RFA Maunder
RFA Maunder
True Name HMS King Gruffydd
Previous name: AMBATIELOS War Trooper
Official Number: 167645
Class: Special Service Freighter - Q ship
Pennant No: X28 F116
Laid down:
Builder: HK & Whampoa, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Launched: 11 October 1919
Into Service: 1939
Out of service: 17 March 1943
Fate: Torpedoed and Sunk
Items of historic interest involving this ship: -
Background Data:
In 1939 Winston Churchill gave authority for a number of merchantmen to be requisitioned for service as Q-ships, although for security purposes they were referred to as Special Service Freighters. A fleet of 9 small mainly coal-burning vessels were acquired , 6 for deep-sea work and 3 for coastal work. All were commissioned as HM ships under their original names but were given RFA cover names and on entering harbour and while in harbour they wore the Blue Ensign, behaved as RFA’s and adopted the RFA commercial practices. None of them was really suitable for their intended roles and met with a complete lack of success. Their Q-ship service officially ended on 2 March 1941
11 October 1919 Launched by Hong Kong & Whampoa Dock Co Ltd, Hong Kong as Yard Nr 564 named WAR TROOPER for the Shipping Controller and was purchased by Nicolas E. Ambatielos, Argostoli while fitting out
December 1919 completed as AMBATIELOS for the above owners
June 1923 auctioned by order of the Admiralty Marshall following a dispute with the owners who had failed to take delivery; purchased by King Line Ltd ( Dodd, Thomson & Co Ltd, Managers) London and renamed KING GRUFFYDD
1930's laid up at Liverpool during the Depression
16 November 1933 sailed from Barry Roads but had to put back when the main stop valve stop chest burst
22 March 1935 berthed at Adelaide
18 August 1935 ship signalled her owners that the port bunkers were on fire but the Master considered he could secure control. The ship was 250 miles NE Singapore
21 August 1935 the ship further reported that the fire was not extinguished but was being subdued. The ship was 215 miles from Sabang, Sumatra
22 August 1935 arrived at Sabang. Hull not damaged by the fire
23 August 1935 sailed from Sabang for Aden
14 September 1939 requisitioned by the Admiralty for conversion into a Special Service Freighter by Chatham Dockyard
21 October 1939 commissioned as HMS KING GRUFFYDD
17 November 1939 conversion completed. Cover name RFA MAUNDER. Complement 99 under command of Cdr. E.M. Loly R.N. Armed with 7 x single 4-inch guns, 4 x Lewis machine guns, 4 x single 21-inch torpedo tubes and 100 x depth charges
26 November 1939 sailed Sheerness for work-up in the Solent area
2 December 1939 on completion of work-up sailed from the Solent.
19 December 1939 arrived Gibraltar
1 January 1940 sailed Gibraltar
11 January 1940 arrived in the Solent area and to Southampton arriving 14 January 1940
3 March 1940 sailed Southampton arriving Gibraltar 26 March 1940
5 April 1940 sailed Gibraltar returning 16 April 1940
17 April 1940 sailed Gibraltar to Freetown arrviing 7 May 1940
12 May 1940 sailed Freetown to Simonstown arrving 7 June 1940
15 June 1940 sailed Simonstown to Durban arrving 20 June 1940
21 June 1940 sailed Durban to Mauritius 15 July 1940
22 July 1940 sailed Mauritius returning 14 August 1940
20 August 1940 sailed Mauritius to Durban arrving 30 August 1940
4 September 1940 sailed Durban returning 24 September 1940
2 October 1940 sailed Durban returning 23 October 1940
22 November 1940 sailed Durban to Colombo arriving 11 December 1940
16 December 1940 sailed Colombo returning 6 January 1940
16 January 1940 sailed Colombo returning 6 January 1940
16 January 1940 sailed Colombo to Durban arriving 9 February 1940
12 March 1941 openly hoisted the White Ensign for service as an Armed Merchant Cruiser with Pennant Nr F 116 then served in the East Indies
1 May 1941 East Indies Service ended
13 May 1941 with HMIS Clive took part in Operation Chapter - Cape Guardafui Channel the most easterly point of Africa. In order to facilitate the passage in this channel it was decided to undertake a combind operation to captrure and operate the Cape Guardafui lighthouse and to clear the north east corner of Italian Somaliland. This was done and the Italian troops there had immediately surrendered
20 May 1941 sailed with 23 officers and 96 prisoners of war and landed them at Aden on 24 May 1941
4 June 1941 joined the Red Sea Force
1 September 1941 at Port Elizabeth reconditioning for return to commercial service
22 September 1941 transferred to MoWT control as KING GRUFFYDD
8 January 1942 sailed Port Elizabeth independently to Cape Town arriving 12 January 1942
13 March 1942 sailed Cape Town independently to Rio de Janeiro arriving 28 March 1942
5 April 1942 sailed Rio de Janeiro independently to Freetown arriving 18 April 1942
4 May 1942 sailed Freetown in convoy SL109 to Loch Ewe arriving 28 May 1942
31 May 1942 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy WN290 to Kirkwall arriving the next day
3 June 1942 sailed Kirkwall in convoy WN291 to Methil arriving the next day
6 June 1942 sailed Methil in convoy FS822 to Hull arriving the next day
15 July 1942 sailed Hull in convoy FN761 to Methil arriving 17 July 1942
17 July 1942 sailed Methil in convoy EN112 to Loch Ewe arriving 19 July 1942
19 July 1942 sailed Loch Ewe and joined convoy ON114 until it dispersed on 4 August 1942. Then sailed independently to New York arriving the next day
6 August 1942 sailed New York independently to Norfolk arriving 8 August 1942
23 August 1942 sailed Norfolk independently to New York arriving 26 August 1942
29 August 1942 sailed New York for Cape Cod Bay
2 September 1942 at Cape Cod Bay joined convoy BX36 to Halifax arriving on 4 September 1942
5 September 1942 sailed Halifax in convoy SC99 to the Clyde arriving 20 September 1942
4 October 1942 sailed the Clyde in convoy ON136 to New York arriving on 26 October 1942
28 October 1942 sailed New York independently to Philadelphia arriving the same day
15 November 1942 sailed Philadelphia independently to New York arriving the next day
25 November 1942 sailed New York in convoy SC111 but returned to Sydney, Cape Breton Island with collision damage on 3 December 1942
10 December 1942 sailed Sydney, Cape Breton Island in convoy SH68 to Halifax arriving 13 December 1942
16 December 1942 sailed Halifax in convoy SC113 to Liverpool arriving 2 January 1943
24 January 1943 sailed Liverpool in convoy ON163 to New York arriving 17 February 1943
5 March 1943 sailed New York in convoy SC122 to the UK
17 March 1943 while en route in convoy SC 122 from New York to Loch Ewe she was torpedoed by U338 (Kapitänleutnant Manfred Kinzel) and sunk with 24 of the crew being killed at 51.55N 32.41W. 20 They are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial. The ship was carrying a cargo of steel, tobacco and explosives
The German U-Boat arm referred to attack on convoy SC122 and HX 229 as "Geleitzug Nummer 19". Of the fifty ships in convoy SC122 nine were sunk with a total weight of 53,094 tons. Those rescued from King Gruffydd were taken on board the Convoy Rescue Ship Zamalek. With a total of 165 survivors rescued from ships in this convoy the Zamalek sailed under escort directly to Gourock where they were landed on 22 March 1943.
Notes:
- This ship was a Q ship - a commissioned Naval vessel which would assume its RFA name on entering harbour to hide its genuine identity. She never served as an RFA.