Previous name:                       HMS Sea Fox

Class:                                     Victualling Stores Issuing Ship

Pennant No:                            F114 / A214

Laid down:                              31 December 1943

Builder:                                   Jas. Pollack, Son & Co Ltd, Faversham

Launched:                              16 May 1946  
Into Service:                            24 January 1952

Base Port:                                Rosyth (1952)
Out of service:                         December 1958

Fate:                                       Deleted 1999

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

Background Data:  She was one of 7 similar ships which were built for the Admiralty and classed as Naval Aviation Stores Carriers. Of the 7, 2 were lengthened and completed as single screw coasters for commercial owners at the end of hostilities and only SEA FOX came under the RFA ensign. She was used mainly in ferrying aircraft between Northern Ireland and the West coasts of England and Scotland and with carrying general stores. All of the Class were originally armed with 1 x 12 pdr A.A. and 2 x 20mm A.A. guns. The full Class consisted of the following vessels:

                                                         BLACKBURN                         F113

                                                         RIPON                                  F106

                                                         ROC                                      F122

                                                         SEA FOX                               F114

                                                         WALRUS                               F116

                                                         SEA GLADIATOR                 Completed commercially

                                                         SEA HURRICANE                Completed commercially

16 May 1946   launched by Jas. Pollack, Son & Co Ltd, Faversham as Yard Nr: 1839 named HMS SEA FOX for the Royal Navy

November 1946 completed

December 1946 ran sea trials from Sheerness Dockyard

4 April 1949 to 9 May 1949 alongside at Belfast

10 May 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

12 May 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

16 May 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

18 May 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

13 June 1949 sailed Belfast to Portsmouth arriving 15 June 1949 berthing on the North Railway Jetty

16 June 1949 sailed Portsmouth to Cork arriving 18 June 1949

21 June 1949 sailed Cork to Portsmouth arriving 23 June 1949

14 July 1949 entered dry dock at Portsmouth

4 October 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

7 October 1949 sailed Greenock to anchor at the Garelock

10 October 1949 anchored in Broderick Bay

13 October 1949 sailed to Belfast arriving the same day

19 October 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

21 October 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

25 October 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

27 October 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

1 November 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

3 November 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

5 November 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

10 November 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

15 November 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

18 November 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

22 November 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

24 November 1949 sailed Greenock to Belfast arriving the same day

29 November 1949 sailed Belfast to Greenock arriving the same day

May 1951 withdrawn from Commissioned service

31 October 1951 arrived at Palmers Jarrow, River Tyne for conversion into an RFA

1 November 1951 the Shields Daily News reported …

28 December 1951 Captain H W Colman RFA appointed as Master

23 January 1952 sailed from the River Tyne on trials

24 January 1952 sailed Hartlepool for Plymouth

10 March 1952 Mr J E Allen RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

28 January 1953 Mr C J Abel RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

21 March 1953 berthed at Palmers, Jarrow

4 April 1953 berthed at Palmers, Jarrow

9 April 1953 berthed at Palmers, Jarrow

13 April 1953 sailed from the River Tyne for Rosyth

October 1953 reclassified as a Victualling Stores Issuing Ship

11 March 1954 berthed at Palmers, Jarrow

5 April 1954 sailed from the River Tyne

6 April 1954 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on Flamborough Head sailing southbound

15 April 1954 passed the Lloyds Signal Station at Dover sailing west bound

20 April 1955 the Liverpool Echo newspaper reported –

19 October 1955 Mr J Shaw RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

9 December 1955 Captain Dan de V Moulds RFA appointed as Master

5 March 1956 Mr J E Allen RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

25 May 1957 Mr C J Abel RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

18 November 1957 Captain Basil V Dobbie RFA appointed as Master

August 1958 placed on the Disposal List at Sheerness

30 September 1958 offered for sale ‘as is’ lying at Sheerness

December 1958 owners became Lloyds Albert Yard & Motor Packet Services Ltd, London, name unchanged

1959 sold to Ambassador Steamships Pvt Ltd and registered at Cochin under the Indian Flag, name unchanged 

1968 sold to M.Darapayama, Khorramshahr and renamed Roubahe Darya under Iranian flag

1971 sold to Gulf Sg Co SA, Khorramshahr under the same registry

Notes:

1. Final fate unknown