RFA Aldersdale

The launch of RFA Aldersdale

Previous name:
Subsequent name:  

Official Number               165572 

                                                                         
Class:                                1^st DALE CLASS Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:                     X34

Laid down:                       September 1936
Builder:                             Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead
Launched:                        7 July 1936
Into Service:                     17 September 1937
Out of service:                  7 July 1942
Fate:                                   Sunk by torpedo

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  Originally there were to have been 19 ships in this Class. The first 6 were purchased off the stocks fro the British Tanker Co Ltd whilst building at the instigation of the then Director of Stores, Sir William Gick,  who was concerned at the age of the RFA Fleet and ships that were approaching the end of their economic lives. A further 2 ships were purchased from Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd for evaluation purposes. At the outbreak of WW2, a further 11 ships were acquired from the MoWT war programme although one of these, to have been named EPPINGDALE, which had been registered in London as EMPIRE GOLD on 21/02/43 and intended for transfer to the Admiralty for manning and management as an RFA and despite 5 Officers being appointed to her, the intended transfer was cancelled the following day and she thus never entered RFA service. 3 of this Class were converted into LSG’s and were then reconverted back into tankers at the end of the War.

1936 Ordered by the British Tanker Company Ltd, London

7 July 1937 launched by Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead as Yard Nr 1025 named ALDERSDALE for the Admiralty

25 August 1937 Captain Charles H Noel RFA appointed as Master

Captain Charles H Noel RFA

17 September 1937 completed and taken over from the builders

18 September 1937 commenced her maiden voyage from Greenock to Abadan

January 1938 fitted for defensive armament

15 September 1938 Mr M J Lawrence RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

November 1938 defensive armament fitting completed by the builders and gun trials carried out

28 May 1939 Captain Thomas H Card RFA appointed as Master

5 September 1939 sailed Port Said in convoy Blue 1 which also contained RFA ABBEYDALE to Gibraltar arriving on 20 September 1939

26 September 1939 Sailed Gibraltar in Convoy HG 1which also contained RFA‘s ABBEYDALE and  SERBOL bound for Liverpool and  detached for Trinidad

3 November 1939 sailed Freetown to Trinidad independently arriving on 14 November 1939

18 November 1939 sailed Trinidad to Halifax arriving on 26 November 1939

4 December 1939 sailed Halifax in convoy HX11 to Plymouth with FFO

4 January 1940 under repair at Cardiff. Repairs completed 12 January 1940

12 January 1940 sailed Cardiff to join convoy OG014 at sea sailing to Gibraltar

24 January 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG16 to Portsmouth

24 April 1940 was damaged by the cruiser HMS AURORA while serving in Northern Waters

2 June 1940 arrived Scapa Flow from Glasgow escorted by the anti-submarine trawler ELM

25 July 1940 under repair on the Clyde. Repairs completed 8 August 1940

17 September 1940 sailed from the Clyde in Convoy WN 16 bound Methil and detached for Scapa Flow with a cargo of  FFO

2 October 1940 Captain T C Robinson RFA appointed as Master

4 October 1940 in collision with the British CIRCE SHELL

25 November 1940 in collision with the British ATHELEMPRESS

22 December 1940 in collision with the British Booth Line BENEDICT

28 February 1941 Mr W J Brown RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

17 April 1941 conducted OAS trials with the cruiser HMS EXETER in the open sea

19 April 1941 Was allocated Fleet Attendant Duties in Norwegian Waters along with RFA OLIGARCH. She was the initial support ship for the 5 or 6 Halcyon Class minesweepers based in the Kola Inlet which were used to cover the homeward-bound convoys

22 May 1941 Captain D A Rees RFA appointed as Master

12 August 1941 allocated for Operation Dervish - the first Convoy carrying aid  to Russia

21 August 1941 sailed Hvalfjordur on Operation Dervish - the convoy consisted of 6 ships

31 August 1941 Dervish Convoy arrived Archangel.

1 September 1941 while supporting the 1st Cruiser Squadron she touched an uncharted shoal in Sardau Bay, Spitzbergen. A Notice to Mariners was issued by the Hydrographer

15 September 1941 arrived Hvalfjordur escorted by the destroyer HMS ESCAPADE

19 December 1941 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy UR 2

25 December 1941 Convoy UR 2 arrived Reykjavik where her superstructure was damaged when she was fouled by the Norwegian tanker SVENOR which had broken adrift during a squall

15 March 1942 her bows were badly damaged by ice

26 March 1942 sailed Oban for Reykjavik to join Convoy PQ14 arriving on 31 March 1942 

8 April 1942 sailed Reykjavik as Escort oiler on convoy PQ14 to Murmansk arriving 19 April 1942

13 April 1942 the Convoy ran into heavy ice consisting of growlers and  were unable to extricate themselves due to dense fog. 11 ships, including ALDERSDALE were so badly damaged by ice that they were forced to return to Hvalfjordur

23 April 1942 arrived the Clyde under escort

3 May 1942 under repair on the Clyde - repairs completed 4 June 1942

5 May 1942 Captain Archibald Hobson RFA appointed as Master

16 June 1942 sailed from the Clyde under escort

18 June 1942 arrived Loch Ewe

22 June 1942 Arrived Reykjavik

27 June 1942 sailed Hvalfjord, Iceland in convoy PQ17 to Arkanglesk, Russia the Convoy consisting of 39 merchantmen along with  RFA GRAY RANGER

30 June 1942 served as a replacement for RFA GRAY RANGER which had  suffered damage after a growler had split her bow open and she had to return to port for repairs

4 July 1942 whilst refuelling the destroyer HMS SOMALI, Convoy PQ 17 was ordered to scatter by the Admiralty due to heavy German units believed to be putting to sea

5 July 1942 bombed by 3 Junkers aircraft from astern in position 77.00N 22.00E in the Barents Sea. She was carrying a part cargo of aviation spirit. The first and second scored some near misses which shook but did not stop her and they machine gunned the decks and  bridge. The 3rd plane came in at an even lower angle of attack and a terrific explosion appeared to lift the ship out of the water and her engines were wrecked and immediately stopped and she rapidly started taking in water and abandoned by the crew.  54 of the survivors were picked up by HMS Salamander.

7 July 1942 the drifting wreck was attacked by gunfire by German submarine U457 at 75N, 45E which then fired 1 torpedo and the wreck broke in two and sank stern first at about 0700 local time - there were no fatalities

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