RFA Petroleum

RFA Petroleum

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:  

Official Number:                  118493                                                               

Class:                                   Tanker

Pennant No:                         D 99 / N 92 / X 10 / X 51

Laid down:
Builder:                                 Swan Hunter, Wallsend
Launched:                           30 October 1902
Into Service:                         May 1903
Out of service:                     1936
Fate:                                      Broken Up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  Soon after the turn of the 20th Century, the Admiralty acquired a number of small tankers and store ships and from the experiments conducted with these tankers was obtained  the experience which resulted in the building of a large number of tankers of various sizes which were especially designed for their task of refuelling warships. None of these early ships were sister ships, and they became the first Admiralty vessels to fall into the new RFA category on its inception in 1905

 

30 October 1902 launched by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Nr 280 named PETROLEUM for Petroleum United Agencies, London. She was the largest  tanker in the world at that time

May 1903 completed and laid up on the Tyne, still owned by the builders, awaiting a buyer

6 March 1905 purchased by the Admiralty for £ 61,122 plus a conversion cost of £8,340 and was primarily intended for the freighting  of oil from the Admiralty’s various sources in Romania, Mexico and the East Indies.  She’s been  built as an oil burner and was the first Admiralty-owned  vessel of this type. She was found to be too dangerous to operate as such and was converted into a coal burner. Was initially manned on a Yard Craft Agreement

8 August 1905 Finally sailed  from Wallsend bound for Gibraltar and was attached to the Atlantic Fleet

16 November 1905 taken in hand for modifications for being taken in tow and passing hoses for supplying oil fuel over her bows

27 January 1906 fitted with OAS (oiling-at-sea) trial gear to conduct the world’s initial oiling at sea experiments

February 1906 carried out OAS trials with the battleship HMS VICTORIOUS. Only water was passed through the hose as the battleship was not  fitted to burn oil fuel. The trials continued until the following June and also involved HM ships HINDUSTAN, KING EDWARD V11, DOMINION and COMMONWEALTH

6 June 1907 readied for further OAS trials after modifications based on the 1906 trials

1 December 1907 on passage from Portsmouth to Port Arthur, Texas to load cargo arriving on 12 December 1907

13 December 1907 commenced loading cargo

19 December 1907 sailed Port Arthur, Texas to Portland

7 January 1908 was damaged in a hurricane while on passage

10 January 1908 berthed at Portland to discharge

21 January 1908 sailed Portland to Portsmouth arriving the next day

15 February 1908 sailed Portsmouth to Port Arthur, Texas to load cargo arriving 8 March 1908

11 March 1908 sailed Port Arthur, Texas to Portland

1907 to 1914 Employed on Fleet Attendant duties and on freighting oil from Port Arthur (Texas), Constanza, Borneo and Burma to the Dockyards. While freighting, she carried reserve coal in her summer tanks owing to the lack of coal at the loading ports

1 July 1908 her Purser was granted an increase in wages from £12 to £14 per month

1 December 1909 the issue of the Rum Ration on Atlantic voyages in bad weather was allowed but the priveledge was not to be abused

1910 was fitted for towing and for being towed during OAS experiments along with RFA KHARKI

1912 was released from OAS trials owing to a freighting urgency from the U.K. to Romania

September 1913 Lieutenant John R WIlliams RNR was Commanding Officer

27 September 1913 at Longhope, Orkney. Mr A Hunter RFA was the Chief Engineer Officer

8 October 1913 berthed at Portland

15 January 1914 encountered very heavy weather in the Atlantic. Rescued the crew of the Norweigan barque Chala.

21 January 1914 collided with and sank a small Turkish schooner in the Bosphorus

4 August 1915 Engineer Lieutenant Archibald Hunter RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

21 January 1916 took on charge a Dent Deck Watch No 28214 which had been originally purchased by the Admiralty in October 1862 and had been taken on charge on HMS Racoon, HMS Dee, HMS Rosaris, HMS Orion, Torpedo Boat 89, HMS Forte and HMS Cossack.  Landed off charge at Glasgow on 23 August 1916.  The Deck Watch was destroyed in action on HMS Phoebe on 21 January 1921

13 May 1916 Lieutenant Ernest G Enright RNR appointed in command

 

Lieutenant Ernest G Enright RNR

 

11 September 1916 Lieutenant Frederick W Dunn-Taylor RNR appointed in command

26 October 1916 in collision with ss Ashtabula, a tanker owned by the Anglo American Oil Company Ltd., while RFA Petroleum was being moved into dry dock at Messrs Palmers' Hebburn on Tyne. The ship was being moved by tugs and a pilot when it hit the tanker which was berthed alongside causing minor damage. The Admiralty accepted liability but blamed no one for the collision.

7 November 1916 took on charge a Dent Marine Chronometer No 1504 which had been originally purchased by the Admiralty on 15 August 1843 and had been take on charge on HMS Challenger, HMS Briton, HMS Blake and HMS Pegasus. Landed off charge at Glasgow on 2 May 1917 and then reissued to HMS Speedwell

13 June 1917 Lieutenant William Frost RNR appointed in Command

10 December 1917 Fireman H Young discharged to DQ's - reason and duration not shown. He had signed on on the 22 May 1917.

18 March 1918 Pumpman George Henry Saunders, aged 29,  MMR 563369 discharged dead. He is buried in Portland (St. George) Portland, Dorset

1 April 1918 Assistant Steward Eric G Smith MMR 520386 and Fireman John Collison MMR 878075 both logged as deserted the ship. Smith had signed on on the 20 January 1918 while Collison had signed on on 22 November 1916 as a Stoker. He had been promoted Fireman on 14 November 1917

18 April 1918 at Greenock RFA Petrella alongside to receive bunkers

22 December 1918 Leading Fireman J H Wilson MMR 873285 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on the 29 May 1918.

14 January 1919 Ordinary Seamen H Long MMR 872951 and F Tiplady MMR 947217 both logged as deserting the ship. They had both signed on on 25 June 1918.

2 February 1919 Able Seaman W Slater MMR 981116 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on the 20 January 1919.

16 February 1919 Able Seaman F Benton MMR 981120 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on the 17 January 1919. He was arrested on 23 March 1920 using a false name of Richard Jannis.

2 March 1919 Able Semen A Melville MMR 981121, R Shepherd MMR 790013, A Barry MMR 981125, Stoker H Harding MMR 950815 and Stoker J W Pollett MMR 963346 all logged as deserting the ship. Each had signed on on the 17 January 1919.

3 March 1919 Donkeyman J D Casey MMR 981109, Stoker J E Williams MMR 981113 both were logged as deserting the ship. Both had signed on on the 17 January 1919.

5 March 1919 Greaser C Cornell MMR 981177 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on 1 February 1919

12 March 1919 Stoker James Berry MMR 838330 logged as being absent without leave. He had signed on on 17 January 1919. He returned to the ship and was transfered to HMS Eaglet on the 21 August 1919.

15 March 1919 Fireman P Travers MMR 313027 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on the 5 March 1919

21 March 1919 Stoker J Smith MMR 404619 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on the 5 March 1919

3 April 1919 Engineer Lieutenant Charles P Vickerman RNR appeared before a court martial charged with (a) being absent without leave and (b) improperly leaving his ship. The accused pleaded Guilty and was adjudged to forfeit 12 months seniority, to be dismissed his ship and to be severely reprimanded.

1 May 1919 Engineer Lieutenant Joseph S Harrison RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer. He had previously served as  the Chief Engineer Officer of RFA Reliance

1 May 1919 Greaser Barnard Ferney MMR 981185 and Assistant Steward A Bowman MMR 938672 both logged as deserting the ship. Greaser Fernley had signed on on the 29 January 1919 and Assistant Steward Bowman had signed on on 13 March 1919. Assistant Steward Bowman must have been recovered as he was transfered to HMS Eaglet on 16 October 1919

2 May 1919 Able Seaman Gordon P Lyndon MMR 981111 logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on 17 January 1919

4 July 1919 at Copenhagen with HMS Vindictive alongside being refuelled with 380 tons of FFO

19 July 1919 Ordinary Seaman Thomas Roberts logged as deserting the ship. He had signed on on the 31 December 1918

8 September 1919 at Copenhagen with HMS Vindictive alongside being refuelled with 400 tons of FFO

10 November 1919 at Copenhagen with HMS Vindictive alongside being refuelled with 614 tons of FFO

21 December 1919 at Copenhagen with HMS Vindictive alongside being refuelled with 520 tons of FFO

1920 fitted out for oiling at sea duties

24 July 1920 at Wei-hai-Wei alongside HMS Cairo to refuel her

23 November 1920 to 20 December 1920 in dry dock at Kings Dock, Keppel Harbour, Singapore

29 January 1921 at Singapore alongside HMS Malaya refuelling her

6 July 1921 Fireman Mier Muhammed Kaloo discharged dead. He is buried in the Naval Section of Gillingham (Woodlands) Cemetery in grave 485 in the S E Corner

 

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

1 July 1922 Captain Hermann  R Elsby RFA appointed as Master

22 September 1921 at Stockholm, Sweden refuelling units of the Royal Navy's 2nd Destroyer Flotilla who were on a visit to the Baltic with the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Nicholson

1924 towed an oil barge built at Chatham Dockyard to Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands and carried the first cargo of oil to the tanks there which had previously been only a coaling station

19 Mar 1925 Mr E Horsley RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

5 April 1926 Captain C F Haughton RFA appointed as Master

12 October 1927 Captain R F Shotton RFA appointed as Master

15 October 1928 Mr Edward B Morton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer Edward B Morton RFA 

17 June 1929 Mr G A Calvert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 March 1930 berthed at Gibraltar from Portland to discharge

24 May 1930 Captain W H Green RFA appointed as Master

September 1930 reduced to a Care and Maintenance status

27 September 1930 Mr A G Forbes RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

4 May 1931 Captain C L Cutsforth RD RFA (Lieutenant Commander RNR) appointed as Master

May 1931 crew were on a monthly agreement

19 September 1931 Captain John Ross Gorrie RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain John Ross Gorrie RFA

 

August 1932 towed the tug C 307 from Portsmouth to Malta

19 April 1933 Captain John P Tugwood DSC RFA appointed as Master

15 January 1934 Captain John B Hurst RFA appointed as Master

10 September 1934 Captain T Drever RFA appointed as Master

10 January 1935 Mr W Maybray RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 February 1936 paid off and was laid up for disposal at Sheerness

18 August 1936 approval was given to dispose of her

24 March 1937 sold for £6,250 for demolition

26 March 1937 handed over to T W Ward Ltd, Inverkeithing in part payment for the liner  MAJESTIC which subsequently became the static Training Ship HMS CALEDONIA moored at Rosyth

20 April 1937 arrived at Inverkeithing for breaking up

 

Notes:

Was the RFA’s first operational tanker. Cargo capacity was 6,200 tons in 6 cargo tanks plus 668 tons of oil fuel, 632 tons of coal and 210 tons of reserve bunkers