RFA War Bahadur

RFA War Bahadur

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:

Class:                                    WAR CLASS Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:

Laid down:
Builder:                                  Armstrong Whitworth, Low Walker
Launched:                             4 November 1917

Into Service:                          December 1918
Out of service:                      1939 Hulked
Fate:                                       Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data: To combat the alarming losses of British merchant ships during WW1, the New Ministries and Secretaries Act was passed in December 1916, which provided for the appointment of a Shipping Controller with very wide powers “to take such steps as he thinks best for providing and maintaining an efficient supply of shipping”. On 20 December 1916, the first meeting of the Merchant Shipbuilding Advisory Committee took place where it was decided that an extensive shipbuilding programme should be started, the ships to be of a simple design and as far as possible to be of a standard type as regards hulls and engines. These new vessels for the Government were given a standard nomenclature, the prefix to their names being WAR. 821 vessels were ordered from U.K. yards and abroad and 416 were completed to Government order, 279 were sold and transferred to private owners before completion and the remainder were cancelled. Of the 416 completed to Government order, 15 were transferred to Admiralty service as oilers. They were all modified versions of the A and B Class standard dry cargo ships, known as the Z Class. All had 2 large dry cargo holds, 6 of them had 5 cargo tanks and the remaining 9 had 7 cargo tanks, specially designed for the carriage of heavy fuel oil. Most of them were initially under commercial management.

 

1918 ordered.

4 November 1818 launched by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co Ltd, Low Walker, Newcastle as Yard Nr 341 named WAR  BAHADUR for the Shipping Controller.

December 1918 completed and placed under initial management of C.T. Bowring & Co Ltd., Liverpool. Her name is derived from the Hindu word meaning “hero” and was a title formerly conferred by the British on distinguished Indians

5 April 1919 at Shatt al Arab HMS MOTH alongside to be refuelled - 47 tons of FFO supplied

29 December 1919 passed HMS ARK ROYAL while the aircraft carrier was steaming south from Suez to Aden

25 January 1920 in collision with the Greek s.s. ATHENA ( 2442/01) south of Ras Garib and retuned to Suez for repairs.

5 April 1920 arrived at Aden from Gibraltar

28 July 1920 arrived at Bermuda from Constantinople

12 October 1920 arrived at Port Said from Portsmouth

12 December 1920 berthed at Old Kilpatrick from Abadan

1921 transferred to Admiralty ownership but remained under commercial management.

29 May 1922 while coming alongside to refuel from RFA War Bahadur in port at Penang a crew member from HMS Cairo - Stoker T Mahoney fell between the vessels and was crushed. His body was recovered later that day having been washed ashore at Kelawai.

13 June 1922 Fireman James Thomas Sparks was fined $75 or three months imprisonment by a Court in Singapore for being in possession of a firearm without a licence. Fireman Harry Bunker and Fireman Abraham Deen were also fined $75 or 3 months imprisonment for attempting to sell the firearm to local workers in Keppel Harbour. Bunker and Deen were also charged with attempting to cheat a local shop keeper drinking two whisky and soda without paying for them. Both were fined $30 or one months imprisonment consecutively. The fines were not paid

1922 the accident with the ss Athena (see above) was subject to litigation in the Admiralty DIvision of the High Court - see Lloyds Law Reports [1922] Vol. 10 Ll.L.Rep. 729

22 June 1922 in dry dock at Kings Dock, Keppel Harbour, SIngapore

13 December 1922 reported in the Times that she was due at Malta

6 September 1924 berthed at Malta from Abadan - the ship was still in port on 12 September 1924  

1 June 1925 Captain William Bushnell RFA appointed as Master and Mr Clifford N Ansell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

8 September 1926 Captain Cyril F Haughton RFA appointed as Master

22 April 1927 Mr Joseph S Harrison RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

23 September 1929 Captain James D Ashworth RFA appointed as Master

8 September 1930 Mr A H Ireland RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

January 1931  - 1935 in reserve at Rosyth

1936 transferred to Admiralty management and manning as an RFA

March 1937 transported a damaged seaplane from Buenos Aires to Portland

13 June 1937 grounded at Rosyth which was caused by both pilotage error and insufficient power of the tug BUCKIE BURN. This led to a more powerful tug being stationed at  Rosyth.

14 January 1938 while Captain D A Rees RFA was in command suffered severe damage from an Atlantic gale with the upper and lower bridge, the wireless office and the master's cabin being carried away. The chart room was wrecked. The Chief Officer, the quartermaster and a look out were lifted from the bridge with the wreckage and dropped onto the main deck. Derricks were twisted. Funnel stays were snapped and the funnel holed. The steering gear was put out of action. Distress rockets were fired but not answered. The starboard lifeboat was carried away. The vessel was eventually steered from the emergency steering position and the ship was escorted into Devonport under escort from HMS Wolverine.

 

 

17 January 1938 arrived back in Devonport

5 February 1938 after repairs she became a fuelling hulk at Devonport

3 September 1939 at Devonport at the outbreak of World War 2

November 1939 was damaged during an air raid at Devonport

17 June 1940 Chief Officer F G Edwards RFA appointed as Chief Officer in command

29 October 1940 a letter from HMS DRYAD proposed moving her to Portsmouth from Devonport

18 April 1943 In collision with the escort destroyer HMS MELBREAK

12 June 1944 while acting as a fuelling hulk USS Bates, USS Amesbury and USS Blessman alongside for fuel and provisions

8 January 1946 in Plymouth as a hulk

8 February 1946 in collision with the corvette HMS KENILWORTH CASTLE

7 August 1946 handed over to the Ministry of Transport - subsequently handed over to the British Iron and Steel Corporation

14 September 1946 left under tow from Devonport to Blyth

22 September 1946 arrived at Blyth for breaking up by Hughes Bolckow Ltd.

14 April, 2012 the ships bell was sold this day by auction at Railtons Northern Auction Centre at their Spring Antiques Sales at Wooler, Northumberland. It realised £150.00

 

published with the consent of the Copyright holder - Jim Railton