RFA War Nizam

RFA War Nizam

Previous name:
Subsequent name:             Basinghall   

Official Number:                  142691

Class:                                    WAR CLASS Freighting Tanker - 5 cargo tanks

Pennant No:                          Y7.303 / X81

Laid down:
Builder:                                  Palmers, Jarrow
Launched:                             5 September 1918

Into Service:                          October 1918
Out of service:
Fate:                                       1949 Scrapped

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.

 

 

28 October 1918 completed and placed under initial management of British Tanker Co Ltd, London

3 January 1919 sailed Port Arthur, Texas to Lough Swillly

10 March 1919 sailed Port Arthur, Texas for Gibraltar

29 April 1920 and 30 April 1920 at Colombo alongside HMS Cicala to refuel her and HMS Moth to refuel her also with 51½ tons of FFO

23 June 1920 at Colombo moored alongside RFA Rapidol to load fuel and stores to her

29 October 1920 berthed at Singapore from Constantinople, Turkey

30 October 1920 sailed Singapore for Aden

31 December 1920 alongside HMS Malaya at Aden refuelling her

1921 transferred to Admiralty ownership but remained under commercial management

13 April 1921 arrived at Glasgow from Texas

25 June 1921 arrived at Port Said while on passage from the Clyde for Abadan

4 December 1922 Fireman Walter James Pyne discharged dead. He is buried in Shell Green Cemetery, Turkey in Plot KL Row A Grave 2

 

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

 

19 November 1923 Captain  P Daniel was Master

25 January 1924 Captain R O Putt was Master

30 January 1924 at Hull

31 January 1924 sailed Hull 

29 February 1924 berthed at Port Arthur to load

3 March 1924 sailed Port Arthur 

24 March 1924 berthed at Devonport to discharge

31 March 1924 sailed Devonport 

13 May 1924 berthed at Gibraltar - sailed the same day

30 May 1924 berthed Gibraltar 

1 June 1924 sailed Gibraltar for Port Arthur arriving 21 June 1924

22 June 1924 sailed Port Arthur to New York arriving 26 June 1924

12 July 1924 berthed at Gibraltar sailing the same day 

24 July 1924 at Gibraltar

15 August 1924 berthed at Houston, Texas

18 August 1924 sailed Houston, Texas to New York 

8 September 1924 berthed at Gibraltar - sailed the same day

25 September 1924 at Port Said

8 October 1924 berthed at Abadan to load

13 October 1924 sailed Abadan to Port Said arriving on 27 October 1924

6 November 1924 berthed at Gibraltar 

23 November 1924 sailed Gibraltar to Trinidad arriving 7 December 1924

9 December 1924 sailed Trinidad

28 December 1924 radioed Lands End (LEFO)

10 July 1931 at Abadan Ships Cook  William John Keys discharged dead having drowned while on shore leave

30 July 1933 berthed at Singapore from Abadan

3 August 1933 sailed Singapore for Abadan

31 January 1937 transferred to Admiralty management and manning as an RFA at Swansea

1 February 1937 Mr Arthur L Barr RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer Arthur L Barr RFA

 

3 March 1939 Mr William W Ridgway RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

9 June 1939 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Bernard Tunnard RFA

3 August 1939 Captain F M Harvey RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain F M Harvey RFA

September 1939 withdrawn from seagoing service at Rosyth and was laid up partly-manned

18 April 1940 HMS HASTY and destroyer HMS WHITLEY arrived at Scapa Flow  escorting RFA War Nizam

23 April 1940 sailed Scapa Flow under the escort of HMS Vanoc for Sullom Voe to discharge and return to Scapa Flow under the same RN escort

5 May 1940 sailed Scapa Flow escorted by anti-submarine trawlers HMS WHITETHORN and HMS LE TIGER to Sullom Voe

18 May 1940 escorted by anti-submarine trawlers HMS JUNIPER and HMS HAZEL, arrived at Scapa Flowfrom Sullom Voe.

16 September 1940 sailed in convoy FS 283 from Methil to Sheerness arriving on 19 September 1940

25 September 1940 sailed Sheerness as a 'Fire Ship' to attack Calais Harbour. Operation Lucid. Operation called off returned to harbour due to the MTB's being unable to cope with the bad weather and another one of the 'fire ships' breaking down.

3 October 1940 sailed again from Sheerness as a 'Fire Ship' to attach Calais Harbour. Operation called off returned to harbour due to bad weather

4 October 1940 sailed again from Sheerness as a 'Fire Ship' to attach Calais Harbour. Operation called off returned to harbour due to RAF diversionary flights being unable to take off due to bad weather

7 October 1940 sailed again from Sheerness as a 'Fire Ship' to attach Calais Harbour. Operation cancelled. A destroyer hit a mine and War Nizam broke down.

29 November 1940 sailed in convoy FN 346 from Southend to Sunderland arriving 1 December 1940

12 December 1940 Captain W H Green RFA appointed as Master

21 May 1941 Mr James Paton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

5 July 1941 in port at Chatham under going boiler repairs

14 August 1941 while in convoy EC60 was bombed by two aircraft dropping five 500/1000lbs bombs. Two bombs fell very near the port bow. Three fell on the starboard quarter. Damage was caused - the Forehold was leaking, No 4 main tank was holed. Discharge pump and the windlass were knocked out of action. There was other minor damage - around 100 hits were suffered from gun fire from the aircraft.. The DEMS gunners shot back at the aircraft and one aircraft was believed to be shot down.

21 August 1941 under repair at Grimsby

11 November 1941 attacked by enemy aircraft off Aldeburgh and damaged off Alderburgh in position 52.19 N 01.59 E during which she used her defensive armament.

12 November 1941 berthed Killingholme

4 December 1941 Captain Robert  D Almond RFA appointed as Master. Remained in command until 29 January 1942

8 February 1942 involved in a collision with the Polish ss KATOWICE and was found to be unseaworthy with a twisted stem. Repairs were carried out by Mesrs Russell & Co,  Victoria Docks, London

9 March 1942 Captain Thomas Elder RFA appointed as Master

14 March 1942 sailed London to Grangemouth arriving 19 March 1941

21 March 1942 sailed Grangemouth to Sheerness

29 March 1942 sailed Sheerness to Grangemouth arriving 31 March 1942

2 April 1942 sailed Grangemouth to Rosyth Dockyard arrived the same day

22 May 1942 Mr E B Morton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

9 September 1942 sailed in convoy EN 135 from Methil to at Hollyhead 11 September 1942

28 September 1942 in collision with HMS Tynedale

20 November 1942 Captain J H Phillips RFA appointed as Master

2 January 1943 Mr H R Bullimore RFA (Engineer Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy (retd)) appointed Chief Engineer Officer

13 February 1943 arrived at Methil in convoy WN 394

25 February 1943 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master

8 January 1944 Mr Wilfred C Shortland RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 February 1944 suffered an air attack near Southend-on-Sea during which one Rating was killed and another one was injured.

21 August 1944 sailed the Solent in convoy FBC60 to Barry Docks arriving the next day

22 September 1944 bombed off Southend - Able Seaman Ernest Eric Dalton killed. He is buried at Haltemprice (Hessle) Cemetery Comp. 52. Plot 6. Grave 6

 

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

 

29 December 1945 Mr James Paton OBE RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

12 January 1946 Captain Herbert  A Shacklock RFA appointed as Master

28 October 1946 transferred to the MoT for disposal and was laid up on the Tyne.

1947 purchased by Basinghall Steamship Co Ltd (P. Bauer, Manager) London ship renamed Basinghall

July 1949 after a period of lay-up on the Tyne, arrived Antwerp in tow for breaking up