RFA War Mehtar

RFA War Mehtar

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                     144350

Class:                                   WAR CLASS Freighting Tanker - 7 cargo tanks

Pennant No:                         Y7.340 / X93

Laid down:
Builder:                                Armstrong Whitworth
Launched:                            9 October 1919

Into Service:                         2 March 1920
Out of service:                      22 October 1941
Fate:                                   Sunk

 

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.

 

 

1919 launched for the Shipping Controller, managed by Hunting & Son

1920 transferred to the Admiralty but remained under commercial management

19 August 1921 sailed Port Arthur to the Clyde

15 October 1921 at about 6.15am while on a voyage from Abadan to Malta and loaded with a cargo of oil was in collision with a steel tank lighter Friesland outside the entrance of the harbour of Abadan

19 January 1922 berthed Portsmouth Harbour

21 January 1922 sailed Portsmouth Harbour

6 February 1923 while at anchor off the North Mole, Gibraltar fouled with the Italian liner PRESIDENTE WILSON which was also at anchor and suffered bad damaged to No 6 tank and the tank deck. Proceedings in the Admiralty Division of the High Court were heard on 5, 11 and 25 June 1923 when their Lord Commissioners of the Admiralty sued the owners of the Presidente Wilson before Mr Justice Hill and Captain Owen Jones CBE and Captain P N Layton CBE both Elder Brothers of Trinity House. Judgement was against their Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Reported in Lloyd's List Law Reports of 21 June and 12 July 1923

30 August 1924 berthed at Malta from Abadan  

26 September 1924 sailed from Port Said  

17 March 1926 Captain T Drever RFA appointed as Master and Mr  Percy  E G Ogden RFA appointed was Chief Engineer Officer

April 1926 transferred to Admiralty management and was chartered to Anglo Persian Oil Co Ltd, London for 2 years

Between 20 July 1927 and 4 August 1927 while on passage from Abadan to Saffagha, Egypt a member of the crew died of cholera (From 'Public Health Reports' published by Association of Schools of Public Health)

28 March 1928 at sea at 6.04N 79.58E 3rd Engineer Officer George Jackson Riley discharged dead - disappeared at sea presumed drowned

28 June 1928 Mr A G Forbes RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

16 January 1929 arrived at Singapore from Hong Kong, sailed the following day for Abadan

24 June 1929 Captain W Whiteley RFA appointed as Master

7 July 1930 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

15 July 1930 Mr L H Taylor RFA appointed was Chief Engineer Officer

2 August 1930 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

26 October 1930 arrived at Singapore from Abadan

17 January 1931 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

20 January 1931 Captain Charles H Noel RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Charles H Noel RFA

 

7 February 1931 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

15 September 1932 Captain Reginald C E Neyroud RFA appointed as Master

6 October 1932 Mr James Paton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

10 August 1933 Captain John Ross Gorrie RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain John Ross Gorrie RFA

 

23 May 1934 Captain Leonard Elford RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Leonard Elford RFA

 

13 December 1934 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

23 January 1935 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

17 January 1936 Mr J E Hawthorn RFA appointed was Chief Engineer Officer

6 April 1936 in the Victoria Dry Dock at Singapore

18 July 1936 sailed Malta

13 August 1936 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour

17 August 1936 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

22 August 1936 berthed at Gibraltar in ballast while on passage from Portsmouth Harbour to Port Said

28 December 1936 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour and Captain M W Westlake RFA (Lieutenant Commander RNR) appointed as Master

31 December 1936 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour

29 April 1937 manned as an RFA at North Shields

15 September 1937 berthed at Malta from Port Said

31 January 1938 berthed at Gibraltar from Abadan and Malta to discharge cargo

23 March 1938 berthed at Malta from Port Said

1 August 1938 Captain W R Parker RFA appointed as Master

6 April 1939 sailed the Tyne for Rosyth where she was placed in semi-commission at Rosyth with 2 Officers and 8 Ratings on Yard Craft Agreement.

28 August 1939 Mr T Perrett RFA appointed was Chief Engineer Officer

29 August 1939 Captain Reginald P Harris RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Reginal P Harris RFA

 

18 January 1940 Captain William J Shipton RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain William J Shipton RFA

29 June 1941 at 59°15’N 3°25’W missed by a torpedo - details from the Admiralty War Diary of this day - page 543

28 August 1941 to 15 October 1941 on the Tyne at South Shields for refit.

15 September 1941 Mr William C Elliott RFA appointed was Chief Engineer Officer

22 September 1941 Captain Stanley M Woodward RFA appointed as Master

6 November 1941 sailed Immingham to the Humber arrived 8 November 1941

8 November 1941 sailed the Humber to Rosyth arriving the next day

11 November 1941 to 15 November 1941 at Grangemouth

19 November 1941 sailed from Methil in convoy FS 650 towards Southend cargo for the destroyer force at Harwich

22 November 1941 while in the above convoy was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off Great Yarmouth at 52.35.45N/2.09.30E by German E-Boat S104 captained by Oblt.z.S. Rebensburg. The tug SUPERMAN arrived to take her in tow to Yarmouth but she broke her back and sank in position 52.35.45 N  02.09.30E. Her crew of 45 were all saved.