Lower image taken at Hong Kong on 2 December 1925 - note the ensign is at half mast due to the death of Queen Alexandra who had died on 20 November 1925 and whose funeral had taken place on 28 November 1925.  This image was very kindly donated by Andrew Gourlay from the collection of Captain Charles Noel OBE RFA. Captain Noel was the Master of the Belgol on the date this image was taken.

Previous name:
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                    140377

Class:                                      SECOND 2000t BELGOL CLASS Tanker

Pennant No:                           X06 / X 106 / A 106

Laid down:
Builder:                                    Irvine, Middleton, West Hartlepool
Launched:                              23 April 1917
Into Service:                           October 1917 
Out of service:                        1958
Fate:                                         Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  There were 10 ships in this Class, all Admiralty designed of which 5 were named after Allied countries while the other 5 were given names indicating power or speed, all with the OL suffix. 3 of them, RFA’s FRANCOL, MONTENOL and SERBOL had upright funnels with a single tall mast close by, while the remainder had a raking funnel and 2 raking masts. During WW2 the mainmast was removed from these.

23 April 1917 Launched by Irvine Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, West Hartlepool as Yard Nr 578 named BELGOL

 1 September 1917 Engineer Lieutenant James A Brown RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

19 October 1917 completed at a cost of £183,757

17 October 1917 Lieutenant A D Davies RNR appointed in Command

4 November 1917 Bosun A McDonald logged as deserted from the ship. He had signed on the ship on the 22 September 1917

13 December 1917 Able Seaman H May logged as deserted from the ship. He had signed on the ship on the 27 September 1917

26 January 1918 Fireman W Canon and Fireman G Marshall both logged as deserted from the ship. They had both signed on the ship on the 27 September 1917

27 November 1918 Greaser F Hallett MMR 589058 discharged dead. He had signed on on 22 September 1917. Buried in St Sever's Cemetery Extension, Rouen, France

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

27 November 1918 Stoker L Vanner logged as deserted from the ship. He had signed on the ship on the 16 November 1918

December 1918 supported the RN Squadron sent to the Baltic during the Russian Civil War on  Operation Red Trek which secured the establishment of the independent states of Estonia and Latvia along with RFA’s BACCHUS (1), PRESTOL and SLAVOL

3 May 1919 at Solombola, Russia HMS Cicala alongside to be refuelled - 33 tons of FFO issued

4 May 1919 Chief Cook Walter Tenson MMR 37360 discharged dead. He had signed on on 27 November 1918. He was buried in the Archangel Allied Cemetery, Russian Federation.

24 May 1919 at Archangel HMS CICALA came alongside to be refuelled - 47 tons FFO 

12 June 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M33 came alongside to be refuelled -30 tons FFO 

14 August 1919 at Murmansk HMS EREBUS came alongside to be refuelled - 160 tons FFO

22 September 1919 at Murmansk HM Monitor M24 came alongside to be refuelled - 1,000 gallons 

9 October 1919 at Murmansk HM Monitor M23 came alongside to be refuelled

12 June 1920 at Greenock alongside HMS COVENTRY refuelling her

29 September 1920 RFA Prestol was engaged with Royal Naval Ships in the Baltic when she was involved in a collision with a merchant ship. The Prestol had to return to the UK for repairs and RFA Belgol sailed from the Clyde to take her place in the Baltic

7 January 1921 Mr Edward B Morton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer - re-signed fresh articles 17 February 1921. He had previously served on RFA Philol

Chief Engineer Officer Edward B Morton RFA

19 December 1923 Mr F C Pavitt RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 December 1923 Captain Charles H Noel RFA appointed as Master

Captain Charles H Noel RFA

23 February 1924 to 3 March 1924 berthed on the Oil Wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore

RFA Belgol alongside HMS Hawkins (Flagship) at Singapore in March 1924. This image was very kindly donated by Andrew Gourlay from the collection of Captain Charles Noel OBE RFA. Captain Noel was the Master of the Belgol on the date this image was taken.

11 March 1924 at Singapore alongside HMS HAWKINS to refuel her

4 June 1925 Mr M N Carlyle RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 April 1926 Captain W Whiteley RFA appointed as Master

18 October 1928 Captain E Parker RFA appointed as Master

23 November 1928 Mr F E Langer RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

December 1929 Captain E Parker RFA transfered to RFA Pearleaf at Hong Kong when her Master was hospialised and that ship was due to sail. Chief Officer W. McEver RFA took over command as Acting Master until 29 December 1929 when RFA Pearleaf returned to the Colony.

13 February 1931 Mr Alexander B McIntyre RFA (Engineer Lieutenant RNR) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 October 1931 Captain W C T Barns RFA appointed as Master

9 July 1932 thirteen survivors of a wrecked fishing junk No 728 from a small village close to Swatow, China were picked up at sea by Belgol while she was enroute from Wei-hai-wei to Hong Kong. The junk had been caught in a squall and capsized at 22.39N 119.9E

10 November 1932 Mr M Blair RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 JUne 1933 at sea at 22.54.30N 116.38E Cook Chai Ah SAN discharged dead - natural causes - apparently heart failure. Buried at sea

27 November 1934 Captain E Parker RFA appointed as Master and Mr W Maybray RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1935 in reserve at Rosyth

1 February 1936 has paravanes fitted and the Admiralty write to the Grangemouth Dock Company who under took the work

Courtesy Falkirk Council Archives

18 July 1936 sailed Malta for the UK

1938 /  1939 in reserve at Devonport. Mr E B Morton RFA engineer in charge of oilers in reserve in Devonport

5 August 1939 at Invergordon alongside HMS ROYAL OAK (Battleship) refuelling her

1 September 1939 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS ROYAL OAK (Battleship) refuelling her. RFA Petronell was alongside at the same time supplying fresh water

20 September 1939 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS EDINBURGH refuelling her 

8 October 1939 grounded south of Scapa Flow while attempting to go alongside the cruiser HMS DUNEDIN

24 March 1940 sailed Greenock to Scapa Flow - remained at Scapa Flow until 31 August 1940

28 March 1940 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS WARSPITE refuelling her with 1,524 tons of FFO

2 July 1940 Captain Stanley C Kernick RFA appointed as Master

3 September 1940 sailed Scapa Flow to the River Clyde - remained on the Clyde until 3 December 1940

10 September 1940 Mr W E Burke RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

3 December 1940 refit until 26 December 1940 - on the River Clyde

2 February 1941 sailed the Clyde to Scapa Flow - remained at Scapa Flow until 17 August 1941

27 March 1941 in collision with the cruiser HMS CURACAO at Scapa Flow

10 April 1941 Mr J H Dawe RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 May 1941 undertook Trough Method trials of OAS with RFA CELEROL and destroyers

6 June 1941 undertook OAS trials with the destroyer HMS INGLEFIELD

22 June 1941 Captain Raymond V Boodle RFA appointed as Master

17 August 1941 sailed Scapa Flow to the River Clyde

3 November 1941 refit on the Clyde until 11 November 1941

24 November 1941 at Tail of Bank

7 December 1941 sailed in Convoy ON044 from Greenock to Iceland - arriving on 11 December 1941

27 July 1942 sailed in Convoy RU33 from Iceland deteched from the convoy to the Clyde arriving 1 August 1942

7 August 1942 repairs commenced on the Clyde - completed 3 September 1942

17 December 1942 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy WN373 to Methil arriving 19 December 1942

3 January 1943 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS ANSON (Battleship) together with RFA BLUE RANGER refueling her - the two RFA's supplied 2,300 tons of FFO to her combined

5 January 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy UR 60 for Reykjavik but returned to harbour

13 January 1943 at Scapa Flow alongside HMS Anson (Battleship) refueling her - supplied 441 tons of FFO to her

25 January 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy UR60 to Iceland but returned 

3 March 1943 grounded and damaged. On being refloated found to be holed.

6 March 1943 temporary repairs were undertaken

17 March 1943 at Hvalfjord, Iceland alongside HMS ANSON (Battleship) refueling her - supplied 500 tons of FFO to her

4 April 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy WN 411to Methil arriving 6 April 1943. RFA Scottish American was also in this convoy

23 April 1943 Mr W E Burke RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 April 1943 damaged at Sunderland by bombs dropped in an air raid.

8 May 1943 repairs completed

24 May 1943 bombed while at Sunderland. Chief Engineer and one DEMS gunner injured.

3 September 1943 Captain James Jolly RFA appointed as Master

24 October 1943 sailed in Convoy EN298 from Methil arriving at Milford Haven on 26 October 1943

5 November 1943 sailed Liverpool in Convoy OS 58KM which split. Belgol arrived at Gibraltar on 19 November 1943

19 November 1943 sailed in Convoy KMS032 from Gibraltar as Escort Oiler to Port Said arriving 30 November 1943

13 December 1943 sailed Aden in Convoy AP56 arriving at Bandar Abbas 20 December 1943

4 January 1944 sailed Colombo in Convoy JC 32 arriving at Trincomalee 7 January 1944

6 April 1944 sailed Addu in Convoy  XC18 along with RFA BACCHUS (2) arriving at Colombo 9 April 1944

10 April 1944 sailed Colombo in Convoy JC44 arriving at Trincomalee 17 April 1944

9 September 1944 Captain Douglas B Snowdon RFA appointed as Master

28 September 1944 Mr Eric S Fielder RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

7 June 1945 Captain George S Perry RFA appointed as Master

27 June 1946 Chief Engineer Officer Edward Charles Harrison RFA discharged dead. He is buried in Lanteglos-by-Fowey (St Wyllow) Churchyard, Cornwall

12 December 1946 Captain F J King RFA appointed as Master

23 March 1947 at Singapore Quartermaster Sang Cheng A discharged dead. He was killed in a motor vehicle accident ashore

27 October 1947 Mr T Dowling RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 August 1948 Captain R L Barber RFA appointed as Master

4 February 1949 Mr T W Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 May 1949 at Invergordon alongside HMS SUPERB refuelling her

18 May 1949 Mr O Goodwin RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

28 June 1949 at Portland alongside HMS SUPERB refuelling her

19 July 1949 Captain J Bottomley RFA appointed as Master

23 October 1949 Donkey Greaser Alexander McDonald discharged dead at Greenock - drowned

1 August 1950 Mr T W Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 March 1951 Captain G O W Evans RFA appointed as Master

29 December 1951 Mr Arthur L Barr RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

Chief Engineer Officer Arthur L Barr RFA

5 December 1952 Captain Alfred W Camamile DSC RFA appointed as Master

10 February 1953 placed in reserve at Devonport

28 February 1953 Lloyds Classification withdrawn

June 1958 handed over to BISCO for scrap

22 June 1958 arrived at Charlestown for breaking up by Shipbreaking Industries Ltd.