RFA British Light

RFA British Light

 

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:                 RFA Olwen, Mushtari

Official Number:                     140449

Class:                                     10,000t OL CLASS Tanker

Pennant No:                           Y7.242 / X 09

Laid down:
Builder:                                   Palmers, Jarrow
Launched:                              3 October 1917
Into Service:                           17 April 1937

Out of service:                        1947 sold to commercial interests

Fate:                                      October 1959  Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:   Of the 6 ships in this Class, 2 of them were built by HM Dockyards to keep the Dockyards busy after the end of WW1 in accordance with the Colwyn Committee‘s recommendations.. 2 other similar ships were built for Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London at the same time - MUREX at Portsmouth and NASSA at Devonport - and after producing these 2 well-built ships, the finances and materials appeared to be short and the 2 built for the RFA were supposedly built with odds and ends and auxiliaries taken from outmoded warships. With their cheap and second-hand fittings they had some heavy maintenance bills, which they paid for by spending most of their lives on charter. MUREX and NASSA were both broken up at Osaka in 1936

 

22 October 1917 launched by Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Jarrow  as Yard Nr 878 named  BRITISH LIGHT for the Shipping Controller

23 December 1917 completed at a cost of £191,789 and placed under management of British Tanker Co, London

1919 transferred to Admiralty ownership but remained under commercial management

27 February 1919 arrived at Port Said

11 October 1919 arrived at Portsmouth

14 October 1919 sailed Portsmouth to sea

1 December 1919 arrived at Port Arthur, Texas from Falmouth

21 February 1920 sailed Port Arthur, Texas for Fiji

29 April 1920 alongside HMS Renown at Auckland, New Zealand to refuel her

4 January 1921 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

1 February 1921 sailed Port Arthur, Texas to Devonport

29 July 1921 in the Persian Gulf at 27.30N 51.36E Ships Cook Edward Bray discharged dead from heat stroke

3 September 1921 arrived at Portland from Abadan

1922 acquired by the Admiralty but under British Tanker Co Managment

14 August 1922 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

16 August 1922 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

21 January 1924 entered New York Harbour with Captain A C Oswald as Master and 37 crew

6 June 1924 entered New York Harbour with Captain A C Oswald as Master and 37 crew having sailed from Tampico, Mexico

 

31 December 1925 at Port Said

15 January 1926 berthed at Abadan

22 January 1926 sailed from Abadan - the ships Master was Captain George Robson

1 February 1926 arrived Ceylon

4 February 1926 sailed Ceylon 

16 February 1926 at Abadan

7 March 1926 berthed at SIngapore

10 March 1926 sailed Singapore

22 March 1926 berthed at Singapore 

25 March 1926 sailed Singapore

5 April 1926 berthed at Singapore

8 April 1926 sailed Singapore

23 April 1926 berthed at Abadan 

27 April 1926 sailed Abadan

6 May 1926 at Aden

13 May 1926 at Suez for transit through the Suez Canal to Port Said arriving the next day

23 May 1926 at Gibraltar

31 May 1926 at the Tyne

19 December 1927 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

3 January 1928 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

16 May 1930 berthed at Portsmouth Dockyard

8 June 1930 sailed from Portsmouth Dockyard when her steering gear failed and the ship came to rest on the Hamilton Sandbank. Refloated without damage at high tide the next day

9 June 1930 berthed at Portsmouth Dockyard

11 June 1930 sailed from Portsmouth Dockyard

July and August 1931 was laid up at Sheerness

11 March 1932 berthed at Portsmouth Dockyard

25 April 1932 sailed from Portsmouth Dockyard

16 May 1932 Captain Robert Alexander Flack reported missing believed dead while the ship was in transit of the Suez Canal. Believed he fell overboard and was drowned

Captain Robert A Flack RFA

18 July 1932 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

20 July 1932 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

20 March 1933 berthed from Portsmouth Harbour

20 May 1933 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

24 April 1934 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

28 April 1934 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

9 July 1934 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

12 July 1934 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

18 February 1936 while on passage from Haifa to Grangemouth called at Gibraltar this day

14 October 1936 berthed at Gibraltar from Abadan and Port Said to discharge

12 February 1937 berthed at Gibraltar from Abadan and Port Said to discharge

17 April 1937 transferred to Admiralty management and manning as an RFA renamed OLWEN (1) at Wallsend 

April 1937 fitted for defensive armament

1 May 1937 Captain F M Harvey RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain F M Harvey RFA

 

14 September 1937 berthed at Gibraltar from Malta in ballast

25 February 1938 berthed at Gibraltar from Trinidad to discharge cargo

9 September 1938 berthed at Gibraltar from Malta while on passage to Trinidad in ballast

26 January 1939 Mr R Blacklock RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

21 April 1939 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

24 April 1939 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

4 May 1939 Captain Percival Skone-Rees RFA appointed as Master

Captain Percival Skone-Rees RFA

 

22 July 1939 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA

 

25 September 1939 grounded whilst under the orders of the cruiser HMS AJAX - no damage

1 October 1939 arrived Montevideo for repairs to mechanical defects

14 October 1939 sailed Montevideo independently to join Force G after repairs and to give support, with other RFA's to the RN units involved in the search for the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee

 

RFA Olwen coming alongside a ship of Force G to refuel on 26 October 1939

prior to 'The Battle of the River Plate'

 

26 October 1939 RAS'ed with HMS Achilles and HMS Ajax

6 November 1939 sailed River Plate independently to Trinidad arriving 25 November 1939

15 December 1939 sailed Trinidad to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands arriving on 11 January 1940

February 1940 reported insubordination of and complaints by her crew

13 February 1940 the reports were investigated by the cruiser HMS SHROPSHIRE and the crew were considered unsuitable and a danger to the efficient oiling of HM ships. She was relieved by RFA ARNDALE and was ordered home

21 February 1940 sailed Port Stanley, Falkland Islands but returned there on 9 March 1940

9 March 1940 sailed Port Stanley, Falkland Islands to Trinidad arriving 5 April 1940

23 March 1940 lost a propeller blade and a spare was fitted at Trinidad the following month

12 April 1940 sailed Trinidad for Halifax arried 23 April 1940

26 April 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX 38 with FFO to Devonport. RFA Abbeydale was in the same convoy arriving on 12 May 1940

19 May 1940 having sailed Devonport independly arrived Falmouth the same day

11 June 1940 Mr Charles A Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 June 1940 in Falmouth for repairs

3 July 1940 sailed Falmouth independently arriving St Helens Roads on the 7 July 1940 and thence to the Greenock on the 10 July.

5 July 1940 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour and sailed the same day to sea

13 July 1940 Captain E V Blyth RFA appointed as Master

30 July 1940 sailed Greenock for Freetown in convoy OB191 which dispersed arrived Freetown on 20 August 1940 

August 1940 whilst at Freetown was allocated for Operation Sackbut - the proposed occupation  of  the Cape Verde Islands

20 September 1940 at Freetown alongside HMS Barham to refuel her

21 September 1940 at Freetown alongside HMS Cumberland to refuel her supplying 2,250 tons of FFO

29 September 1940 at Freetown alongside HMS Barham to refuel her

18 November 1940 sailed Freetown for Lagos arriving 24 November 1940

27 November 1940 sailed Lagos for Freetown arriving 2 December 1940

4 November 1941 reports attack by German surface raider in the North Atlantic. Two days searching by RN and USN ships fail to find the raider but they do capture a blockade runner sailing under false colours. Olwen then signals she made raider report by mistake and that she had been fired on by a surfaced submarine.

6 January 1942 sailed New Orleans independently arriving Trinidad 14 January of that year.

26 January 1942 sailed Trinidad independently arriving Freetown 11 February 1942

16 February 1942 sailed Freetown independently arriving Trinidad 8 March 1942

29 March 1942 Captain Stanley M Woodward RFA appointed as Master and Mr L Cowell RFA (Lieutenant (E) RNR (Ret)) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 September 1942 Mr D H Evans RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

November 1942 served as Station Oiler at East London in South Africa

3 January 1943 off Massel Bay on passage to Cape Town at 8knts

3 February 1943 sailed Cape Town independently arriving at East London on the 6 February of that year

8 February 1943 sailed East London independently arriving Durban two days later

27 February 1943 sailed Seychelles independently arriving Abadan 15 March 1943

17 March 1943 sailed Abadan

22 March 1943 sailed Banda Abbas in convoy PA30 to the Seychelles arriving 1 April 1943

3 April 1943 sailed Seychelles independently arriving Diego Suarez on the 5th of that month

8 April 1943 sailed Diego Suarez independently arriving Mauritius 11 April.

20 April 1943 sailed Mauritius independently arriving at Durban on 27 April 1943

29 April 1943 damaged by the salvage vessel SALVIKING at Durban but damage was not serious

14 August 1943 Captain Leonard Elford RFA appointed as Master

Captain Leonard Elford RFA

 

31 July 1944 sailed Bombay in convoy BM98 arriving at Colombo 5 August 1944

23 August 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy CX29 to Addu Atoll arriving 27 August 1944

30 September 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy CX33 to Addu Atoll arriving 3 October 1944

9 November 1944 sailed Addu Atoll in convoy XC34 to Colombo arriving 12 November 1944

28 December 1944 sailed Colombo independently arriving at Addu Atoll on the 31 December 1944

4 January 1945 sailed Addu Atoll independently to Trincomalee arriving on the 9 January 1945 

26 April 1945 sailed Trincomalee escorted by HMS Paladin - at end of operations involving HMS Empress and HMS Shah (both CVE's)  returned to Trincomalee with HMS Paladin

29 April 1945 RASed with HMS Rotherham, HMS Tartar and other destroyers of Force 63 - Operation Bishop

May 1945 took part in Operation Dukedom by supporting the RN force intercepting and sinking  the Japanese heavy cruiser HAGUR

4 May 1945 RASed with HMS CEYLON part of Task Force 68

5 May 1945 RASed with HMS ROTHERHAM

13 May 1945 sailed Trincomalee escorted with HMS Penn at Task Force 67

4 August 1945 sailed Trincomalee independently to Bombay arriving on the 11 August 1945

23 August 1945 sailed Bombay independently to Trincomalee arriving 29 August 1945

7 September 1945 sailed Trincomalee independently to Madras 9 September 1945

9 May 1946 Captain Robert D Almond RFA appointed as Master until 30 December 1946

13 May 1946 Mr George C Dunning RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

Chief Engineer Officer George C Dunning RFA

23 December 1946 at Trincomalee C S Hospital Oilman Abdull Ghani discharged dead - natural causes

30 December 1946 laid up at Trincomalee for disposal

1947 purchased by M. Esmailiji Abdulhussein Co, Karachi name unchanged

1948 purchased by Saifriden Shaikh Sharafali (Gulf Steamships Ltd, Managers) Karachi name unchanged

12 October 1949 owners now Gulf Steamships Ltd (Ibrahim Mohemedali, Manager) Karachi and renamed MUSHTARI

October 1959 arrived Karachi for demolition

 

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