RFA War Nawab

RFA War Nawab

Since 1962 her bell has been rung on the Quarter Deck of the Royal New Zealand Navy’s

Sea Cadet Unit T.S. CALLIOPE at Wanganui on North Island

 

Previous name: 
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                      143383

Class: 

Pennant No:                             Y7.330  /  X 82

Laid down:
Builder:                                      Palmers,  Jarrow
Launched:                                 13 June 1919
Into Service:                              1919
Out of service:                           Hulked November 1946
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.

 

 

7 September 1919 arrived at Port Said having sailed from the Tyne

9 June 1920 arrived at Suez from Abadan

21 October 1920 anchored at Spithead having sailed from Abadan

14 December 1920 arrived at Glasgow from Tampico

18 March 1921 arrived at Portsmouth from Trinidad

4 March 1922 the French steaner Christine from Le Havre was abandoned in a sinking condition in the Channel. The Captain and her crew were picked up and landed at Falmouth by RFA War Nawab

5 March 1922 sailed Falmouth for Tampico

29 March 1923 alongside the oil wharf at Kepple Harbour, Singapore

8 to 10 May 1923 alongside the oil wharf at Kepple Harbour, Singapore

10 June 1923 at SIngapore alongside HMS DIomede to refuel her

16 June 1923 arrived at Singapore from Abadan discharged and sailed for Abadan on 19 June 1923

26 August 1923 arrived at Singapore from Balik Papan

22 March 1924 arrived at Singapore from Tarakan to discharge

25 March 1924 sailed Singapore for Miri

2 April 1924 berthed at Singapore from Miri 

15 July 1924 berthed at Falmouth for repairs having sailed from Portland

24 August 1924 sailed Port Arthur for Devonport

23 September 1924 while on passage from Rosyth to Port Arthur was reported 260 miles north of Malin Head

20 July 1932 berthed at Singapore from Seletar sailing later the same day for Abadan

27 November 1936 The Admiralty announced that awards for salvage of the lighter Hong Kong were due to the crew of RFA War Nawab. They amounted to various sums ranging from £1 17s 10d to 5s 8d.

April 1937 damaged ss KORRALES whilst moving at Swansea

11 May 1937 damaged whist fuelling the battleship HMS ROYAL OAK at La Pallice, France

24 September 1937 Captain E Parker RFA appointed as Master

16 May 1938 arrived at Malta from Port Said

27 July 1938 grounded at Trinidad

May 1939 withdrawn from seagoing service at Portsmouth and fitted with racks to carry 50 gallon barrels for petrol stowage. Placed in semi-commission with 2 Officers and 8 Ratings on Yard Craft Agreements

31 August 1939 Mr Clifford N Ansell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

6 February 1940 Mr L T Tomlinson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 February 1940 Captain R D Williams RD RFA (Commander RNR (Retd) appointed as Master

12 August 1940 while at Portsmouth she overnight assisted in destroying  1 enemy aircraft and   seriously damaged another one

September 1940 RFA War Nawab was to be used as a Fire Ship in Operation Lucid - See RFA Fire Ships in archived stories

7 October 1940 Mr Wilfred C Shortland RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

4 November 1940 Captain R D Williams RD RFA (Commander RNR (Retd) appointed as Master

24 May 1941 was damaged by near misses during an air raid at Portsmouth

25 August 1941 Mr Percy E C Ogden RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

7 September 1942 Mr G A Calvert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

19 January 1944 Captain Robert Grimer DSC RFA appointed as Master

20 January 1944 Mr Charles  A Smith DSC RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer Charles A Smith DSC RFA

 

28 February 1945 in collision with the Norwegian IDEFJORD

8 August 1946 taken in hand at Southampton for bottom cleaning  and necessary repairs to enable a  MoWT certificate to be issued for her voyage to Devonport

29 November 1946 after failure of Operation Lucid RFA War Nawab was used as a Fuel Hulk at Devonport  on Yard Craft agreement

December 1946 sold to Bulk Storage Ltd, London

26 July 1958 arrived at Troon for breaking up by West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co Ltd