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Previous name: Empire Granite
Subsequent name:
Official Number: 168069
Class: 1st DALE CLASS Freighting Tanker
Pennant No: X 70 / B 530 / A170
Laid down: 4 January 1940
Builder: Hawthorne Leslie, Hebburn on Tyne
Launched: 29 November 1940
Into Service: 4 March 1941
Out of service: 12 April 1959
Fate: Broken up 1961
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.
29 November 1940 launched by Hawthorn Leslie & Co Ltd, Hebburn as Yard Nr 628 named ECHODALE for the Ministry of Shipping
9 December 1940 Mr Harold M Pearson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
20 February 1941 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master
Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA
4 March 1941 completed and acquired by the Admiralty
15 March 1941 saild the Tyne to Methil arriving 17 March 1941
18 March 1941 sailed Methil in convoy EN881/1 to Loch Ewe
24 March 1941 sailed Liverpool in Convoy OB302 arriving at Aruba on 17 April 1941 to load
18 April 1941 sailed Aruba independently to Halifax arriving 26 April 1941
30 April 1941 sailed Halifax in convoy HX124 to Liverpool arriving 21 May 1941
30 June 1941 sailed Liverpool in convoy OB341 to Curacao arriving on 18 July 1941
23 July 1941 sailed Curacao independently to Freetown arriving on 9 August 1941
29 August 1941 at Freetown, Sierra Leone HMS DUNEDIN alongside to be refuelled
5 September 1941 attempted to refuel HMS Eagle (Force F) at sea and alongside - six hawsers snapped during the attempts to secure to the tanker.
6 September 1941 further attempts to secure ahead of HMS Eagle at sea resulted in fourteen hawsers parting due to the strain of the tanker towing the aircraft carrier. At 1300 HMS Eagle was then successful with a further stern RAS (again with the tanker towing the aircraft carrier) with an estimated time to transfer the FFO and aviation fuel being 20 hours.
7 September 1941 the hawsers parted yet again. One wire whipped as parted hitting two ratings on HMS Eagle - one received facial injuries and the other had arm, leg and abdominal injuries. The replenishment was stopped.
8 September 1941 HMS Eagle was successfully replenished (all bar 500 tons of FFO). HMS Dorsetshire was then RASed. Some officers and crew of HMS Eagle were transferred to RFA Echodale for passage to Freetown
9 December 1941 Mr A Ballentyne OBE RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
17 February 1942 sailed Freetown independently to New Orleans arriving 15 March 1942
15 March 1942 until 13 April 1942 undergoing repairs at New Orleans, USA
13 April 1942 sailed New Orleans independently to Key West arriving on 20 April 1942
23 April 1942 sailed Key West independently to Cape Town arriving 22 May 1942
29 May 1942 sailed Cape Town independently joining on 4 June 1942 convoy CM28 to Mombasa. The convoy was being escorted by the cruiser HMS Frobisher
10 June 1942 sailed Mombassa independently to Aden arriving on 18 June 1942
22 June 1942 sailed Aden independently to Mombasa arriving 4 July 1942
1 October 1942 sailed Mombassa independently to Durban arriving 9 October 1942
23 November 1942 sailed Durban independently to Cape Town arriving 27 November 1942
28 November 1942 sailed Cape Town independently to Freetown arriving 10 December 1942
15 April 1943 damaged while berthing alongside the liner QUEEN MARY
13 October 1943 sailed Freetown in convoy SL138 with later joined convoy MKS28 to the Clyde arriving on 5 November 1943
18 November 1943 sailed the Clyde independently to Loch Ewe arriving the next day
20 November 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy WN508 to Methil arriving 22 November 1943
23 November 1943 sailed Methil in convoy FS1280 to the Tyne arriving the next day
24 November 1943 arrived on the Tyne - at Wallsend for degaussing and refitting of OAS and defensive armament equipment
25 November 1943 Mr D S Wood RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
26 November 1943 Captain Cecil R Rosen RFA appointed Master
14 January 1944 under going repairs on the Tyne completed 20 January 1944
30 January 1944 sailed the Tyne and joined convoy FN1251 to Methil
31 January 1944 sailed Methil in convoy EN340 to Oban arriving on 2 February 1944 - RFA Blue Ranger was also part of this convoy
13 February 1944 sailed Oban in Convoy OS68/KMS42 to Gibraltar arriving 25 February 1944 - RFA Dewdale and RFA Ennerdale were also part of this convoy and (later) HMS SALVAGE DUKE
25 February 1942 sailed Gibraltar in convoy KMS42 to Port Said arriving 6 March 1944
8 March 1944 sailed Suez independently to Aden arriving 14 March 1944
16 March 1944 sailed Aden independently to Abadan to load arriving 23 March 1944
25 March 1944 sailed Abadan independently to Bandar Abbas
28 March 1944 sailed Bandar Abbas in convoy PB73 to Bombay arriving on 3 April 1944
14 April 1944 sailed Bombay in convoy BM93 to Colombo arriving 19 April 1944
26 April 1944 sailed Colombo in convoy JC46 along with RFA’s APPLELEAF(1) and EAGLESDALE to Trincomalee arriving on 28 April 1944
7 June 1944 at Trincomalee
15 July 1944 Was the first ship to use the new AFD 23 at Trincomalee. This floating dock collapsed some days later with the battleship HMS VALIANT aboard
16 November 1944 Conducted successful OAS trials off Trincomalee with the battleship HMS HOWE using two 5-inch buoyant rubber hoses
13 January 1945 RFA ECHODALE sailed Trincomalee, Ceylon with RFA Wave King and RFA Empire Salvage together with a HMS CEYLON and HMS URCHIN as Force 69 to take part in Operation Meridan - an air attack on the oil refineries at Palembang to put them out of action. They were joined in the fuelling area south of Sumatra by RFA ARNDALE which was despatched from Freemantle 2 days later
22 February 1945 sailed Trincomalee under the escort of HMS Trent for replenishment duty during Operation Stacey in Force 62 - Operation Stacey was a series of photographic reconnaissance missions covering Sumatra and Kra Isthmus
7 March 1945 on completion of Operation Stacey the RN ships refuelled and all returned to Trincomalee
2 May 1945 took part in Operation Dracula - the seizing of the port of Rangoon - along with RFA GOLD RANGER
10 May 1945 escorted by HMS Paladin in Force 70 for replenishment of ships of Force 61 during interception of Japanese warships reported on passage in Malacca Straits (Operation DUKEDOM)
14 May 1945 refuelled the Battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth
12 June 1945 sailed Trincomalee independently to Bombay arriving 18 June 1945
5 August 1945 sailed Bombay independently to Abadan arriving 10 August 1945
12 August 1945 sailed Abadan independently to Trincomalee arriving 22 August 1945
27 September 1945 Mr Henry S Edwards RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
8 November 1945 sailed Bangkok to Saigon arriving 11 November 1945
17 November 1945 sailed Saigon independently to Singapore arriving 1 December 1945
25 April 1946 arrived at Singapore from Hong Kong
1 May 1946 sailed Singapore to Kure arriving 12 May 1946
17 May 1946 sailed Kure to Singapore arriving 26 May 1946
3 June 1946 sailed Singapore to Hong Kong then to Colombo
4 July 1946 arrived Colombo from Hong Kong. Sailed 8 July 1946 to Bombay
16 July 1946 sailed Bombay to Abadan arriving 23 July 1946
25 July 1946 sailed Abadan passing Aden on 4 August arriving at Port Said on 12 August 1946
21 August 1946 sailed Malta
12 August 1946 sailed Port Said to Malta arriving 16 August 1946 then to Taranto
21 August 1946 sailed Taranto passing Gibraltar on 26 august 1946 and the Needles on 30 August 1946 berthying at Portsmouth on the next day
23 October 1946 Captain John M Humphrey OBE DSC RFA appointed Master
26 December 1946 passed Gibraltar from Portsmouth to Port Said arriving on 2 January 1947
3 January 1947 sailed Port Said to Aden arriving on 9 January 1947 and then to Abadan
18 January 1947 sailed Abadan to Colombo arriving 27 January 1947
27 January 1947 sailed Colombo to Singapore arriving 3 February 1947
24 November 1948 Mr D L S Hood DSC RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
21 May 1949 Captain George S Perry RFA appointed as Master
6 October 1949 Mr H M Pearson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
26 October 1949 arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia to discharge from Abadan
4 November 1949 berthed at Fremantle, Western Australia (North Wharf No 1 Berth) for engine repairs
7 November 1949 sailed from Fremantle, Western Australia to Abadan
25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953 part of the Fleet Train during the Korean War - as a freighting tanker only
11 August 1950 Mr A B McIntyre RD RFA (Commander (E) RNR (ret)) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
18 June 1951 Captain Archibald Hobson DSC RFA appointed as Master
21 March 1952 Mr Hentry E Thirkell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
14 October 1952 Mr G Bray RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
25 September 1953 Mr R C Veitch RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
4 October 1953 Captain Thomas Elder DSC RFA appointed as Master
26 May 1954 Mr Henry E Thirkell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
19 May 1955 Mr J B D Payne RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
6 May 1956 Captain C N Rennels RFA appointed as Master
18 May 1956 Mr T H Purvis RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
23 September 1956 while in the Mediterranean the 2nd Officer was taken seriously ill. Surgeon Lieutenant D. J. Cripps, Royal Navy was taken by helicopter, at night, from HMS Albion to Echodale when he was lowered onto the ship and attended to the patient. This was believed to be the first night flight off a carrier by a helicopter - reported in The Times of the 25 September 1956
31 October 1956 in Operation Musketeer - the Suez Crisis - along with 34 other RFA’s
15 January 1958 Mr A M Evans RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
9 May 1958 Captain Douglas N J Williams RD RFA (Commander RNR (Rtd)) appointed as Master
12 April 1959 Laid up at Devonport for disposal
28 June 1960 advertised for sale in the Times of this day 'as lying' at Devonport
5 July 1960 advertisment for sale withdrawn in the Times of this day.
23 March 1961 re-advertised for sale in the Times of this day 'as lying' at Devonport
30 August 1961 sailed Devonport in tow for Italian breakers
20 September 1961 arrived La Spezia to be broken up.
Notes:
Was part of the British Pacific Fleet Train - hence the B-pennant number
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