RFA War Pathan

RFA War Pathan

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:     Basing Bank

Official Number:           143217

Class:                            WAR CLASS Freighting Tanker - 5 cargo tanks

Pennant No:                 Y7.326  /  X84

Laid down:
Builder:                          Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford Yard, Sunderland
Launched:                    19 March 1919
Into Service:                 1921
Out of service:              16 October 1947

Fate:                               Sold commercially

 

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.

 

 

19 March 1919 launched by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford Yard, Sunderland as Yard Nr 675 named WAR PATHAN for the Shipping Controller

May 1919 Completed  at a cost of £ 161,009 and placed under initial management of Andrew  Weir & Co Ltd, London..Her name is derived from the Eastern Iranian ethno-linguistic group with populations mainly in Afghanistan and western Pakistan

May 1919 at Archangel in connection with the Archangel River Expeditionary Force

2 June 1919 at Murmansk HMS Pegasus came alongside to be refuelled - 185 tons of FFO issued

7 July 1919 at Murmansk HMS Pegasus came alongside to be refuelled

August 1919 returned to Archangel

16 August 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M24 alongside to be refuelled

31 August 1919 at Archangel alongside HMS EREBUS refuelling her with 360 tons FFO

2 September 1919 at anchor midstream off Archangel with HM Monitor M24 alongside her refueling - 600 gallons of FFO

16 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M33 came alongside to be refueled - 5 tons of FFO issued

19 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M23 came alongside to be refueled

24 September 1919 at Archangel HM Monitor M33 came alongside to be refueled - 4 tons of FFO issued

10 October 1919 sailed Murmansk for Rosyth

13 October 1919 Captain W H Fellows as Master

16 November 1919 at Reval (now Tallin - capital of Estonia) alongside HMS Vindictive refuelling her with 273 tons of FFO

23 November 1919 at Bioko Sound, Baltic Sea HMS Dauntless secured alongside to be refuelled - 140 tons FFO

10 December 1919 at Reval (now Tallin - capital of Estonia) alongside HMS Vindictive refuelling her with 320 tons of FFO

27 September 1920 Captain F A Smith as Master

15 November 1920 arrived at Spithead from Tampico

19 November 1920 berthed at Portsmouth

1921 RFA managed but commercially manned

24 January 1921 towed Brazillian steamer Parnabyba into Bermuda

7 September 1921 sailed Sheerness for Puerto, Mexico

13 February 1922 arrived at Plymouth

22 February 1924 while on passage from Gibraltar to Port Arthur, Texas, USA in water ballast when, in the Port Arthur ship canal one mile below Keith Lakes Gully, she was involved in a collision with the ss Tamarac.

9 May 1924 Captain J H Jones RFA appointed as Master and Mr R Watson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

21 July 1924 sailed Gibraltar while on passage from Brindisi to Port Arthur

1 September 1924 sailed Gibraltar while on passage from Port Arthur to Genoa  

4 July 1925 Captain A D Davies RFA appointed as Master

January 1926 struck submerged wreckage en route to Trinidad and knocked the top of her propeller off.

15 December 1926 at approximately 38.9N 32.40W  Bosun William Hughes 'disappeared' - discharged dead

6 January 1927 Mr G A Calvert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 April 1927 berthed at the oil wharf, Kepple Harbour, SIngapore for bunkers

20 April 1928 Captain W C Meikle RFA appointed as Master

April 1929 transferred to Admiralty management and manning as an RFA

2 April 1929 Mr Edward B Morton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer Edward B Morton RFA

9 July 1929 alongside the oil wharf at Singapore

25 September 1929 Mr R Watson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1 July 1930 alongside the oil wharf at Singapore

29 Dec 1930 Captain W A Wooster RFA appointed as Master

8 July 1931 alongside the oil wharf at Singapore

16 October 1931 Mr W D Hewitt RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 August 1932 berthed at Malta

21 October 1932 berthed at Malta

2 November 1932 berthed at Port Said

21 December 1932 berthed at Malta

27 November 1934 Captain Alexander H Hardy RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Alexander Hardy before his promotion

Courtesy Nancy Hardy with thanks

 

22 February 1935 went to the assistance of s.s. Ottinge off Ushant which had broken down and issued a MayDay call.

9 July 1935 Mr Alexander B McIntyre RFA (Engineer Lieutenant Commander RNR) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1 March 1937 Mr J Cook RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 February 1938 broke down mid Atlantic with steering problems while enroute from Trinidad to Devonport. The ship had to heave to and effect emergency repairs. Later reported by radio that she had fitted hand steering wires and was underway at half speed

12 November 1938 Captain W J Shipton RFA appointed as Master

1 January 1939 Captain N Colbridge RFA appointed as Master

11 April 1939 Fireman John Connor discharged dead.  He is buried in Kalkara Royal Naval Cemetery, Malta

27 August 1940 Captain Frederick G Drake RFA appointed as Master

1 October 1940 Mr Joseph S Harrison RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

14 June 1941 Degausing equipment fitted.

6 June 1942 Chief Engineer Officer Joseph S Harrison RFA discharged dead.

24 December 1942 arrived at Methil in convoy WN375

22 February 1943 sailed Methil in convoy EN198 to Loch Ewe arriving two days later

1 June 1943 Mr G C Dunning RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer G C Dunning RFA

 

12 January 1944 Captain Robert T Duthie DSC RFA appointed as Master

23 February 1944 grounded while loading at Old Kilpatrick, River Clyde - no damaged sustained

1 March 1944 sailed Loch Ewe in convoy WN551 to Methil arriving two days later

16 March 1944 in collision with HMS Jamaica

15 November 1945 Captain M W Westlake DSC RFA (Commander RNR) appointed as Master

22 June 1946 Mr H R Bullimore RFA (Lieutenant Commander (E) Royal Navy (retd) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

14 February 1947 transferred to the MOT for disposal

18 April 1947 purchased by Bulk Storage Co Ltd (P. Bauer, Manager) London name unchanged

10 October 1947 the ship was renamed  Basingbank. Owned by Basinghall Shipping Co Ltd

1949 laid up on the River Tyne.

July 1949 purchased by R. de Corte and towed to Antwerp for scrap

March 1950 scrapped Antwerp