Those rescued from King Gruffydd were taken on board the Convoy Rescue Ship Zamalek. With a total of 165 survivors rescued from ships in this convoy the Zamalek sailed under escort directly to Gourock where they were landed on 22 March 1943.
Notes:
- This ship was a Q ship – a commissioned Naval vessel which would assume its RFA name on entering harbour to hide its genuine identity. She never served as an RFA.