RFA Ships starting with D

Previous name:
Subsequent name: Shelfoil

Class:

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: -

12 January 1940 torpedoed by U23 while at anchor off Kirkwall. Her crew of 40 escaped safely

22 January 1940 back broken, after part sank, foward section beached. At time of loss the ship was owned by Det Danske Petroleums A/S, and she was en-route from Aruba to Nyborg with 8,200 tons of petrol and 5,760 tons of kerosene

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

7 June 1941 forward section towed to Grangemouth for conversation into stationary fuel hulk.

September 1942 conversion completed.

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

27 October 1942 towed to Scapa Flow

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.

1948 sold commercially

25 March 1953 broken up at Faslane

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.

RFA Dapper

Previous name: Chapman
Subsequent name:

Class:

Pennant No: X30 / X19

Laid down:
Builder: New York Shipbuilding
Launched: 1915

Into Service: 1915
Out of service: March 1923 - Sold Commercially

Fate: Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

22 November 1915 Lieutenant Philip N Edmonds RNR appointed in command

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

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. Applications for salavage money published in the London Gazette of 28 January 1921 on page 780

25 September 1940 requisitioned by the Admiralty

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

RFA Darkdale

Previous name: Empire Oil
Subsequent name:

Class: Dale Class Tanker

Pennant No:

Laid down: October 1939
Builder: Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd., Glasgow
Launched: 30 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: -

5 October 1940 Captain T H Card RFA appointed as Master and Mr A 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.

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 to Belfast Lough and then to Greenock arriving 14 February. To drydock for unspecified repairs.

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 arriving 4 August 1941

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 swell.

22 October 1941 Torpedoed by German submarine U68 (Kapt Karl-Freidrich Merten) - reported that Darkdale exploded and turned over and sank within 5 minutes. 41 killed - for details of their names see the Roll of Honour [1941]. Captain & Chief Engineer ashore. The first British ship sunk south of the Equator during World War 2.

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

Darkdale1