RFA Oligarch 1

For details of RFA Oligarch 1 please see the entry for RFA Limeleaf

RFA Oligarch 2

Previous name:                      British Lantern

Official Number:                     142604

Class:                                      10000t OL CLASS Tanker

Pennant No:                           Y7.286  /  X12

Laid down:

Builder:                                     Workman Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast        
Launched:                               30 June 1918
Into Service:                             1 August 1918
Out of service:                         14 April  1946
Fate:                                          Scuttled

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

30 June 1918 launched by Workman Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast as Yard Nr 424 named BRITISH LANTERN for the Shipping Controller

1 August 1918 completed and placed under management of British Tanker Co, London. Cost £206,857

24 October 1918 as RFA British Lantern entered New York Harbour with Captain Ernest Loader as Master. The ship had sailed from Cardiff with 51 crew

21 January 1919 arrived at Avonmouth from Port Arthur

17 September 1919 cleared for sailing from Singapore

7 October 1919 arrived at Suez from Singapore

5 November 1919 10.30am involved in a collision with the dock wall in Tilbury Docks

6 December 1919 sailed Gravesend for Port Arthur

1919 transferred to Admiralty ownership but remained under commercial management

29 May 1920 at Adelaide, Australia -engaged in a pumpover with RFA War Krishna in the harbour

10 June 1920 sailed to Abadan

11 August 1920 arrived at Suez from Abadan

13 August 1920 sailed Port Said for Portsmouth arriving on 28 August 1920

6 October 1920 arrived at Port Arthur from Southampton

28 October 1920 arrived at Greenock from Texas

12 July 1921 arrived at Gravesend for Purfleet from New Orleans

14 July 1921 sailed Gravesend for Port Arthur

22 August 1923 to the 25 August 1923 berthed at the Oil Wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore

24 December 1923 0900hrs alongside HMS Hood at Cape Town to refuel her. Cast off at 1600hrs on account of swell - transferred 1890 tons of FFO

27 December 1923 sailed Cape Town

10 November 1924 to the 15 November 1924 berthed at the Oil Wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore

23 December 1924 and 24 December 1924 berthed at the Oil Wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore

December 1930 to June 1931 laid up at Portsmouth

June 1931 was in collision with ss Bianca - this fact was used by a Norwegian Insurance Agent named Ragnvald Dahl Prag to defraud a number of Norwgian Underwriters of £8,500 - he appeared at the Mansion House Justices Room charged with a number of counts of fraudulent conversion.  

4 July 1937 transferred to Admiralty management and manning as an RFA renamed OLIGARCH (2) at Wallsend

6 July 1937 Mr L H Taylor RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 July 1937 certificate of Registry endorsed with her new name

July 1937 fitted for defensive armament by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson on the Tyne..

1 July 1938 Captain H M Sinclair RFA appointed as Master

18 July 1938 to 27 July 1938 towed m.v. GYRO from Devonport to Malta

19 April 1939 in collision with HMT SOMERSETSHIRE at Gibraltar

3 September 1939 at Portsmouth on the outbreak of WW2

19 September 1939 sailed Southend in convoy OA7 along with RFA OLYNTHUS (1) until it dispersed on 22 September 1939

19 October 1939 sailed Lagos independently to Freetown arriving on 25 October of that year

26 October 1939 sailed Freetown independently for Jamestown St Helena

4 November 1939 sailed Jamestown, St. Helena independently to Trinidad arriving on 20 November

1 December 1939 sailed Trinidad independently

20 December 1939 sailed Freetown independently arriving Trinidad on 2 January 1940

4 January 1940 having loaded sailed Trinidad independently to Halifax arriving 16 January 1940

18 January 1940 sailed Halifax independently to Scapa Flow arriving 1 February 1940

10 February 1940 sailed Scapa Flow independently to Greenock arriving two days later

27 February 1940 Mr Clifford N Ansell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

11 March 1940 sailed Glasgow to Scapa Flow arriving on 16 March - sailed under sealed orders

24 March 1940 sailed the Clyde to Liverpool and then in convoy OB116 until dispersed arriving at Trinidad on 11 April1940

17 April 1940 sailed Trinidad independently to Halifax arriving on 27th - ten days later

30 April 1940 sailed Halifax in convoy HX 39 with a cargo of FFO arriving at Liverpool on 14 May 1940 - ship detached to Scapa Flow

19 May 1940 sailed Liverpool independently arriving at the Clyde the next day

28 May 1940 sailed Greenock in convoy NS4 arriving at Scapa Flow on 14 June 1940

3 June 1940 arrived at Harstad with other shipping under RN escort

29 June 1940 sailed Scapa Flow to Reykjavik arriving on 1 July 1940

12 August 1940 Captain W W Peddle RFA appointed as Master

1 December 1940 sailed Reykjavi arriving the Clyde on 7 December 1940

19 April 1941 allocated for Fleet Attendant duties in Norwegian Waters along with RFA Aldersdale

15 July 1941 sailed Oban in Convoy WN 153 along with RFA BLUE RANGER to Methil arriving on 18 July 1941

24 July 1941 sailed Scapa Flow for Seidisfjord, on the east coast of Iceland, escorted by the destroyer HMS GARLAND

27 July 1941 to 7 August 1941 sailed Seidisfjord to take part in Operation FB - supporting  Force A which  destroyed  facilities on  Spitzbergen - along with RFA WAR SUDRA

31 July 1941 refuelled Force A

1 August 1941 refuelled Force A

3 August 1941 Was detached to Seidisfjord with the destroyer HMS GARLAND and the anti-submarine trawler HMS SEALYHAM

8 August 1941 arrived Seidisfjord

19 August 1941 sailed Scapa Flow and took part in Operation Gauntlet and refuelled the troopship EMPRESS OF CANADA, HM cruisers NIGERIA and AURORA and HM destroyers ANTHONY, ANTELOPE and ICARUS at Barentsburg where the embarked Canadian troops wrecked the coal mines

24 August 1941 to 27 August 1941 supported the evacuation of 2000 Soviet miners from Spitzbergen escorted by the anti-submarine trawlers HM ships ELM and HAZEL

1 September 1941 arrived Sveagruva in company with the anti-submarine  trawlers HMS HAZEL and the Belgian VAN OOST

3 September 1941 sailed Sveagruva

5 September 1941 RASed with HMS Nigeria and HMS Aurora at Seidisfjord, Norway

14 September 1941 the Group arrived Reykjavik in company with the destroyer HMS ESCAPADE following Operations EGV 1 & 2 - the air attacks on Northern Norway

1 October 1941 Captain Albert V Barton RFA appointed as Master

15 January 1942 damaged by the British Hain Steamship Co Ltd m.v. TREHATA whilst at anchor  in Seidisfjord

12 March 1942 damaged when going alongside RFA ALDERSDALE

20 March 1942 sailed on Russain Convoy PQ 13 as escort oiler - as Force 'Q' - escorted by HMS Lamberton

1 August 1942 under repair on the Clyde - repairs completed by 25 Augist 1942

5 August 1942 Mr Chales A Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

11 August 1942 Captain Thomas Elder DSC RFA appointed as Master

2 September 1942 sailed Scapa Flow to form Force P as part of Convoy PQ 18 along with RFA BLUE RANGER and a 4-destroyer escort and preceeded the Convoy to Lowe Sound, Spitzbergen to act as an advanced fuelling facility for the escorting destroyers.

9 September 1942 with RFA Blue Ranger and RN escorts detached to form Force 'P' to establish a destroyer fuelling base at Lowe Sound, Spitzbergen for those used as escorts on the Russian convoys

12 September 1942 anchored in Axelfjord, Spitzbergen along with RFA BLUE RANGER and refuelled the escorts to Convoy PQ 18 consisting of the destroyers HM ships INTREPID,  MARNE, MARTIN, METEOR, MILNE and SCYLLA

26 September 1942 part of Convoy QP 14 along with RFA’s  BLACK RANGER and GRAY RANGER

28 October 1942 damaged when going alongside the MoWT tanker m.v. SAINTONGE

7 November 1942 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy WN358 to Methil arriving 9 November 1942

1 December 1942 to 10 December 1942 in Leith Docks, Edinburgh for repairs

12 December 1942 sailed Methil in convoy En172/2 to Loch Ewe arriving 14 December 1942

15 December 1942 sailed on Russian Convoy JW51A from Loch Ewe and arrived Kola Inlet on 25 December 1942 The Convoy consisted of 16 merchantmen

30 December 1942 sailed on Russian Convoy RA51 from Kola Inlet and arrived at the Loch Ewe on the 11 January 1943 - the convoy consisting of 14 merchantmen.

17 January 1943 sailed on Russian Convoy  JW52 from Loch Ewe and arrived at Kola Inlet on 27 January 1943. The Convoy consisted of 15 merchantmen

February 1943 in collision with RFA WAR AFRIDI

1 March 1943 sailed Kola Inlet in convoy RA53 to Seidisfjord arriving on 14 March 1943

19 March 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy WN 405 to Methil arriving 21 March 1943

21 March 1943 sailed Methil in convoy FS1069 to Southend arriving 23 March 1943

8 April 1943 under going repairs on the Tyne - repairs completed 22 April 1943

24 May 1943 as Force R carried depth charges and ammunition for the destroyers of Force H

27 May 1943 Collided with the pier at Tyne Dock and was slightly damaged. The wooden pier was severely damaged and a dredger lighter was sunk. The 2nd Engineer’s proficiency allowance was suspended for 12 months. Repairs carried out by  Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, North Shields during which permanent disguise features were added. These included the fitting of a dummy funnel amidships to give her the appearance of a dry cargo vessel

30 May 1943 sailed Methil in Convoy EN 236 to Loch Ewe arriving 1 June 1943

8 and 11 June 1943 RAS'ed the B3 Ocean Escort Group which were escorting Convoys OS49 and KMS16

15 June 1943 arrived at Gibraltar

22 June 1943 sailed Gibraltar in convoy GTX3 

30 June 1943 torpedoed and slightly damaged by German Submarine U-453 at 32°57N, 21°10E while in convoy GTX 3 - arrived in Tobruk under her own power where she was used in the harbour to fuel destroyers

21 August 1943 sailed Tobruk and joined convoy UGS 13 arriving at Alexandria the following day

9 September 1943 repaired at Alexandria

27 March 1944 in collision with the Norwegian tanker VIVI  at Alexandria

3 January 1946 in port at Alexandria

15 February 1946 sailed Alexandria for Port Said arriving on 24 February 1946 (sailed at only 4 kts)

25 February 1946 sailed Port Said

13 April 1946 at Suez and sailed under tow

14 April 1946 scuttled at the southern end of the Red Sea loaded with obsolete ammunition at 27°30N, 34°45E

Notes:

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