RFA Sea Salvor

RFA Sea Salvor

 

 

 

 

Previous name:                 
Subsequent name: 

Official Number:                180107                                                                         

Class:                               KING SALVOR Class Ocean Salvage Ship 

Pennant No:                     A503

Laid down:                       9 August 1942
Builder:                            Goole Ship Building, Goole

Launched:                        22 April 1943
Into Service:                     February 1944
Out of service:                  April 1971
Fate:                               Broken up.

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:  There were originally 13 ships in this Admiralty-designed Class, 12 of which saw service as RFA’s. The final unit in the Class was completed as a Submarine Rescue Vessel under the White Ensign. All were basically similar and were used as Ocean Salvage Ships. They had a complement of 72 and during wartime were armed with 4 x 20 mm AA guns

 

22 April 1943  launched by  Goole Shipbuilding & Repair Co Ltd, Goole as Yard Nr 391 named  SEA SALVOR

February 1944 completed and placed under management of Risdon Beazeley Ltd, Southampton

 7 June 1944 sailed the Solent in convoy ETC22A to Seine Bay arriving the next day

13 November 1944 sailed Milford Haven to join Convoy KMS 69G to Gibraltar arriving on November 1944

23 November 1944 sailed Gibraltar in convoy KMS69 to Augusta arriving 27 November 1944

8 July 1946 Fireman Emanuel Muscat discharged dead. He died at Victoria Hospital, Gozo, Malta from typhoid fever

24 January 1948 Captain John W Boyes RFA appointed as Master

28 July 1949 As a result of their consideration of a report made by the Flag Officer, Malta their Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty  expressed their satisfaction for the valuable services rendered during the course of difficult and complicated salvage operations during the raising of AFD No.8 at Malta by - Chief Officer Colin Campbell Cave RFA, Second Engineer Officer W Fenech RFA, Third Engineer Officer J S Clarke RFA, Diver S J S Smith, Diver George Sorley, Diver G Greeman, Diver Jack Cresdee, Diver P F McSweeney, Diver C A Rayner, Diver Attendant J A Ball, Diver Attendant J Agius, Diver Attendant J Magri, Diver Attendant J Farrugia, Chargeman E Camilleri and Chargeman S Saliba

August 1949 together with RFA Dispenser and salvage vessel Retrieve involved in the raising of HMS Breconshire from Marsaxlokk Harbour, Malta where she had sunk in March 1942

21 November 1949 at Malta following an accident onboard medical assistance was sought from HMS Gravelines whose SBA was turned to and provided first aid  

18 January 1950 Chief Engineer Officer J W Younger RFA discharged dead.  He is buried in Kalkara Royal Naval Cemetery, Malta

25 February 1950, with RN ships, attended the Ben Line ship Benledi on fire at sea off Malta when a fire in the stoke hold burst the ships oil tanks while on passage from London to Hong Kong with general cargo. 44 members of the crew rescused by HMS Childers.

3 March 1950 arrived back in Malta with BENLEDI, which was declared a constructive total loss

18 April 1950 Captain W H Harrison RFA appointed as Master

2 September 1950 Mr W Fenech RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 December 1950 sailed from Malta with RN ships to a Bank Line ship the ss Etivebank which had run aground off the Sicilian port of Licata after the parting of a cable in heavy weather. The ship was said to be firmly ashore.

30 April 1951 sailed Malta to Gibraltar to attend and salvage NAV Bedenham which had blown up in the harbour while discharging ammunition.

10 July 1953 three RN ratings (AB John E Pragnell, L/S Edward J Slatter and Artificer Benjamin Thomas) and one RIN Rating (ERA Pery J Gaved) all from HMS Forth accidentally killed in the decompression chamber on RFA Sea Salvor during diving training at Malta.  All buried at the Kallkara Royal Naval Cemetery.

13 October 1953 berthed at Malta

20 January 1954 to 11 April 1954 involved in the recovery of the wreckage of the BOAC De Havilland Comet G-ALYP which crashed into the sea off Elba on 10 January 1954

15 April 1954 returned to Grand Harbour, Malta with HMS BArhill after nearly 3 months working off Elba where 85% of the  wreckage of the Comet was recovered

 

VIDEO OF THE SEARCH FOR THE COMET (Links to http://www.britishpathe.com)

 

11 January 1955 at Malta Fireman Robert Gibbs discharged dead - heart failure

1 April 1955 Captain John W Boyes RFA appointed as Master

October 1956 deployed for service during Operation Musketeer - the Suez Crisis - along with 34 other RFA‘s

9 November 1956 while in service during Operation Musketeer at Suez raised a 4000 ton suction dredger 'Paul Solente' with RFA Salveda and LC's 10 and 11

28 March 1957 Captain H M Campbell RFA appointed as Master

30 October 1957 Diver Jack (John) Richard Cresdee discharged dead. He is buried in Kalkara Royal Naval Cemetery, Malta. He was killed while surveying HMS/m  P36 which had been bombed in Lazzaretto Creek,  Malta and sunk on 1 April 1942 and had not been raised at the time. The submarine was raised eventually in August 1958 using LC23 and LC24 and beached near the Royal Malta Yacht Club

 

Image courtesy of British War Graves - with thanks

January 1958 near Latakia, Syria salvaged the 3649 ton ss Almerian with the ship came off the rocks on 21 February 1959

15 September 1958 at Malta Able Seaman Dominic Bonelo discharged dead - he died from a stroke

6 March 1959 Captain D M Gentle RFA appointed as Master

26 December 1959 2nd Officer J C Brown RFA discharged dead. He is buried in Kalkara Royal Naval Cemetery, Malta

13 June 1960 arrived at Tobruk with HMS BARHILL to undertake Harbour works

7 July 1960 sailed Malta for Lampedusa

8 February 1961 with the Admiralty tug SEA GIANT and HMS STUBBINGTON towed Norwegian tanker BERGEHUS to Malta after an explosion in her boiler room 68 miles east of the island. One man was killed and four were injured on the tanker. The injured were flown to the island for urgent medical treatment

17 April 1961 sailed Malta for Exercises with RN and other Allied ships together with RFA Wave Baron, RFA Tide Austral, RFA Brown Ranger and RFA Fort Duquesne

6 November 1962 berthed at Gibraltar

17 June 1963 Captain R H A Adams RFA appointed as Master

8 August 1966 grounded at Izmir but was refloated

April 1967 Captain F R Murray RFA appointed as Master

1 January 1968 Mr J Scicluna RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

April 1971 towed to Devonport by RFA BUSTLER to be laid up

8 January 1973 sold for scrap

18 January 1973  Arrived at Grays, Essex for breaking up by T.W. Ward Ltd.