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Previous name:
Subsequent name:
Official Number: 165489
Class: 1st DALE CLASS Freighting Tanker
Pennant No: X 67
Laid down:
Builder: Harland & Wolff, Govan
Launched: 22 April 1937
Into Service: 7 June 1937
Out of service: 30 April 1940
Fate: Stranded at Narvik
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 from 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.
10 April 1936 ordered by the British Tanker Company Ltd, London
22 April 1937 launched by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Govan as Yard Nr 971 G named BOARDALE for the Admiralty
15 June 1937 Captain L Elford RFA appointed as Master
7 July 1937 completed
8 July 1937 commenced her maiden voyage from Glasgow - Port Said - Abadan in Iran
9 June 1938 Mr Alexander B McIntyre RFA (Lieutenant Commander (E) RNR) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
21 July 1938 arrived Malta from Glasgow, sailed the same day to Costanza
11 October 1938 sailed Malta
31 January 1939 arrived at Sydney, Australia from Abadan to discharge
4 February 1939 sailed Sydney, Australia for Bahrein
5 February 1939 passed Gabo Island sailing west
24 May 1939 In collision with the British steamer GENERTON in Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta
4 June 1939 at Abadan
16 September 1939 sailed Abadan
4 December 1939 sailed Malta for Haifa arrived on 8 December 1939
9 December 1939 sailed Haifa for Alexandria arrived 11 December 1939
22 February 1940 sailed Alexandria for Gibraltar - arrived 29 February 1940
1 March 1940 sailed Gibraltar in convoy HG21F for the Clyde arriving 9 March 1940
14 March 1940 undergoing repairs on the Clyde
14 April 1940 grounded in Ardrossan Harbour but was refloated
21 April 1940 at Scapa Flow
30 April 1940 while on passage from the Clyde to Narvik with a cargo of aviation spirit, and following a destroyer and another storeship, in thick fog she ran aground on a reef in Assan Fjord owing to a navigational error and was abandoned without any casualties The crew were rescued by the Polish destroyer Burza
1 May 1940 caught fire and sank in 67 metres of water. Her Master was stated to be roughly to blame for the loss
Notes:
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
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