RFA Succour

RFA Succour

RFA Succour

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:   

Official Number:                    167870                                                     

Class:                                     KIN CLASS Coastal Salvage Vessel

Pennant No:                           A505

Laid down:                             10 February 1943
Builder:                                  Smith's Dock, South Bank, Middlesborough
Launched:                             18 August 1943 
Into Service:                          3 March 1944
Out of service:                       6 September 1973
Fate:                                        Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:   Originally a class of 11 ships was planned but two were cancelled and of the remaining nine, seven saw brief service as RFA’s. They were re-rated as Mooring, Salvage and Boom Vessels in 1971. All were equipped with lifting horns and heavy rollers forward which enabled them to lift 200 tons dead-weight over the bows. In wartime they were armed with 2 x 20 mm AA guns and had a complement of 34

 

13 August 1942 ordered

10 February 1943 laid down

18 August 1943 launched by Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, South Bank, Middlesbrough  as Yard Nr 1120  named HMS SUCCOUR

3 March 1944 completed

9 June 1944 sailed Southend in convoy ETC 5 to Seine Bay arriving 11 June 1944

18 August 1944 sailed Portland in convoy EPM39 to Seine Bay arriving  the same day

September 1944 clearance ops from Caen-Ouistreham Canal, then to Le Havre and Rouen.

8 January 1945 sailed Southend in convoy TAM42 to Antwerp arriving the next day

January 1945 in Antwerp then Terneuzen

March 1945 arrived Terneuzen

1946 based at Rosyth

1 March 1948 Mr R C Wood appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 April 1948 Captain John Ivory appointed as Master

9 May 1948 arrived at Loch Alsh from Greenoch to be involved in the raising of the trials cruiser HMS Emerald

July 1948 to September 1948 involved in trials at the Kyle of Lochalsh with HMS/m Varne and Stoic

21 February 1950 Mr J S Clark appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

31 October 1951 Mr E J Blythe appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

25 April 1952 Captain Roy Souter appointed as Master

April 1952 off the River Tyne working on the tanker British Officer which had been mined and sunk on 1 December 1940 ½ mile east of the North Pier Light at the river entrance

12 November 1952 with RFA Uplifter sent to the Hook of Holland to attempt to remove wreckage of Panamanian vessel Faustus which sank in a gale blocking the channel to Rotterdam.

6 August 1953 sailed Rosyth for Scapa arriving the next day to remove the high parts of the hired minesweeper Roedean which had been mined and sunk on 13 January 1915 off Longhope, Scapa.

20 September 1953 sailed Scapa to the Clyde.

24 September 1953 with 2 Bar class Boom Defence vessels and Admiralty's Lifting Craft LC 8, 10, 11, 23 and 24 was involved in the salvage of French Destroyer Maillé Brézé which had been sunk on 30 April 1940 by an internal explosion off Greenock on the River Clyde. The vessel was lifted and handed over to ship breakers on 15 September 1954. It is believed this was the largest tidal lift ever undertaken.

15 December 1953 during the above salvage work diverted to the Sound of Mull to search for and recover a crashed Shackleton aircraft

December 1953 returned to the Clyde to undergo a boiler clean

11 January 1954 to April 1954 returned to working on the French Destroyer Maillé Brézé. 

24 March 1955 was at Milford Haven when deployed to assist with the salvage of the Norwegian ship mv Venus which had grounded at Plymouth after dragging her anchor. The ship was pulled clear by local tugs and there was no need to salvage her further. 

28 March 1955 sailed Plymouth for Milford Haven.

May 1955 at the Kyle of Lochalsh to recover mines from the minelayer Port Napier which had sunk in a gale on 27 November 1940 after catching fire and exploded. With the assistance of BDV Barglow 440 mines were recovered  up and until October 1955

12 June 1956 involved in further salvage operations on the wreck of the ss Roedean at Long Hope, Scapa Flow until 22 June 1956 

22 June 1956 sailed Scapa for Kyle of Lochalsh for further work on the Port Napier recovering a further 86 mines and some 6,000 tons of scrap metal from the wreck.

3 September 1956  at Greenock until 20 October 1956 then back to the Kyle of Lochalsh before deploying to Devonport

12 November 1956 arrived Devonport to prepare for Operation Musketeer duties - the Suez Crisis -   which  also involved 34 other RFA‘s

1 December 1956 arrived Port Said for Wreck Clearance Operations

16 January 1957 with RFA Sea Salvor and RFA Salveda raised the 3,500 ton suction dredger Paul Solenté in Suez Harbour which was blocking the Suez Canal

23 January 1957 sailed Port Said on completion of Suez Canal Clearance duties

15 February 1957 returned to the UK (Sheerness)

1960 to 1963 at Dover and Portland

5 February 1961 Jack Solan, Fireman killed while attempting to board RFA Succour at Dover when he fell into the Harbour. Three others who also fell into the Harbour were rescued

17 February 1961 arrived at Dungeness to salvage the Naval Tanker C632 (non RFA) which had run aground

2 July 1963 Mr A King appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

March 1964 hired to the Liverpool and Glasgow Salvage Association

22 June 1964 involved in a 10 day salvage exercise in Kames Bay, Bute with HMS Barrington. the laid up submarine HMS/M Scotsman was deliberately sunk in 50 feet of water and then raised. The submarine was then sent for scrap

15 January 1967 in collision with Boom Defence Vesel BARRAGE on the Clyde and damaged her starboard horn

April 1968 laid up at Greenock

1972 transferred to the RMAS

31 January 1972 removed from Lloyds Classification

February 1973 approval for disposal obtained

September 1973 sold for breaking up.

25 September 1973 handed over to W.H. Arnott Young & Co Ltd for demolition at Dalmuir

 

 

Notes:

 

Was managed by Metal Industries Ltd during WW2