Previous name:                         Margha, Olinda,  Oiler Transport No 159
Subsequent name:                   India, Atheltarn, Zuiyo Maru

Official Number:                        139184

Class:                                          Emergency Wartime Construction LEAF Group Class Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:                               Y7.159

Laid down:
Builder:                                        Barclay Curle, Whiteinch
Launched:                                  9 December 1916
Into Service:                                February 1917
Out of service:                            26 August 1919 Sold commercially
Fate:                                            Torpedoed and sunk

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:   During WW1, 18 vessels of varying types were acquired second hand and converted or purchased and converted while on the stocks, or in a few cases building as tankers. Some were converted after serving with the Dummy Battleship Squadron by the insertion of cylindrical tanks in their holds. All were originally intended to operate as RFA’s, however owing to reasons of international law and the operation of the US Neutrality Act, these oilers became Mercantile Fleet Auxiliaries, being renamed with the LEAF nomenclature and placed under civilian management although operationally they remained under Admiralty control

1913 ordered as the passenger / cargo liner MARGHA for the British India Steam Navigation Co, London  (along with her sister MASULA which became LIMELEAF) as one of a class of nine similar vessels

October 1915 requisitioned on the stocks by the Admiralty and converted into an oiler

9 December 1916 launched by Barclay, Curle & Co Ltd, Whiteinch as Yard Nr 539 named RFA OLINDA

22 January 1917 taken on charge a E Dent & Co Hack Watch No 56374 which had been purchased in July 1908 and had not been issued on charge before hand. Sold with the ship on 26 August 1919

February 1917 completed for the Shipping Controller and placed under management of Lane & MacAndrew Ltd, London as an oiler transport and renamed BOXLEAF. Base port  Devonport

1 April 1917 was in the Irish Sea being escorted by HMS Delphinium

15 January 1919 sailed Plymouth for Sabine

2 February 1919 arrived Port Arthur to load from Plymouth

3 February 1919 sailed Port Arthur to Plymouth

9 March 1919 sailed Glasgow for Port Arthur

10 April 1919 sailed Newport News for Devonport

26 August 1919 purchased by N.V. Insulinde Tankstoomboot Maatschappij ( Franz Hoynck, Manager)   Amsterdam and renamed INDIA

1921 management transferred to J.A. Stockmans, Amsterdam

1923 management transferred to S.P. Boese, Amsterdam

1925 sold to British Molasses Co and renamed Atheltarn

May 1928 purchased for £70,000 by Nippon Tanker Kabushika Kaisha, Yokohama and renamed  ZUIYO MARU. Owners later became Kishimoto Kisen Kabushika Kaisha, Tokio  name unchanged

RFA Boxleaf after being sold and renamed ZUIYO MARU when purchased by Japanese owners

8 March 1929 commenced loading crude oil at Los Angeles, California Union terminal for Yokohama

18 August 1929 went ashore near Okojiri Island

10 September 1929 refloated

21 November 1932 sailed Los Angeles, California loaded for Japan

20 January 1937 sailed Los Angeles, California loaded for Yokohama, Japan

21 May 1937 arrived Los Angeles, California to load

2 November 1939 was at at Los Angeles California due to load for Osaka, Japan but was found to have engine defects

1 October 1944 torpedoed and sunk at  16.11N 119.44E by the Freemantle, Australia based USS Cabrilla (S288) (Lt Commander William C Thompson USN) off Olongapo in the Philippines