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Official Number 165578
Class: 1st DALE CLASS Freighting Tanker
Pennant No: X 33 / B 507 / A 133
Laid down:
Builder: Swan Hunter, Neptune Yard, Wallsend
Launched: 5 August 1937
Into Service: September 1937
Out of service: 1960
Fate: Broken up
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
January 1937 laid down
5 August 1937 launched by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Nr 1516 named ARNDALE
RFA Arndale's ships bell
2 September 1937 Captain R C E Neyroud RFA appointed as Master
28 September 1937 completed
29 September 1937 maiden voyage from the Tyne - Trinidad - Gibraltar - Port Said
14 September 1938 Mr F E Langer RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
15 December 1938 berthed at Auckland, New Zealand from Abadan
11 February 1939 Captain T G Bennett RFA (Lieutenant Commander RN (rtd) appointed as Master
12 May 1939 Mr A D Harris RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
3 August 1939 berthed at Garden Island, Sydney, NSW from Abadan
7 August 1939 sailed Garden Island, Sydney, NSw for Melbourne, Victoria
10 August 1939 arrived at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia to discharge
6 September 1939 sailed Colombo independently to Abadan arriving 15 September 1939
18 September 1939 sailed Abadan independently to Port Said arriving on 3 October 1939
11 October 1939 sailed Port Said in convoy Blue.4 to Gibraltar arriving 21 October 1939
22 October 1939 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG4 to Portsmouth arriving 29 October 1939 with a cargo of FFO
29 October 1939 in collision with RFA DISTOL at Gosport Oil Fuel Jetty..
2 November 1939 Captain Benjamin N Beasley RFA appointed as Master
10 November 1939 sailed Portsmouth in convoy OA33 to dispersal then independently to Trinidad arriving on 29 November 1939
1 December 1939 sailed Trinidad independently to Halifax arriving on 11 December 1939
12 December 1939 sailed Halifax in convoy HX12 arrived Liverpool 27 December 1939.
31 December 1939 sailed the Clyde to Scapa Flow under the escort of destroyers HMS FEARLESS and HMS FURY
2 January 1940 sailed Scapa Flow independently to the Clyde arriving the next day
4 January 1940 sailed the Clyde independently to Scapa Flow arriving 6 January 1940
11 January 1940 sailed Scapa Flow independently to the Clyde arriving 13 January 1940
25 Jan 1940 repairs Clyde
6 February 1940 sailed the Clyde independently to Liverpool arriving the next day
9 February 1940 sailed Liverpool to join convoy OGF 18 at sea onward to Gibraltar arriving on 17 February 1940 and then independently to Trinidad arriving on 27 February 1940
2 March 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to River Plate and then Port Stanley, Falkland Islands arriving on 6 April 1940
10 April 1940 sailed Port Stanley, Falkland Islands independently to Montevideo arriving 6 May 1940
7 May 1940 sailed Montevideo independently to Rio De Janeiro arriving 1 July 1940
5 July 1940 sailed Rio De Janeriro independently to Montevideo arriving 7 August 1940
August 1940 conducted OAS trials with the cruisers HMS HAWKINS and HMS CUMBERLAND in the South Atlantic
1 December 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Montevideo arriving 30 December 1940
8 January 1941 received stocks of fuel from RFA BROOMDALE
27 April 1941 sailed Trinidad independently to Gibraltar arriving 15 May 1941
18 July 1941 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG68
5 August 1941 sailed Key West independently to New Orleans arriving 7 August 1941
30 August 1941 sailed New Orleans independently to Curacao arriving 6 September 1941
6 December 1941 refuelled the AMC QUEEN OF BERMUDA at an anchorage in the South Atlantic
3 January 1942 sailed Rio De Janeiro independently to Montevideo arriving 19 January 1942
21 January 1942 sailed Montevideo independently to Rio De Janeiro arriving on 10 February 1942
14 February 1942 sailed Rio De Janeiro independently to Trinidad arriving 26 February 1942
28 February 1942 Mr C A Drummond RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
17 March 1942 sailed Trinidad independently to New Orleans arriving 26 March 1942
26 March 1942 to 28 April 1942 at New Orleans for repairs
15 May 1942 sailed Trinidad independently to Cape Town arriving 9 June 1942
26 June 1942 sailed Cape Town independently to Mombasa arriving 9 July 1942
1 November 1942 one of her Officers was being repatriated to the U.K., along with twenty four Ratings ex RFA GREEN RANGER and twenty nine Ratings ex RFA EAGLESDALE, aboard the MOWT troopship ss MENDOZA when the latter was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-178 in the Indian Ocean about 70 miles ENE of Durban in position 29.13 S 32.13 E whilst on an independent voyage from Mombasa to Durban. nine RFA Ratings were killed and eight were injured
11 November 1942 Captain Howard D Gausden DSO RFA appointed as Master
29 November 1942 sailed Mombasa independently to Durban arriving 11 December 1942
14 March 1943 her ex Captain, being repatriated to the U.K. aboard the Canadian Pacific liner EMPRESS OF CANADA, was killed when the latter was torpedoed and sunk by the Italian submarine LEONARDO DA VINCI in the South Atlantic approx 420 miles SSW of Cape Palmas in position 01.13 S 09.57 W whilst sailing independently on a voyage from Durban to Takoradi and the U.K
14 July 1943 Mr Harold M Pearson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
8 September 1943 sailed Bandar Abbas in convoy PB55 to Bombay arriving 14 September 1943
15 September 1943 sailed Bombay in convoy BM65 to Colombo arriving 20 September 1943
16 November 1943 sailed Addu Atoll in convoy XC10 to Colombo arriving on 19 November 1943
19 December 1943 sailed Colombo in convoy JC30 to Trincomalee arriving on 22 December 1943
9 April 1944 sailed Trincomalee to Colombo arriving 11 April 1944
12 April 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy JC44A to Trincomalee arriving 14 April 1944
30 April 1944 sailed Trincomalee under escort
30 May 1944 collision and engine defects
11 June 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy MB74C to Bombay arriving 15 June 1944
15 July 1944 repairs Brisbane
28 August 1944 in collision with the cruiser HMS CEYLON during OAS operations
15 September 1944 sailed Abadan to Bombay arriving 22 September 1944
22 September 1944 sailed Bombay to Colombo arriving 26 September 1944
26 September 1944 sailed Colombo to Trincomalee arriving 28 September 1944
3 November 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy JC66 to Trincomalee arriving 5 November 1944
21 December 1944 Mr R R Darroch RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
26 December 1944 sailed Freemantle to Onslow arriving 30 December 1944
1 January 1945 sailed Exmouth Gulf to Freemantle arriving 9 January 1945
15 January 1945 sailed Freemantle to join Force 69 consisting of RFA’s ECHODALE, EMPIRE SALVAGE and WAVE KING in the Underway Replenishment Group for Force 63 - the Main Body for Operation Meridian 1 - along with an unidentified oiler and escorted by the cruiser HMS CEYLON
24 January 1945 Force 63 ( supported by Force 69 which included RFA’s ECHODALE, EMPIRE SALVAGE and WAVE KING) in Operation Meridian 1 - the naval air strike on the Royal Dutch Oil Refinery at Pladjoe, the largest and most important oil refinery in the Far East
29 January 1945 Operation Meridian 11 - Force 63 supported by an underway replenishment group - conducted a second strike against the Standard Oil Refinery at Soengi Gerong, the second largest refinery
15 January 1945 sailed Freemantle to join Force 69 in Operation Meridian returning to Freemantle on 7 February 1945
6 February 1945 Captain P H Brooke OBE RFA appointed as Master
9 February 1945 sailed Freematle to Sydney NSW arriving 18 February 1945
27 February 1945 sailed Sydney NSW escorted to Manus, the American base in the Admiralty Islands, in company with RFA WAVE KING arriving 9 March 1945
15 March 1945 British Pacific Fleet, re-titled as Task Force 57 took part in Operation Iceberg - the invasion of Okinawa - RFA Arndale and six other RFA's attached.
19 March 1945 sailed Manus to Leyte arriving 26 March 1945
28 March 1945 to 30 March 1945 in spite of defects the overworked and undermanned oilers with inexperienced crews supported Task Force 112 with 7 replenishment sorties. Other RFA’s involved were RFA’s BACCHUS (2) (distilling ship), BROWN RANGER (water tanker), CEDARDALE, DINGLEDALE, WAVE KING and WAVE MONARCH
23 April 1945 to 30 April 1945 British Pacific Fleet and the Fleet Train at San Pedro Bay for rest, maintenance and storing
May 1945 took part in Operation Iceberg Two during which 9 oilers made 18 sorties and refuelled the British Pacific Fleet on 5 occasions
12 May 1945 HMS Woodcock provided air defence for HMS SPEAKER, HMS RULER, tankers RFA ARNDALE, AASE MARSK, SAN AMADO and RFA DINGLEDALE, with destroyer HMS NEPAL, sloop HMS PHEASANT and Royal Australian Navy minesweepers.
15 May 1945 with Fleet Train in Area COOTIE RASing BPF ships with RN Frigates HMS WOODCOCK, HMS PHEASANT, Destroyers HMAS NIZAM, Escort Carriers HMS RULER and HMS STRIKER for defence of Fleet Train tankers RFA DINGLEDALE RFA ARNDALE, RFA WAVE KING and RFA WAVE MONARCH (Operation ICEBERG TWO)
20 May 1945 sailed Leyte under escort to Manus arriving 28 May 1945
6 June 1945 sailed Manus to Brisbane arriving 15 June 1945
12 June 1945 Fourth Engineer Officer Samuel Teversham RFA discharged dead.
August 1945 Attached to the British Pacific Fleet along with RFA’s BACCHUS (2), BISHOPDALE, BROWN RANGER, CEDARDALE, DINGLEDALE, EASEDALE, GREEN RANGER, RAPIDOL, SERBOL, WAVE EMPEROR, WAVE GOVERNOR, WAVE KING, WAVE MONARCH plus HMS (later RFA) OLNA
August 1945 badly damaged by fire - repaired at Brisbane.
20 September 1945 sailed Brisbane independently to Manus arriving 29 September 1945
30 September 1945 sailed Manus independently to Hong Kong arriving 14 October 1945
2 December 1945 sailed Kilindri for Durban
2 January 1946 Seaman Ali Saleman discharged dead. He is remembered with pride on the Forces Memorial Wall, Niche 42SA of Rookwood Crematorium, Sydney, NSW, Australia
3 March 1946 sailed Gibraltar to the Tyne arriving 11 March 1946
13 March 1946 to 12 June 1946 refit on the Tyne
12 June 1946 sailed the Tyne for Port Said arriving 27 June 1946
1 July 1946 sailed Port Said to Aden arrived 9 July 1946 and then to Abadan
19 July 1946 sailed Abadan to Singapore arrived 4 August 1946
18 August 1946 sailed Singapore to Abadan arriving 3 September 1946
5 September 1946 sailed Abadan to Trincomalee arriving 16 September 1946
28 September 1946 sailed Trincomalee to Abadan arriving 9 October 1946
10 October 1946 sailed Abadan to Malta arrived 29 October 1946
4 November 1946 sailed Malta to Abadan arriving about 22 November 1946
23 November 1946 sailed Abadan for Singapore but didn'r arrive there as planned
27 November 1946 at Bandar Abbas for engine repairs which were completed by 29 November 1946
16 December 1947 Captain F A Shaw RFA appointed as Master
12 July 1949 Mr Alexander Ballantyne OBE RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
28 October 1949 Captain Robert H Venning RFA appointed as Master
10 August 1950 Captain Thomas Elder DSC RFA appointed as Master
12 August 1950 Mr J C Calvert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
22 August 1951 Captain James H Chant RFA appointed as Master
1 April 1952 Mr J Edge RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
20 January 1952 radioed she was in need of assistance in heavy weather while in the North Sea off the East coast of Scotland but when a destroyer reached her she reported she was out of danger.
15 November 1952 Captain Edmund H Butterworth RFA appointed as Master
Captain Edmund H Butterworth RFA
2 November 1953 Mr David C Leathley RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
9 November 1954 Captain Frank P Hennin OBE RFA appointed as Master
21 November 1954 Mr A J Daniel RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
January 1955 to February 1956 on charter to London Overseas Freighters Ltd, London
10 January 1955 Captain F G Edwards RFA appointed as Master
9 May 1955 Mr R R Darrock RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
28 February 1956 Captain A H Mackenzie RFA appointed as Master
6 November 1956 Mr E Smeaton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
28 November 1956 Mr T H Purvis RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
28 March 1957 Captain James Jolly RFA appointed as Master
2 November 1957 Mr T J W Humphrey RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
10 October 1958 Mr W Ditchburn RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
12 January 1959 Captain George Robson RFA appointed as Master
12 August 1959 laid up at Rosyth
4 December 1959 advertised for sale 'as lying' at Rosyth Dockyard by the Ministry of Transport in the Times newspaper of this day
March 1960 sold to Belgian breakers
12 April 1960 arrived at Willebroek, Belgium for breaking up by Sadeica Cie Anonyme. Brussels
Notes:
1. She was originally destined to be one of a Class of what was to become 93 tankers over a 15 year period, the lead ship of this Class being launched at Newcastle as BRITISH FAME on 19 June 1936
2. A member of the British Pacific Fleet - hence the 'B' pennant number
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