RFA Wave Regent

RFA Wave Regent

 

Previous name:                    
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                   180564 

Class:                                     WAVE CLASS  Freighting  Oiler (unmodified)

Pennant No:                           X110 / B 522 / A210

Laid down:                             28 April 1944
Builder:                                   Furness Shipbuilding Company
Launched:                              29 March 1945
Into Service:                           31 May 1945 
Out of service:                        May 1959
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.

 

29 May 1943 ordered

28 April 1944 laid down 

12 March 1945 Mr F B Hobson RFA ( Warrant Engineer RNR) was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

29 March 1945 Launched by Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Haverton Hill as Yard Nr 363 named WAVE  REGENT

29 May 1945 Captain Reginald J Harland RFA appointed as Master

31 May 1945 completed and handed over by the builders

14 July 1945 sailed Middlesborough independently for Rosyth arriving the next day

31 July 1945 sailed Methil independently for Curacao arriving 11 August 1945

12 August 1945 sailed Curacao independently for Cristobal arriving on 15 August 1945

23 August 1945 sailed Balboa independently for Manus arriving 14 September 1945

21 September 1945 sailed Manus independently for Hong Kong arriving 29 September 1945

31 October 1945 sailed Hong Kong independently for Singapore arriving 4 November 1945

6 November 1945 sailed Singapore independently for Manus arriving 15 November 1945

17 November 1945 sailed Manus independently for SIngapore arriving 26 November 1945

1 December 1945 sailed Singapore independently for Hong Kong arriving 6 December 1945

22 January 1946 while at Hong Kong shortly after arriving from Singapore damaged by fire. Temporary repairs affected. Full repairs to be undertaken at Bombay

29 January 1946 Chief Cook Leslie Bush and Cook Alfred C Howard appeared before the Court in Hong Kong charged with theft of 50lbs of flour, The two were caught in the act of passing a bag of flour over the stern of the ship to a sampan by the Chief Steward. Police were called. They both pleaded Guilty and were each sentenced to one months imprisonment

9 February 1946 sailed Hong Kong for Batavia arriving 15 February 1946

21 February 1946 sailed Batavia to Bombay arriving 2 March 1946

21 April 1946 sailed Abadan to Portsmouth, passing Gibraltar on 12 May 1946, and arriving 16 May 1946

14 June 1946 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA

7 September 1946 sailed Portsmouth to Haifa arriving 16 September 1946

20 September 1946 sailed Haifa to Malta arriving 23 September 1943

29 September 1946 sailed Malta to Port Said arriving 2 October 1946

2 October 1946 sailed for Aden, transitted Suez Canal 

7 October 1946 put into Aden for repairs

16 November 1946 arrived Hong Kong from Abadan having suffered heavy weather damage.

13 December 1946 sailed Singapore to Abadan with defective boilers - on forced draughtt only

25 December 1946 sailed Abadan to Singapore arriving 7 January 1947

11 January 1947 sailed Singapore to Abadan arriving 22 January 1947

23 January 1947 sailed Abadan to Trincomalee

2 February 1947 sailed Trincomalee to Abadan arriving 10 February 1947

12 February 1947 sailed Abadan to Trincomalee

21 February 1947 sailed Trincomalee to Bombay arriving 26 February 1947

5 March 1947 sailed Bombay to Abadan arriving 9 March 1947

15 March 1947 sailed Abadan via Suez (arrived 26 March 1947) to Port Said

29 March 1947 sailed Port Said to Abadan

9 April 1947 sailed Abadan to Rosyth (passing Gibraltar 26 April 1947) arriving 3 May 1947

5 June 1947 sailed Rosyth to Aden (passing Gibraltar 10 June 1947) arriving 25 June 1947

27 June 1947 sailed Aden to Abadan

4 July 1947 sailed Abadan to Aden arriving 16 July 1947

12 October 1947 Mr J B Morgan RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 October 1948 Captain Bertram Tunnard RFA appointed as Master

26 September 1949 Mr R B Burgh RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

11 February 1950 Captain Raymond V Boodle RFA appointed as Master

18 September 1951 Mr J H Young RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

25 June 1950 - 27 July 1953 although involved in the Korean War along with 18 other RFA‘s but did not receive a battle honour.

21 June 1952 Mr W E Burke RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

30 June 1951 Captain Robert  D Almond RFA appointed as Master

24 November 1951 sailed Malta for Port Said

8 July 1952 Captain W H G Hine RFA appointed as Master

1 February 1953 berthed at Port of Spain, Trinidad

25 August 1953 Mr D L Walls RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 September 1953 Captain W L Holtham RFA appointed as Master

17 October 1953 sailed Malta for Port Said and Tas Tanura

2 August 1954 Mr L Cochran RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

24 August 1955 Captain Douglas N J Williams RD RFA (Commander RNR (Rtd)) appointed as Master

15 October 1956 Captain G O W Evans DSC RFA appointed as Master and Mr J A Swallow RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

10 December 1956 Mr B C Jeremiah RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 April 1957 Mr P Ryan RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

January 1958 Captain L J Mack DSO RFA appointed as Master

12 June 1958 Captain Allistown M Macquire-Samson RFA appointed as Master

19 November 1958 Mr D F Gorrie RFA was appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

5 December 1958 in collision with an unknown vessel

3 May 1959 laid up at Devonport for disposal

8 June 1960 purchased by BISCO for scrap

29 June 1960 arrived at Faslane to be broken up by Shipbreaking Industries Ltd

 

Notes:

 

Was part of the British Pacific Fleet Train - hence the B-pennant number