RFA Wave Conqueror

RFA Wave Conqueror

Previous name:                       Empire Law
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                       169132

Class:                                       WAVE CLASS  Freighting Oiler (unmodified)  

Pennant No:                             X131 / A245

Laid down:                               16 December 1942
Builder:                                     Furness Shipbuilding, Haverton Hill
Launched:                                27 November 1943
Into Service:                             1946
Out of service:                         1958

Fate:                                          Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  A need for fast tankers to bring oil into the country had been envisaged early in the Second World War, but by the time the material had been collected and the Yards had space to build them, the need had largely passed and the original design of diesel-engined ships was abandoned. Instead, the standard 12000t Class being built were given sharper bows and sterns and turbine engines with water tube boilers. In all, 21 of this type were built and were offered to the Admiralty, who wanted faster tankers for the Pacific Fleet Train. The Admiralty took 20 of them ( the final vessel being completed commercially for Oil and Molasses Tankers Ltd, London as BEECHWOOD) and renamed them with the WAVE nomenclature. Performance varied considerably from ship to ship and they underwent various modifications in their rigs for RAS work. The 8 best ones were finally given an extensive refit, with extra accommodation added to the Bridge Deck and extra turbo cargo pumps and derricks to make them more satisfactory for Fleet work. Initially expensive to run, they recouped some of their expensive repair bills by earning revenues from charter work after the Korean War. From this Class was evolved the TIDE CLASS oilers.

27 November 1943 Launched for the Ministry of War Transport by Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Haverton Hill as Yard Nr 357

March 1944 Completed and was placed under the initial management of  Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd, London

 

As Empire Law sailed as part of the following convoys: -

Date	Convoy	From	To	Comment
13 Apr 1944	UC019	Belfast Lough	New York
3 May 1944	CU023	New York	Liverpool	EMPIRE BOUNTY (later RFA WAVE VICTOR) was in the same convoy
1 July 1944	UC028	Liverpool	New York	EMPIRE BOUNTY (later RFA WAVE VICTOR) was in the same convoy
18 July 1944	CU032	New York		22 July 1944 suffered engine defects returned to New York
5 Aug 1944	CU034	New York	Mersey	EMPIRE MILNER (later RFA WAVE LIBERATOR) was in the same convoy
17 Aug 1944	UC034	Liverpool	New York
4 Sep 1944	CU038	New York	Mersey
22 Sep 1944	UC038B	St Helens Roads	New York	25 Sep 1944 Boiler defects to Milford Haven for repairs
27 Sep 1944	UC039A	Newport	New York
14 Oct 1944	CU043	New York	Swansea
29 Oct 1944	UC043A	St Helens Roads	New York
15 Nov 1944	CU047	New York	Heysham	Suffered engine defects returned to Boston EMPIRE PROTECTOR (later RFA WAVE PROTECTOR) was in the same convoy
24 Nov 1944	CU048	Boston	London (Thames Haven)
15 Dec 1944	UC049A	Liverpool	New York
20 Jan 1945	CU056	New York	Avonmouth
10 Feb 1945	UC056A	Barry Roads	New York
7 Mar 1945	CU061	New York	Cherbourg	14 Mar 1945 suffered heavy weather damage
2 Apr 1945	UC062B	Liverpool	New York
16 Apr 1945	CU066	New York	Liverpool
2 May 1945	UC066A	Barry Roads	New York
25 May 1945	CU072	New York	Le Harve	31 May 1945 suffered heavy weather damage. EMPIRE PROTECTOR (later RFA WAVE PROTECTOR) was in the same convoy

 

14 September 1945 Arrived Hartlepool (for refit?)

7 November 1945 sailed Hartlepool

11 November 1945 passed Gibraltar. Arrived Port Said 17 November 1945 arrived Abadan 27 November 1945

1 December 1945 sailed Abadan for Lorenzo Marques arriving on 13 December 1945

16 December 1945 sailed Lorenzo Marques  to Beira arriving 18 December 1945

21 December 1945 sailed Beira to Abadan arriving 1 January 1946

3 January 1946 sailed Abadan to Suez arriving 12 January 1946

19 January 1946 Port Said passing Gibraltar on 24 January 1946

28 January 1946 arrived at Clyde Anchorage

6 February 1946 sailed the Clyde Anchorage passing Gibraltar on 10 February 1946 to Port Said

1946 to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and renamed Wave Conqueror

31 July 1947 Chief Steward John Kincaid logged for deserting at Plymouth. He had signed on at Glasgow on 5 May 1947

6 August 1947 Pumpman M Halleron logged for deserting at Plymouth. He had signed on at Glasgow on 5 May 1947

28 August 1947 Fireman/Greaser W Lunt discharged to the Royal Naval Hospital, HMS Malabar, Bermuda sick suffering from TB. He had signed on at Plymouth on 1 August 1947

13 April 1948 Mr R N Foster RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

11 May 1948 AB B Gillman logged for deserting at Newport. He had signed on at Cardiff on 20 April 1948

13 January 1949 Captain Arthur J D Gosney RFA appointed as Master

19 February 1950 Captain Robert  D Almond RFA appointed as Master

June 1950 joined HMS Triumph, HMS Cossack, HMS Consort, HMS Jamaica and HMAS Shoalhaven at the RAN naval base at Kure, Japan. They sailed to off Okinawa to refuel before sailing to waters off the west coast of Korea

Involved in supporting Allied ships in the Korean War as part of the West Coast Support Group. Task Group 96.8

8 April 1951 Mr W E Burke RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

11 April 1951 Captain Robert H Venning RFA appointed as Master

23 May 1952  whilst anchored off Immingham, she was hit by the Norwegian vessel BELRAY and was badly damaged aft.

27 May 1952 was towed to North Shields for repairs by Smith’s Dock Co Ltd

21 June 1952 Mr J H Young RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

24 August 1953 Captain William  W Peddle RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain William W Peddle RFA

 

10 November 1953 Mr C A Herbert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 March 1954 arrived at Chowder Bay, Monson, NSW Australia to discharge

31 March 1954 sailed Chowder Bay, Monson, NSW, Australia

22 May 1954 Mr J A Ferguson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

25 May 1954 Captain G W Webster RFA appointed as Master

19/20 February 1955 a Customs search of the ship while anchored off the Singapore Naval Base resulted in the seizure of about $22,000 worth of opium which was found hidden in one of the tanks. The drug was first class Persian opium. No one was arrested.

13 July 1955 Captain W R Parker RFA appointed as Master

14 November 1955 Mr J B Morgan RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1956 Deployed for Operation Musketeer - the Suez Crisis - along with 34  other RFA’s.

31 December 1957 final arrival Sheerness

4 January 1958 destored, laid up at Sheerness and was transferred to the MoT for disposal

August 1958 engines in a defective condition; placed on the Disposal List at Sheerness

19 August 1958 advertised for sale 'as lying' at H.M. Dockyard, Sheerness in the Times of this date by the Ministry of Transport & Civil Aviation

December 1958 sold commercially to H G Pounds, Portsmouth and became an oil hulk at Le Havre, France

6 April 1960 left Le Havre in tow enroute to Italian breakers was replaced as a fuel hulk by RFA  WAVE MONARCH.

23 April 1960 arrived for breaking up at Spezia by CN del Golfo