Ready for anything : the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, 1905-1950

351 Pages·2010·11.07 MB·English

by  Puddefoot

READY FOR ANYTHING
READY FOR ANYTHING
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary 1905–1950
Geoff Puddefoot
Copyright © Geoff Puddefoot 2010
First published in Great Britain in 2010 by
Seaforth Publishing
An imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street, Barnsley
South Yorkshire S70 2AS
www.seaforthpublishing.com
Email [email protected] British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP data record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 1 84832 074 1
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in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission
in writing of both the copyright owner and the above publisher.
The right of Geoff Puddefoot to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted
by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Typeset and designed by M.A.T.S. Typesetters, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
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Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 Supplying the Fleet … Before the RFA
2 The Beginning: 1905–14
3 The First World War
4 Cargo Tramps, Freighting Tankers and Franco’s Spain (1918–39)
5 The Second World War: The Atlantic and North Sea
6 The Atlantic: Turning the Tide
7 The Second World War: The Mediterranean
8 The Pacific and Indian Oceans
9 The British Pacific Fleet Train
10 Final Days: Europe, the Pacific and Armistice
11 Post-war Changes
Ship Data Tables
Appendix 1 Chronology of World Events and RFA Involvement 1900–50
Appendix 2 RFA Colour Schemes
Appendix 3 Service, Honours and Awards
Appendix 4 Battle Honours Awarded to RFA Ships 1905–50
Appendix 5 Refuelling at Sea 1905–50
References
Index
List of illustrations
(between pages 114 and 115)
PLATE I
The collier Mercedes; she was involved in the Admiralty’s unsuccessful coaling
at sea trials. (National Maritime Museum N4349)
Mercedes coaling the River class destroyer HMS Kennet. (National Maritime
Museum N20874)
PLATE II
Petroleum, the first Admiralty tanker to test a RAS(L) rig. (National Maritime
Museum N21418)
First World War RFA officer (Mr A Ballantyne) in working uniform (by
courtesy of Mrs Avril Hood)
Ballantyne in full dress uniform; note the sub-lieutenant RNR rank badge on
the sleeve of his jacket (by courtesy of Mrs Avril Hood)
PLATE III
Thermol, 1911, one of the 2000-ton Burma class. (National Maritime Museum
G5401)
Appleleaf, one of the Trinol or Fast Leaf class, shown in 1933. (National
Maritime Museum N4298)
PLATE IV
Prestol, 1917, of the second 2000-ton class. (National Maritime Museum
N4295)
Delphinula, acquired by the Admiralty in 1918; seen here in 1933. (National
Maritime Museum N10699)
PLATE V
Palmol, an early 1000-ton harbour tanker painted in dazzle camouflage, 1918.
(National Maritime Museum N4339)
Petronel, a 500-ton spirit carrier, alongside HMS Repulse, 1918. (National
Maritime Museum N4346)
PLATE VI
War Diwan in 1936. Built at the end of the First World War, this class was an
important element of the inter-war RFA. (National Maritime Museum N4758)
War Bahadur, showing damage to bridge sustained during storm at sea in
January 1938. (National Maritime Museum N10686)
PLATE VII
Oleander, 1922, an inter-war freighting tanker. (National Maritime Museum
N4287)
Broomdale, one of the Dale class of freighting tankers which came into
service just before the Second World War. (National Maritime Museum P14197)
PLATE VIII
Bacchus, 1936, an early store ship. (National Maritime Museum P8988)
Robert Dundas, 1938, one of two coastal store carriers in this class. (National
Maritime Museum N4752)
PLATE IX
Inter-war trials: the heavy cruiser HMS Suffolk refuelling the destroyer HMS Verity
by stirrup method. Stirrups on rollers carry the hose suspended below the
towline.
(National Maritime Museum L3435)
Stirrup rail and platform. This design was never used at sea because the hose
was continually snagged by the rail supports. (National Archives)
PLATE X
Wartime fuelling astern using buoyant hose to supply a destroyer. (National
Archives)
A destroyer refuelling astern. Here the warship has taken position, with the
hose in a ‘bight’, to ease the strain on the refuelling rig. (National Archives)
PLATE XI
Early wooden roller used aboard some convoy escort oilers. (National Archives)
Hose connector aboard an oiler. (National Archives)
A later arrangement for oiling at sea aboard convoy escort oilers, with the
buoyant rubber hose laid on metal rollers. (National Archives)
PLATE XII
An early experimental method of depth charge transfer. Charges were attached
to an oil drum by 30 feet of rope and then tipped over the side. The receiving
warship then grappled the drum and pulled the charges aboard. Later methods
were less hazardous.
(National Archives)
Brown Ranger. This vessel spent part of the Second World War refuelling
Malta-bound convoys (by courtesy of George Mortimore)
PLATE XIII
Fort Dunvegan, one of a class of store ships based on war-standard hulls that
served the RFA for many years after 1945 (by courtesy of George Mortimore)
Oakol, one of the second 1000-ton class of harbour tankers. Crews of these
vessels were usually employed on harbour or yard craft agreements (by courtesy
of George Mortimore)
Spalake, 1946, one of the Spa class of water tankers. (National Maritime
Museum N16306)
PLATE XIV BULAWAYO TRIALS (i)
Three-trough refuelling rig suspended from heavy duty derrick. (National
Archives)
Early design of trough. (National Archives)
Prototype quick-release hose fitting trialed aboard HMS Bulawayo. (National
Archives)
PLATE XV BULAWAYO TRIALS (ii)
Replenishment operations are sometimes made difficult by the heavy seas
generated by ships in close proximity to one-another, one of the important
lessons of these trials. (National Archives)
Jackstay transfer, possibly lubricating oil. (National Archives)
PLATE XVI
Wave Sovereign, before the fitting of abeam replenishment equipment. (National
Maritime Museum P68570)
Wave Premier, simultaneously refuelling the destroyer hmas Bataan and the
aircraft carrier HMS Glory. (National Maritime Museum P68566)
Preface and Acknowledgements
In any book on as extensive a subject as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the author’s
problem is not so much what to include as what to leave out from the vast
amount of material the subject encompasses.
I have therefore, once again, included predominantly material, information
and personal accounts that reflect the character and development of the Service,
rather than introducing strictly technical matters, which have been dealt with
exhaustively elsewhere.
As in the previous book, this probably means that some areas are less well and
fully documented than would otherwise have been the case. It is, however, my
hope that the extensive reference section will serve as an adequate guide to those
whose researches require more depth of knowledge than they find available here.
The author would like to acknowledge the help and advice of Captain Shane
Redmond OBE RFA (Retd), Gordon Wilson, Martyn Hobbs, George Mortimore,
and all of the serving and former members of the RFA, too numerous to name
individually who took the time to supply photographs, information and
anecdotes, without which this book would not have been possible.
I would also like to acknowledge the help of both Bexley and Dartford
Library Services staff and the staff at the National Archive and the National
Maritime Museum.
Introduction
Since its creation in 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary has been involved wherever
ships of the Royal Navy have seen action.
Supplying the fuel, ammunition and basic necessities of life which keep the
ships afloat and operating, the RFA’s contribution has gone largely unnoticed,
despite the fact that RFA men (and women) have frequently given their lives to
ensure the smooth operation of the Navy’s ships.
Franco’s Spain, the Second World War, Korea, Suez, Aden, Oman, Northern
Ireland, Rhodesia, Bluff Cove, Kuwait, Iraq: the areas of our naval deployment
have spanned the world, and in the present world climate there is no reason to
think that our reach will contract. The naval history of this era has been written
in blood, some of it belonging to the men and women of the RFA.
But who were the men who operated the ships that fuelled the Russian
convoys and manhandled ammunition under a burning Pacific sun, during that
second war which was to end all wars?
Just the same sort as carried out a pump-over, forty years later, while
simultaneously refueling HMS Plymouth, as a force 10 gale and thirty-foot
waves in the Southern Ocean tried to tear the guts out of their battered, rusty
ships, and an Argentinian submarine played them a deadly game of hide-and-
seek. And for those who don’t remember, the ships were RFAs Tidespring and
Brambleleaf and the place was 200 miles north of a tiny speck on the chart
called South Georgia.
Chronicles of the Royal Navy are myriad, but the RFA’s story still remains
largely untold. Finding out about the ships isn’t hard, but the story of the men
who worked them still remains something of a mystery.
And it’s that story that this book and its companion volume, The Fourth
Force, sets out to tell.