RFA Aldersdale

The launch of RFA Aldersdale

Courtesy of National Museums Liverpool

(Stewart Bale Collection, Merseyside Maritime Museum)

Previous name:
Subsequent name:  

Official Number               165572 

                                                                         

Class:

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: -

25 August 1937 Captain C H Noel RFA appointed as Master

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

28 May 1939 Captain T H Card RFA appointed as Master

5 September 1939 sailed Port Said in convoy Blue 1 to Gibraltar arriving on 20 September 1939

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

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

2 October 1940 Captain T C Robinson RFA appointed as Master

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

22 May 1941 Captain D A Rees RFA appointed as Master

25 December 1941 was fouled by m/v Svenor during a squall in Reykjavik harbour suffering damage to the superstructure

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

16 April 1942 suffered sea damage

23 April 1942 arrived the Clyde

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

27 June 1942 sailed Hvalfjord, Iceland in convoy PQ17 to Arkanglesk, Russia

5 July 1942 In convoy PQ17 - dispersed on orders from the Admiralty due to heavy German units believed to be putting to sea - Bombed by German aircraft and abandoned by the crew.  54 of the survivors were picked up by HMS Salamander.

7 July 1942 sunk by torpedo by German submarine U457 at 75N, 45E - there were no fatalities