RFA Slavol

RFA Slavol

 

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name: 

Official Number:                  142303                                                                          

Class:                                    SECOND 2000t BELGOL CLASS Tanker

Pennant No:                          X 64  /  X 65

Laid down:
Builder:                                  Greenock and Grangemouth Dockyard Company

Launched:                             21 April 1917
Into Service:                          1 November 1917
Out of service:                       26 March 1942

Fate:                                        Sunk

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:  There were 10 ships in this Class, all Admiralty designed of which 5 were named after Allied countries while the other 5 were given names indicating power or speed, all with the OL suffix. 3 of them, RFA’s FRANCOL, MONTENOL and SERBOL had upright funnels with a single tall mast close by, while the remainder had a raking funnel and 2 raking masts. During WW2 the mainmast was removed from these.

 

Courtesy of Falkirk Council Archives

 

21 April 1917 launched by Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock as Yard Nr 384 named SLAVOL

 1 July 1917 Engineer Lieutenant William L Jones RNR appointed as Chief Engineer Officer. Discharged on 13 October 1919 on demobilisation.

1 November 1917 completed at a cost of £188,714

1 January 1918 Lieutenant William Clinton RNR appointed in command

13 September 1918 at Queensferry HMS Sparrowhawk alongside to be refuelled receiving 23 tons of FFO

18 October 1918 Fireman Jas A McKay signed on and later was logged as deserted - no date of desertion currently traceable.

27 October 1918 Leading Stoker Sam Clowthing, MMR 724123, discharged dead. He had signed on on the 28 January 1918. He was buried in an unmarked grave in East London Cemetery, Plaistow and remembered on a screen wall plaque.

29 October 1918 Greaser Hy Callehan MMR 862245 logged as deserted. He had signed on on the 28 January 1918

29 November 1918 at Copenhagen berthed alongside HMS CARADOC to refuel her with 190 tons FFO

December 1918 supported the RN Squadron sent to the Baltic during the Russian Civil War on Operation Red Trek which secured the establishment of the independent states of  Estonia and Latvia along with RFA’s BACCHUS (1), BELGOL and PRESTOL

2 December 1918 sailed Liban in company with HMS CALYPSO to Copenhagen

3 December 1918 at Copenhagen alongside HMS CALYPSO refuelling her with 177 tons FFO

8 December 1918 at Copenhagen berthed alongside HMS CARADOC to refuel her

12 December 1918 at Copenhagen alongside HMS CENTAUR refuelling her with 280 tons FFO

17 December 1918 at Copenhagen berthed alongside HMS CARADOC to refuel her with 430 tons FFO

21 December 1918 at Copenhagen berthed alongside HMS CARADOC to refuel her

31 December 1918 at Liban berthed alongside HMS CARADOC to refuel her with 645 tons FFO

31 May 1919 Able Seaman K Barker, MMR 917091, logged as deserted. He had signed on on the 5 January 1918.

1 July 1919 Fireman Thomas V Kelly logged for deserting. He had signed on on 1 May 1919

7 September 1919 Fireman G Devonport MMR 660441. Logged as deserted. He had signed on on the 22 August 1919

18 September 1919 was at Sheerness Dockyard

18 September 1919 Fireman W Dobson, MMR 873436, logged as deserted. He had signed on on the 27 March 1918.

26 September 1919 Fireman A Nelson and Fireman William J Dillon both logged for deserting. Both had signed on on 11 August 1919

9 October 1919 Mr D E Morgan RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

27 October 1919 arrived at Biorko Sound, Baltic Sea

1 November 1919 Captain William Clinton RFA appointed as Master - previously been in command as Lieutenant RNR since 1 January 1918. Left ship on 18 May 1921 to take command of RFA Berbice. Mr D E Morgan RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer - discharged on 26 October 1920

1919 - 1921 served in the Eastern Mediterranean

6 February 1920 Carpenter James Helion MMR 366265 discharged dead

8 February 1920 at Vigo, Spain HMS Cockchafer alongside

22 October 1920 Mr D J Rees RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

19 May 1921 Captain Vincent F Sizer RFA appointed as Master - previously had been the Chief Officer

23 September 1922 Captain Charles H Noel RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Charles H Noel RFA

2 October 1923 at Cromarty Mr T S Ferguson RFA 3rd Engineer discharged sick and admitted to the sick bay of HMS Hood

13 April 1924 involved in the rescue of 13 or 14 crew members of the steamship Buchanness which had run aground on the Casquets, eight miles west of Alderney. The ship was in ballast and had been sailing from Dunkirk to Barry before running aground in a gale. The crew of RFA Serbol also rescued the ships dog and cat. The rescued crew members and their pets were landed at Portsmouth.

11 November 1924 Captain John Ross Gorrie RFA appointed as Master and Mr Albert E Fisher RFA appointed as Acting Chief Engineer Officer

 

Captain John Ross Gorrie RFA

 

5 November 1925 Mr Charles A Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer Charles A Smith RFA

 

4 January 1926 Captain William T WIlliams RFA appointed as Master

12 August 1926 Mr James Paton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 November 1926 Captain Charles L Cutsforth RFA appointed as Master until 31 December 1926 when he became Master of RFA Fortol

14 December 1927 Captain John P Tugwood DSC, RD, RFA (Lieutenant Commander RNR) appointed as Master until 22 November 1930

13 January 1928 Mr Charles Falconer RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer 

6 June 1928 sailed Colombo

23 June 1928 armed British military personnel from RFA Slavol boarded ss Jervis Bay which had had problems with stowaways on board. The stowaways were placed under guard and caused no further problems. The Jervis Bay continued to Colombo .

25 June 1928 berthed at Colombo

29 June 1928 at Colombo berthed alongside HMS Enterprise to refuel her

27 October 1930 Captain William B Browne RFA appointed as Master and Mr G A Calvert RFA appointed Chief Engineer Officer

6 January 1933 Mr William A Payne RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 September 1933 Captain A Peters RFA appointed as Master

3 January 1935 Captain W H Farrow RFA (Commander RNR (ret)) appointed as Master

6 November 1935 was at Aden with the East Indies Squadron

9 January 1936 Mr H Ringshaw RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 May 1937 Represented the RN for the King George V1 Coronation Review celebrations at Mahe in the  Seychelles.

10 July 1937 involved with HMS Emerald and certain officers and men from HM Dockyard, Trincomalee in the salvage of the ss Siltonhall. Salvage money was subsequently paid - the Master of the Slavol receiving £80.00.

13 August 1937 Captain Archibald Hobson RFA appointed as Master

29 December 1938 Mr A S Owen RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

3 September 1939 at Trincomalee on the outbreak of WW2

13 October 1939 arrived at Aden

8 November 1939 sailed Aden independently to Colombo arriving on 18 November 1939

20 November 1939 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 22 November 1939

23 November 1939 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 25 November 1939

11 December 1939 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 13 December 1939

6 January 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 17 January 1940

2 February 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 4 February 1940

19 February 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 21 February 1940

2 March 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 4 March 1940

7 March 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 10 March 1940

11 March 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Bombay arriving on 16 March 1940

16 March 1940 at refit at Bombay

21 April 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Colombo arriving on 25 April 1940

28 April 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 30 April 1940

30 April 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 2 May 1940

4 May 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 6 May 1940

6 May 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 8 May 1940

24 May 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 27 May 1940

8 June 1940 Captain Herbert  A Shacklock RFA appointed as Master

21 July 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Trincomalee arriving on 23 July 1940

3 August 1940 sailed Trincomalee independently to Colombo arriving on 5 August 1940

10 September 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Diego Garcia arriving on 15 September 1940

22 October 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Bombay arriving on 26 October 1940

27 October 1940 sailed Bombay independently to Khor Kuwrai arriving on 31 October 1940

31 October 1940 sailed Khor Kuwrai independently to Aden arriving 6 November 1940

7 November 1940 sailed Aden independently to Colombo arriving 14 November 1940

14 November 1940 sailed Colombo independently to Aden arriving 20 November 1940

23 November 1940 sailed Aden in convoy BN.9A to Suez arriving on 28 November 1940

1 December 1940 arrived at Alexandria

25 March 1941 at Alexandria alongside HMS VALIANT refuelling her

30 March 1914 at Alexandria alongside HMS VALIANT refuelling her

8 April 1941 Captain Stanley C Kernick RFA appointed as Master

1 May 1941 Captain Robert  D Almond RFA appointed as Master having been transfered from RFA Petrella. Remained in command until 31 July 1941

17 October 1941 One of her Officers, who had been transferred to the British tanker PASS OF BALMAHA on C-in-C Malta’s instructions to complete her complement,  was killed when the latter was torpedoed and sunk by U-97 about 50 miles W of  Alexandria. Another Officer from RFA RELIANT (1) was also killed

4 November 1941 sailed Alexandria to Port Said

5 January 1942 at Alexandria

14 January 1942 sailed Alexandria to Tobruk arriving the same day.

12 March 1942 sailed Tobruk in convoy TA27/M to Alexandria arriving on 24 March 1942

26 March 1942 was torpedoed by German Submarine U205 off Sidi Barrani, Egypt at 32.01N, 25.55E and sunk. 36 members of the crew were killed and there were 20 survivors. Details of those lost are shown in the Roll of Honour. They are also remembered on The Tower Hill Memorial, London and the Bombay/Chittagong 1939 - 1945 Memorials.

 

 

Those remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial, London

 

Notes:

PASS OF BALMAHA was carrying a full cargo of petrol from Alexandria to Tobruk as the petrol was vital to the survival of the British Forces there. 3/0 Douglas B. Martin was serving as 3/0 and was one of the 18 crew killed when the ship disintegrated in a ball of fire.