© Handels – og Søfartsmuseet, Danmark

Previous name:
Subsequent name:                Shelfoil

Official Number:                      168340                                                       

Class:                                       Oil Fuel Hulk

Pennant No:                            X128

Laid down:
Builder:                                     Burmeister & Wain, Denmark
Launched:                               15 August 1931
Into Service:                             October 1942
Out of service:
Fate:                                          Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:   In her day, at 10,517 grt, this ship had been one of the largest tankers afloat, her owners being a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. For a time during WW2, the RFA were operators of half a ship , this fuelling hulk based at Scapa Flow until the base there was closed at the end of the War, when she was sold for commercial bunkering purposes

15 August 1931 launched by Burmeister & Wain Maskin Og Skipsbyggeri Aktieselskabet, Copenhagen as Yard Nr 348 named DANMARK for D/S A/S “Myren” (Holm &  Wonsild, Managers) Copenhagen

October 1931 completed

2 December 1931 while on passage from Baton Rouge to Nyborg loaded with 16,000 tons of oil grounded at Knudshead. Reported in Lloyds casualty reports

1934 purchased by Det Danske Petroleum A/S (C.F. Holm, Managers) Copenhagen name unchanged

1935 managers became F.W. Kraft, Copenhagen

19 August 1939 while on passage from Dairen for Rotterdam and Copenhagen arrived at Suez with defective machinery, cylinder cover broken. Reported in Lloyds casualty reports

25 December 1939 sailed Aruba independently

12 January 1940 while on passage from Aruba to Nyborg with a cargo of 8200 t of refined petrol and 5760 t of kerosene, she was ordered to divert to Kirkwall for clearance by Contraband Control. She anchored in Inganess Bay just to the east of Kirkwall. Here she was torpedoed by the German Submarine U-23 (Kapitänleutnant Otto Kretschmer)  in position 58.59 N 02.53 W and a huge hole was blown in her side. Her crew of 40 escaped safely but the 14,000 tons of fuel destined for the Allied war effort were lost

22 January 1940 back broken, after part sank, foward section beached. 

6 February 1940. The after part's position was given as 58 58 48N, 002 53 05W, or bearing 164.5 degrees, 2.34 miles from Hellier light.  - Report by Naval Officer in Charge, Kirkwall. Notice to Mariners 329/40 issued.

July 1940 1924 tons of her cargo of kerosene was salvaged

March 1941 Forward section broke off allowing it to be refloated and beached nearby where it lay  for some months before being refloated and towed to Inverkeithing, probably originally for demolition

7 June 1941 forward section towed to Grangemouth for conversation into stationary fuel hulk by Grangemouth Dockyard Co Ltd.

5 September 1941 sailed under tow from Kirwall to Scapa Flow arriving 13 September 1941

17 September 1941 sailed under tow from Scapa Flow to Inverkeithing arriving 25 September 1941

September 1942 conversion completed

RFA Danmark

© Handels – og Søfartsmuseet, Danmark

22 October 1942 Mr F Clarke RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

27 October 1942 towed to Scapa Flow where she was used  to bunker light cruisers and destroyers, being herself refilled by other tankers as  required. She had an RFA Chief Officer, Third Officer, Chief Engineer and Third Engineer as part of her crew

18 December 1942 Chief Officer B Smith RFA appointed as Chief Officer-in-Charge

14 December 1943 Chief Officer A J McKenzie RFA appointed as Chief Officer-in-Charge

28 June 1945. A buoy was laid on a bearing 043.5 degrees and 121 metres from the wrecked after part  Report by Northern Lighthouse Board, Notice to Mariners 10/46 issued.

3 October 1945 towed to the Clyde and laid up off Kilcreggan

July 1947 moved to lay-up in Loch Long

1948 purchased by Shell-Mex & B.P. Ltd, London who proposed to return her to service as an oil storage depot at Dublin

February 1948 arrived Dublin in tow of  the tug METINDA 1V and was subsequently renamed SHELFOIL and remained here for a number of years

Shelfoil at Dublin

© Handels – og Søfartsmuseet, Danmark

25 March 1953 hulk arrived Faslane to be broken up after completion of new oil installations at Dublin.

2 December 1957. The after part wreck dries to reveal 1 metre. Report taken from Diver Report 1957 Docket 28 Augst 1957

18 August 1961. The wreck has been totally dispersed to seabed level and the buoy has been removed. The position is considered to be foul.  Report by Northern Lighthouse Board.

Notes:

Dapper involved in the attempts to salvage HMS Glatton in 1926

Photo supplied by Paul Wells with grateful thanks

Previous name:                        Chapman
Subsequent name:    

Official Number:                        149161                                                                       

Class:                                         Salvage Vessel

Pennant No:                               X30  /  X19

Laid down:
Builder:                                       New York Shipbuilding
Launched:                                  1915

Into Service:                               1915
Out of service:                            March 1923

Fate:                                             Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:   In some old ledgers in the possession of the Admiralty and marked “ lists of RFA’s”, a number of vessels are shown as having spent some time as RFA’s during WW1. Some of these vessels were Yard Craft, partially or wholly Dockyard-manned, partly by RNR or Reserve Fleet personnel. The Director of Stores Dept was concerned with their manning and operation for a while

1915 Launched by New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, New York as Yard Nr ? named CHAPMAN for the Dover Harbour Board, Dover

November 1915 completed

1915 Requisitioned by the Admiralty and renamed DAPPER. Was subsequently purchased by them for use as a Salvage Vessel

22 November 1915 Lieutenant Philip N Edmonds RNR appointed in command

5 October 1916 Diver William Henry Foreman, aged 46, discharged dead at Edinburgh, Scotland from disease. He was buried in Dover (Buckland) Cemetery, Dover, Kent in grave D 2196

Courtesy and © of The War Graves Photographic Project

March 1917 and other dates over a number of years assisted RFA Racer to recover gold in the HMS Laurentic which had been mined and sunk while off Lough Swilly, County Donegal, Ireland

30 April 1918 Able Seaman William Stanley Sheriff, aged 19, discharged dead. He was buried in Lower Fahan (Christ Church) Churchyard, Buncrana, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland in a grave in the south east part of the cemetery.

9 September 1919 involved in the salvage of the schooner Markussund.

28 January 1921 applications for salvage money published in the London Gazette of 28 January 1921 on page 780

March 1923 Sold to the Dover Harbour Board

1926 involved in the attempts to salavge HMS Glatton which had exploded and later sank in Dover Harbour on 16 September 1918. The Glatton was moved where she had sunk and which caused obstruction to ship movements in the Harbour to a deeper part of the harbour. This was then filled in and the car terminal (as it is now) was built over the ship.

16 April 1940 Panamanian steamer ALBA (3444grt) ran aground on the Goodwins, 3½ miles 55° from Deal Coast Guard Station. Tug LADY BRASSEY and salvage vessel DAPPER sailed from Dover to assist. After jettisoning cargo and the efforts of seven tugs, she was finally refloated at 1830/17th, brought to the Downs and anchored.

20 March 1940 Steamer BARN HILL (5439grt), formerly of convoy HX.25A, was badly damaged by German bombers of KG26, three miles SSW of Beachy Head, in 50-34N, 0-02W.  Five crew were lost, and the steamer was towed towards shore and beached three hundred yards southeast of Langney Point on the 21st.  Salvage vessel DAPPER sailed to the scene at daylight on the 25th and remained there until the fire was extinguished. The steamer's back broke on the 26th and she was declared a total loss.

25 September 1940 requisitioned by the Admiralty

9 February 1942 H M Fort 'Roughs Tower' left Tilbury, Dapper towing ahead, Lady Brassey stern tug and Crested Cock and King Lear ( Gamecock's salvage vessel) lashed alongside.

11 February 1942 1645 the fort was in position 51.33.66N 1.28.93E, 7 miles SE of Lowestoft. [This first tow, taking three days,  was apparently fraught with problems, including hitting a light vessel moored off Gravesend, colliding with three buoys, R1, Mucking 1 and Mucking 2 and weather problems.

20 April 1942 assisted HMS Cotswold which had been mined in the North Sea to Shotley Spit off Parkstone where she was beached.

4 May 1942 HMS Cotswold towed by Dapper to Chatham

29 June 1946 returned to owners

January 1951 broken up at Dover

Notes:

Was managed by Risdon Beazeley Ltd, Southampton during WW2

Ships of the same name

Dapper. A gun-brig of 12 guns, 185 bm, 85 x 22.5 feet.  Launched by Adams, Chapel in December 1805.  Sold on the 29 September 1814.

Dapper. A wood screw gunboat of the “Dapper” class launched by Green of Blackwall on the 31 March 1855, reduced to a training hulk in 1885, then a cooking depot in 1897 and given the pennant number YC 37 in 1909.  Sold to a Mr Perry on the 10 May 1922.

Battle Honours for this Vessel: BALTIC 1855.

Previous name:                    Empire Oil
Subsequent name:

Offical Number:                    165991                                                                         

Class:                                     1^st DALE CLASS Freighting Tanker

Pennant No:

Laid down:                             October 1939
Builder:                                   Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd., Glasgow
Launched:                             23 July 1940
Into Service:                           November 1940
Out of service:                       22 October 1941
Fate:                                        Sunk off Jamestown, St. Helena, South Atlantic Ocean.

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  Originally there were to have been 19 ships in this Class. The first 6 were purchased off the stocks fro the British Tanker Co Ltd whilst building at the instigation of the then Director of Stores, Sir William Gick, who was concerned at the age of the RFA Fleet and ships that were approaching the end of their economic lives. A further 2 ships were purchased from Anglo Saxon Petroleum Co Ltd for evaluation purposes. At the outbreak of WW2, a further 11 ships were acquired from the MoWT war programme although one of these, to have been named EPPINGDALE, which had been registered in London as EMPIRE GOLD on 21/02/43 and intended for transfer to the Admiralty for manning and management as an RFA and despite 5 Officers being appointed to her, the intended transfer was cancelled the following day and she thus never entered RFA service. 3 of this Class were converted into LSG’s and were then reconverted back into tankers at the end of the War

23 July 1940 launched by Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Scotstoun as Yard Nr 61 named EMPIRE OIL for the MoWT and originally intended for management  by Eagle Oil Transport Co Ltd, London

5 October 1940 Captain Thomas H Card RFA appointed as Master and Mr Alexander B McIntyre RD RFA (Lieutenant Commander (E) RNR (Ret)) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

14 November 1940 sailed on trials from Tail of the Bank

15 November 1940 completed. Acquired by the Admiralty and renamed DARKDALE

19 November 1940 damage sustained by the British trawler s.s. OTTERHOUND whilst alongside

21 November 1940 sailed the Clyde in Liverpool convoy OB246 under charter to Anglo Saxon Co Ltd to Curacao to load gasoline - single voyage. Arriving 11 December 1940.

14 December 1940 sailed Curacao independently to Bermuda.

21 January 1941 sailed Bermuda in convoy BHX104 which also contained RFA DELPHINULA to Belfast Lough and then to Greenock arriving 14 February. To drydock for unspecified repairs

28 February 1941 caused damage to the British tanker s.s. PETROPHALT in Loch Long

7 March 1941 sailed the Clyde independently to Oban 

5 May 1941 sailed Oban independently to the Clyde arriving the next day

21 June 1941 sailed in Liverpool convoy OB 338 dispersing on 3 July 1941 to sail independently to Curacao arriving 12 July 1941

15 July 1941 sailed Curacao to St. Helena to act as Fleet oiler there

 4 August 1941 arrived St Helena to act as Fleet Oiler there, carrying  3000 tons of fuel oil, 850 tons of aviation spirit, 500 tons of diesel oil and also some lubricating oil. Caused slight damage to the Norwegian tanker m.v. Nyholm prior to arrival

17 September 1941 refuelled alongside with the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle and the cruiser HMS Dorsetshire (Force F) - damage was caused by the tanker to HMS Eagle during the night when fenders were smashed and jump nets and a ladder leading to the flight deck carried away due to the prevailing swell. 

22 October 1941 whilst anchored in position 15.55.03 S 05.42.15 W off Jamestown Harbour torpedoed by German submarine U68 (Kapt Karl-Freidrich Merten) - reported that Darkdale exploded and turned over and sank within five minutes. 41 killed - for details of their names see the Roll of Honour [1941]. Captain & Chief Engineer ashore. 

The crew who were lost are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial, London and on the Cenotaph at Jamestown, St. Helena.

23 October 1941divers examined the wreck and shipping was diverted clear of St Helena

25 October 1941 a memorial Service was held on the Wharf overlooking the spot where she had exploded and sunk

20 April 2009 during a visit to St Helena by RFA Gold Rover a memorial service was held at the Jamestown Cenotaph and wreaths were laid.

Captain Paul Minter RFA, Commanding Officer, RFA Gold Rover lays his wreath at the RFA Darkdale memorial in Jamestown, St. Helena

© The St. Helena Independent acknowledged

Notes:

On the previous morning a resident of the Island who lived in a cottage along the cliff tops above James Bay, rushed into town to report that he had spotted a submarine. He was not taken seriously and his claim was not relayed to the Master of DARKDALE. He had in fact spotted U-68, one of the first German submarines to venture to the South Atlantic. On the evening in question, the Master, Chief Engineer and Purser were dining with the Garrison Commander in the military barracks above Jamestown, 2 Ratings lay in Jamestown Hospital  and a further 2 Ratings were on a run ashore, trying to get back to their ship when the torpedoes struck at approx 00.15. Only 37 names are inscribed on the Tower Hill Memorial.

The first British ship sunk south of the Equator during World War 2.