RFA War Pindari

RFA War Pindari

 

The former RFA War Pindari in 1952 at Hobart, Tasmania  sailing as ss Deepdale H

used with the kind permission of Russell Priest

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:             Deepdale H    Carignano

Class:                                    WAR CLASS Freighting Tanker - 7 cargo tanks

Pennant No:                         Y7.341 / X94

Laid down:
Builder:                                 Lithgows, Port Glasgow
Launched:                            29 December 1919
Into Service:                         16 March 1920
Out of service:                      Sold 1947

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

29 December 1919 launched by Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow as Yard Nr 721 named  WAR PINDARI for the Shipping Controller

16 March 1920 Completed at a cost of £215,104 and placed under initial management of C.T. Bowring  & Co Ltd, Liverpool. Her name is derived from the Indian word meaning an irregular horseman, plunderer or forager attached to a Muslim Army in India who was allowed to plunder in lieu of pay

1921 Transferred to Admiralty ownership but remained under commercial management

1 April 1923 Captain F W Rae RFA appointed as Master

2 April 1923 Mr T Perrett RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

20 March 1924 berthed at Gibraltar from Portsmouth  

17 August 1924 sailed Suez while on passage from Portsmouth to Abadan  

10 November 1924 offered for immediate disposal at HM Dockyard, Devonport by the Admiralty in The Times.

8 June 1925 Captain R Shotton RFA appointed as Master and Mr A G Forbes RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

5 September 1925 alongside the Oil Wharf in Singapore

20 October 1925 alongside the Oil Wharf in Singapore

23 November 1925 at sea at 05.10N 98.02E Fireman Lam Mung discharged dead from beri beri and heart disease. He was buried at sea. He had signed on at Singapore on 7 September 1925

3 to 6 February 1926 alongside the Oil Wharf in Singapore

31 July 1926 contract for a refit was awarded to the Mercantile Dry Dock Company, Jarrow

17 December 1926 alongside the Oil Wharf in Singapore

10  January 1927 alongside the Oil Wharf in Singapore

6 April 1927 arrived at Singapore from Hong Kong. Moored alongside the Oil Wharf for bunkers

12 April 1927 alongside the Main Wharf in Kepple Harbour, Singapore at the same time as the tanker ss Phorus (ex RFA Manica)

14 November 1927 Mr F Campbell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 November 1927 Captain Cecil R Rosen RFA appointed as Master

2 May 1928 Captain George E Thickett RFA appointed as Master

15 November 1935 at 13.04N 46.40E Able Seaman John Thomas Wise discharged dead having been lost overboard by accident

3 August 1936 Mr Charles A Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

27 October 1936 Mr T W Robinson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

8 November 1938 Captain W C T Barnes RFA appointed as Master

2 May 1939 Mr Charles A Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Charles A  Smith RFA

26 August 1939 Captain N Colbridge RFA appointed as Master

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

21 November 1939 damaged in collision with the cruiser HMS SHEFFIELD

24 January 1940 at 1140hrs at Greenock alongside HMS Hood to refuel her - cast off 0915hrs the next day

22 March 1940 sailed the Clyde with RFA Belgol under escort of  HMS ESKIMO and HMS PUNJABI to Scapa Flow. RFA Petrobus joined the convoy from Stornoway

14 April 1940 sailed Scapa Flow under escort of HMS Nubian to Lillijona

16 to 17 April 1940 supported Royal Naval ships in Operation Maurice - the Allied first landings at Namos, Norway - subject to a near miss from bombing by German aircraft

18 April 1940 arrived at Tromso escorted by HMS Fortune. Went alongside HMS Berwick to refuel her

19 April 1940 went alongside the oil tanks at Tromso to load and then sailed to Skjelfjord

5 May 1940 sailed Skjelfjord under escort of HMS Brocklesby and HMS Hamlet

7 May 1940 arrived Leith for repairs - sailed on 1 June 1940 to Rosyth

9 May 1940 Captain A MacDonald RFA appointed as Master

11 May 1940 Mr Charles M Morgan RFA (Lieutenant Commander (E) RNR) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

14 June 1940 sailed Rosyth under the escort of HMS Faulknor to Scapa Flow. DUring the passage the destroyer beat off an attacking German submarine which attempted to attack the tanker

12 July 1940 operated in Norwegian Waters

8 August 1940 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA

5 January 1941 berthed alongside HMS Hood at Scapa Flow between 10:45 and 16:05

28 January 1941 sailed Scapa Flow under the escort of HMS NAPIER and and HMS SOMALI

21 February 1941 unsuccessfully attacked by German aircraft at Skaalefjord., Norway

23 February 1941 unsuccessfully attacked by German aircraft at Skaalefjord., Norway

19 April 1941 Mr L H Taylor RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

6 May 1941 sailed Skaalefjord escorted by the destroyer HMS BROCKLESBY and the anti-submarine trawler HMS HAMLET

7 May 1941 group was joined by RFA WAR BHARATA for escort to Scapa Flow

26 June 1941 sailed Scapa Flow under escort of HMIS JUMNA to the Faroe Islands replacing RFA War Bharata which had mechanical problems

14 July 1941 was dived bombed at  Skaalefjord off Solmunde, Faroes by a JU88 which dropped 4 HE bombs all the bombs missed but landed close to the port side of the ship. Guns of 285 Light AA Troop, Royal Artillery which opened fire from the shore. The gunners claimed hits with smoke coming from the starboard engine with bits falling off. No 1 gun fired 3 rounds, No 2 gun fired 72 rounds, No 4 gun fired 60 rounds. No 3 gun jammed. The ship suffered damage to her main condenser. Her hull had several ribs with many rivets strained and division damage in forward pump room.

17 July 1941 temporarty repairs effected. Her ability to discharge cargo reduced to one pump only. She can only steam at half speed only

22 July 1941 sailed Skaalefjord for Kirkwall escorted by the destroyer HMS HEYTHROP

5 August 1941 sailed Lynes in convoy WN 162 arriving Methil 7 August 1941

21 September 1941 sailed Methil in Convoy FS601 arriving at Southend on 23 September 1941

23 September 1941 while on passage with a cargo of 7,300 tons of oil for Harwich was in collision with ss Gunvor Maersk. No damage to War Pindari - Gunvor Maersk made water fast in No 3 hold. Gunvor Maersk made to the Humber . She was beached outside Spurn Point being refloated later in the day and taken into Grimsby to discharge her cargo.

8 December 1941 Mr F C Pavitt RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

25 March 1942 Captain William Frost MBE RFA appointed as Master

3 April 1942 damaged by the destroyer HMS PUNJABI and the American USS PLUMKEITH

9 November 1942 sailed Methil in convoy EN 160 arriving Scapa Flow 10 November 1942

26 December 1942 sailed Methil in convoy EN 178 arriving Invergordon the same day

10 January 1943 sailed Lyness in convoy EN 183 arriving Liverpool 11 January 1943

18 January 1943 Mr William C Elliott RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

9 July 1943 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy WN 452

11 July 1943 arrived Methil in convoy WN 452 from Loch Ewe

19 August 1943 sailed Methil in convoy EN270 to Scapa Flow arriving on 20 August 1943

20 January 1944 Mr Frederick O Brims RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

 

Chief Engineer Officer Frederick O Brims RFA - image taken earlier in his sea going career

 

9 February 1944 sailed Loch Ewe in Convoy WN543 arriving at Methil on 11 February 1944

6 October 1945 Captain Archibald Hobson DSC RFA appointed as Master

11 May 1946 Mr F Campbell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

4 October 1947 Mr D W Wilson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

8 October 1947 Captain Cecil R Rosen OBE RFA appointed as Master

25 October 1947 transferred to the MoT for disposal

1948 purchased by Wentbridge Shipping Ltd (J. Harker, Manager) Knottingley and renamed DEEPDALE H. Application to change the ships name advertised in The Times of the 10 January 1948

26 January 1948 the ships Master Captain Edward S Field

8 July 1948 Captain Field discharged to hospital at Abadan. The Chief Officer took over as Acting Master

4 August 1948 Able Seaman Tom Milne discharged dead. He was drowned at Nefisha Oil Wharf, Suez - his body was not recovered

16 July 1952 berthed at Hobart, Tasmania from America

26 September 1952 berthed at Freemantle from Kuwait with a cargo of FFO

3 October 1952 Captain D Dallas as Master

16 November 1952 berthed at Freemantle from Singapore

1952 Purchased by Societa di Navigazione Ligura-Toscana, Genoa and renamed  CARIGNANO

4 February 1954 arrived Blyth for breaking up by Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Co Ltd

 

Notes:

1. Was laid up at Rosyth during the 1930’s Shipping Depression