RFA Eaglesdale

Last updated

RFA Eaglesdale.jpg
History
British-Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary-Ensign.svg United Kingdom
Name
  • Empire Metal (1941-42)
  • RFA Eaglesdale (1942-59)
Builder Furness Shipbuilding Company, Haverton Hill-on-Tees
Yard number339
Launched18 November 1941
Commissioned9 January 1942
Decommissioned21 July 1958
FateScrapped 1959
General characteristics
Class and type Dale-class fleet tanker
Tonnage8,028  GRT
Displacement16,820 tons full load
Length479 ft (146.00 m)
Beam61 ft 2 in (18.64 m)
Draught27 ft 1 in (8.26 m)
Propulsion3 cyl Triple expansion steam. 674 nhp. One shaft.
Speed11.5 knots (21.3 km/h)
Complement44

RFA Eaglesdale (A104) was a Dale-class fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). She was launched in 1941 as Empire Metal and transferred to the RFA on completion in 1941.

Contents

History

The 8,032 GRTEmpire Metal was built by Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Haverton Hill-on-Tees as yard number 339. She was launched on 18 November 1941 and on completion in January 1942 she was transferred to the RFA and renamed Eaglesdale. [1]

War service

Eaglesdale was a member of a number of convoys during the Second World War.

EN 57

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy EN 57 which departed Methil, Fife on 16 February 1942 and arrived at Oban, Argyllshire on 19 February. Eaglesdale joined the convoy from the Clyde, she was in ballast. [2]

OS 23

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy OS 23 which departed Liverpool on 24 March 1942 and arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone on 11 April. She was in ballast and her final destination was Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. [2]

TAG 19

Convoy TAG 19 departed Curaçao on 6 November 1942, arriving at Guantanamo on 11 November 1942. [3]

BP 83

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy BP 83 which departed Bombay on 11 June 1943 and arrived at Bandar Abbas, Iran on 16 June. [2]

PA 43

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy PA 43 which departed Bandar Abbas on 26 June 1943 and arrived at Aden on 3 July. [2]

CX 17

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy CX 17 which departed Colombo, Ceylon on 3 February 1944 and arrived at Addu Atoll, Maldives on 6 February [2]

JC 46

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy JC 46 which departed Colombo on 26 April 1944 and arrived at Calcutta on 3 May. Eaglesdale detached from the convoy en route and sailed to Trincomalee, Ceylon where she arrived on 28 April. [2]

RK 34A

Eaglesdale was a member of Convoy RK 34A which departed Chittagong, India on 13 January 1945 and arrived at Akyab, Burma on 14 January. [2]

Eaglesdale was used for trials of refuelling equipment after the capture of a German supply ship. This included the fitting of rubber hoses and deck roller. [1]

Postwar service

She was decommissioned on 21 July 1958 and was laid up on the River Tyne. [4] Eaglesdale arrived on 29 November 1959 at Hamburg, West Germany for scrapping. [1]

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Empire Dawn was a 7,241 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1940 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Entering service in April 1941, she served until 11 September 1942 when she was sunk by the German raider Michel.

MV Empire Day was a 7,241 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1941 as a CAM ship by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1943, she was converted to a standard cargo ship. She served until August 1944 when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-198.

Iserlohn was a 4,667 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1909 by Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik, Hamburg, Germany. She was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1919, passing to the Admiralty. In 1921, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Union City. She was sold to Finland in 1924 and renamed Wasaborg. In 1935, she was sold to Italy and renamed Erica. In 1940, she was seized by the United Kingdom and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). Renamed Empire Defiance, she served until June 1944, when she was sunk as a blockship at Sword, Ouistreham, France in support of Operation Overlord. She was salvaged in 1951 and scrapped at Antwerp, Belgium.

Kollbjørg was a 8,236 GRT tanker that was built in 1941 as Empire Diamond by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was transferred to the Norwegian Government in 1942 and renamed Norsol. In 1946 she was sold into merchant service and renamed Kollbjørg. A sale to Sweden in 1956 saw her renamed Storo, she served until 1959 when she was scrapped.

Norholm was a 9,813 GRT tanker that was built in 1942 as Empire Druid by Sir J Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). In 1942, she was transferred to the Norwegian Government and renamed Norholm. She was sold into merchant service in 1946, and renamed Haukefjell. Fitted with a new engine in 1949, she was sold to Panama in 1952 and renamed Bluewater. She served until 1959, when she was scrapped in Japan.

Guiding Star was a 7,248 GRT troopship that was built in 1939 as the Type C2 cargo ship Nightingale by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, Newport News, Virginia, United States for Grace Lines Inc, New York. In 1941, she was transferred to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Egret. In 1942, she was transferred to the United States Maritime Commission (USMC) and renamed Nightingale. She was returned to Grace Lines later that year and renamed Santa Isabel. In 1943, she was converted to a troopship. She was transferred to the USMC in 1946 and renamed Guiding Star, serving until she was scrapped in 1973.

John Lyras was a 7,513 GRT heavy lift ship that was built in 1942 as Empire Elaine by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow in Furness, Lancashire, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She spent most of the Second World War serving in the Indian Ocean, although she did visit the Mediterranean to take part in Operation Husky and Operation Dragoon.

Verna Paulin was a 7,046 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1942 as Empire Envoy by Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland, Co Durham, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold into merchant service in 1946 and renamed Cheltenham. A further sale in 1952 saw her renamed La Orilla. A sale to a Swedish company in 1955 saw her renamed Stallberg. In 1958, she was sold to a Finnish company and renamed Verna Paulin. She served until 1969, when she was scrapped.

MV <i>Kronprinsen</i>

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Prins Harald was a 7,244 GRT cargo ship that was built as Empire Field in 1941 by William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was transferred to the Norwegian Government in October 1942 and renamed Prins Harald. She was torpedoed and sunk on 20 November 1942 by U-263 with the loss of three of her crew.

Chama was a 8,194 GRT tanker that was built in 1942 as Empire Fletcher by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, County Down, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was transferred to the Dutch Government in 1944 and renamed Backhuysen. She was sold to NV Petroleum Maatschappij in 1947 and renamed Chama. She was sold to Derna Compagnia de Navegacion SA, Liberia in 1955 and renamed Anastasia, serving until scrapped in 1959.

Athelstane was a 8,129 GRT tanker that was built in 1941 as Empire Flint by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend, Northumberland, United Kingdom for the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT). She was sold to Athel Line Ltd in 1945 and renamed Athelstane. She was sold to Skibs A/S Vaholm in 1952 and renamed Oakley. Sold to H A Moller A/S in 1959, she served until 1962 when she was scrapped.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Mitchell, W H, and Sawyer, L A (1995). The Empire Ships. London, New York, Hamburg, Hong Kong: Lloyd's of London Press Ltd. p. 144. ISBN   1-85044-275-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "RFA Eaglesdale Convoys". Royal Fleet Auxiliary Historical Archive. Retrieved 23 March 2009.
  3. ↑ "Convoy TAG.19". Arnold Hague Convoy Database. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "RFA Eaglesdale". historicalrfa.org. Retrieved 22 December 2020.


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