Previous name: Empire Herald
Official Number: 181127
Class: WAVE CLASS Replenishment Oiler (modified)
Pennant No: X134 / A207
Laid down:
Builder: Sir J Laing & Sons Ltd., Sunderland
Launched: 27 July 1945
Into Service: March 1946
Out of service: 1966
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, twenty one of this type were built and were offered to the Admiralty, who wanted faster tankers for the Pacific Fleet Train. The Admiralty took twenty 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 eight 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.
27 July 1945 launched by Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Deptford Yard, Sunderland as Yard Nr: 761 named EMPIRE HERALD for the MoWT. Cost £239,234.00 (source contract letter in Tyne & Wear Archives)
1 December 1945 arrived the River Tyne from Sunderland being towed by tug Wearmouth
8 March 1946 completed and placed under initial management of United Molasses Co, London (Athel Line) sailing from the Wear to the River Tyne arriving the next day
12 March 1946 - mentioned in the Sunderland Daily Echo newspaper
24 December 1946 sailed Abadan
4 January 1947 sailed Port Said for LEFO
10 January 1947 acquired by the Admiralty but remained under commercial management
21 January 1947 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing east bound
29 January 1947 Captain James Jolly, RFA appointed as Master
1 February 1947 Mr J H Dawe RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
12 February 1947 commercial management terminated and renamed WAVE PRINCE
28 February 1947 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound
5 March 1947 arrived at Port Said from Falmouth
10 March 1947 while on passage from Falmouth to Abadan called at Aden this day
15 March 1947 arrived at Abadan
6 April 1947 at Gibraltar Deck Serang Rajakhan Cader discharged dead having suffered a stroke
18 May 1947 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
3 June 1947 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
22 November 1947 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on the Lizard sailing west bound
19 December 1947 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
24 December 1947 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
14 May 1948 sailed Busreh and Abadan
26 May 1948 sailed Port Said for LEFO
February 1949 in Rosyth Dockyard in refit
25 April 1949 sailed Abadan for Port Said
5 May 1949 arrived at Suez
14 May 1949 passed Malta
17 May 1949 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound
4 June 1949 sailed Suez
13 June 1949 arrived at Abadan
15 June 1949 sailed Abadan
29 June 1949 arrived at Port Said
13 July 1949 arrived at Port Said
14 July 1949 sailed Suez
23 July 1949 arrived at Abadan
25 July 1949 sailed Abadan for Port Said
17 August 1949 sailed from Suez
26 August 1949 arrived at Abadan
25 September 1949 arrived at Abadan
4 October 1949 arrived at Aden
2 November 1949 arrived at Abadan
12 November 1949 arrived at Trincomalee, Ceylon
2 December 1949 arrived at Abadan
3 December 1949 sailed from Abadan
8 December 1949 arrived at Abadan
19 December 1949 sailed Singapore for Abadan
30 December 1949 arrived at Abadan
24 January 1950 sailed Hong Kong for Abadan
10 February 1950 sailed Abadan for Port Said
6 March 1950 sailed from Malta for Abadan
19 March 1950 arrived at Abadan
21 March 1950 sailed Abadan
20 April 1950 arrived River Tyne and berthed at Wallsend Slipway
13 June 1950 sailed the River Tyne for Abadan
25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953 involved in supporting the UN shipping in the Korean War - received the Battle Honour 'Korea '
4 July 1950 arrived Abadan
9 March 1951 Mr Philip E Bassadona RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
10 April 1951 Captain Henry F Colbourne RFA appointed as Master
15 October 1951 sailed San Francisco for Vancouver, Canada
20 October 1951 Mr Frederick B Hobson RFA (Warrant Engineer Officer RNR) appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
14 November 1951 at Barry, South Wales
31 July 1952 at Ellesmere Port
1 October 1952 Mr C D Reid RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
3 October 1952 supported Operation Hurricane 1 - the first British test atomic bomb explosion at the Monte Bello Islands off NW Australia - along with 6 other RFA’s
18 November 1952 sailed from Port Said
29 November 1952 sailed from Suez
20 January 1953 at Taechong Do with HMAS ANZAC alongside being refuelled
22 January 1953 at Taechong Do with HMCS HAIDA alongside being refuelled
HMCS HAIDA
24 January 1953 at Taechong Do with HMAS CONDAMINE alongside being refuelled
19 February 1953 off Korea in the Haeju area RAS'ed with HMAS ANZAC
24 February 1953 RASed with Netherlands warship Johan Mauritz Van Nassau while under the protection of HMS CARDIGAN BAY
15 March 1953 arrived Haeju area, Korea escorted by HMS WHITESANDS BAY
23 March 1953 off Korea RAS'ed HMAS ANZAC
25 March 1953 off Korea RAS'ed HMS NEWCASTLE, HMS CHARITY and HMAS ANZAC
HMS NEWCASTLE
15 April 1953 at Yongpyong Do, Korea with HMAS ANZAC alongside being refuelled
20 April 1953 at Yongpyong Do, Korea with HMAS ANZAC alongside being refuelled
22 April 1953 at Yongpyong Do, Korea with HMAS ANZAC alongside being refuelled
16 May 1953 at Taechong Do, Korea with HMAS CULCOA alongside being refuelled
HMAS CULCOA
18 May 1953 while lying to the west of Yong Pong Do, Korea with HMAS CULCOA alongside being refuelled
26 May 1953 between Taechong Do and Sockong Do, Korea with HMAS CULCOA alongside being refuelled
29 August 1953 sailed Singapore for Mena Al Ahmadi
21 September 1953 arrived Suez
22 September 1953 sailed Port Said
21 October 1953 Mr J H Young RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
26 October 1953 Captain William R Parker RFA appointed as Master
20 November 1953 passed Gibraltar sailing east bound
28 November 1953 sailed Suez
7 December 1953 arrived at Bahrein
17 December 1953 arrived at Suez
21 December 1953 arrived at Malta
27 December 1953 passed Gibraltar sailing west bound
6 January 1954 sailed Trinidad for Malta
21 January 1954 arrived at Malta
24 January 1954 sailed Malta for Gibraltar
12 February 1954 sailed Trinidad for Malta
18 June 1954 at Trincomalee, Ceylon
2 March 1954 arrived at Port Said
15 March 1954 sailed Bahrein for Malta
6 December 1954 Mr J W Ritchie RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
14 December 1954 at Falmouth
31 December 1954 Captain William F Curlett RFA appointed as Master
7 February 1955 at Falmouth
28 March 1955 arrived at Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
3 April 1955 sailed Port Stanley, Falkland Islands for Trinidad
18 April 1955 sailed Trinidad for a UK port
22 May 1955 at Portsmouth
26 September 1955 passed Dover sailing north
27 September 1955 passed the Lloyds Signal Station on Flamorough Head sailing north from Portsmouth. Arrived the River Tyne later the same day
19 October 1955 Mr William J Brown OBE DSC RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
22 November 1955 in refit at Palmers, Hebburn on Tyne together with RFA's WAVE KING and WAVE SOVEREIGN
1 March 1956 whilst alongside on the River Tyne, she was struck by the Shell tanker VOLVULA which had broken loose from Wallsend in a gale and had careered five miles down the river, colliding with seven ships enroute
Shell tanker VOLVULA
5 March, 1956 Captain E Payne RFA appointed as Master
26 March 1956 in refit at Palmers, Hebburn on Tyne
25 April 1956 Mr I M MacFarlane RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
2 October 1956 arrived at Singapore Roads
7 October 1956 during Exercise Albatross RAS'ed HMAS SYDNEY, HMS NEWCASTLE, HMAS QUADRANT and HMS COMUS
RFA Wave Prince RASing with HMAS SYDNEY and HMS NEWCASTLE
3 November 1956 berthed at Singapore
supported Operation Grapple - the British H-bomb test at Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean - along with 16 other RFA’s
14 October 1957 sailed the Tyne for Curacao
7 December 1957 Captain R K McKenzie RFA appointed as Master
13 January 1958 Mr G S Burnett RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
16 January 1958 deployed for duties in support of Operation Grapple on Christmas Island transferring her 53 tons 13.5cwt of cargo to RFA WAVE MASTER
12 April 1958 Captain Sydney S F Dalgleish OBE RFA appointed as Master
22 April 1958 berthed at Wallsend Slipway, River Tyne
25 July 1958 sailed from Malta
27 July 1958 anchored at Akrotiri Bay with RFA's RETAINER and FORT DUQUESNE and various Royal Naval units including HMS BERMUDA
7 August 1958 refuelled HMS BERMUDA alongside at Akrotiri Bay supplying 580 tons of FFO
17 August 1958 arrived at Malta
15 September 1958 sailed from Port Said
19 September 1958 sailed from Aden
29 September 1958 arrived at Abadan
30 September 1958 sailed Abadan for Aden
11 October 1958 arrived Port Said
20 October 1958 sailed Gibraltar for the UK
1 November 1958 arrived at Malta
14 November 1958 entered Admiralty Floating Dock No. 35 at Malta for hull examination after the vessel had grounded in Msida Creek
16 January 1959 arrived Malta
11 February 1959 at the Royal Naval Hospital, Bighi, Malta - Signalman Alan Morris discharged dead from natural causes. He is buried in Kalkara Royal Naval Cemetery, Malta
Image courtesy British War Graves with thanks
2 May 1959 berthed at Grand Harbour, Malta
May 1959 together with RFA FORT DUQUESNE and HMS DEFENDER and other RN units together with Italian Navy Units involved in exercise off Augusta
10 August 1959 Captain A H MacKenzie RFA appointed as Master
10 December 1959 along with RFA's TIDESURGE (1), RELIANT (2), RETAINER and HMS's CENTAUR, SOLEBAY, LAGOS, FINNISTERRE, LLANDAFF and ALERT engaged in Queensland Centenary Celebrations
19 March 1960 berthed at Malta after arriving from the Persian Gulf
22 May 1960 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 1st Cod War until 12 June 1960
5 July 1960 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 1st Cod War until 24 July 1960
29 July 1960 Mr Wallace G Downing RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
15 August 1960 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 1st Cod War until 7 September 1960
19 November 1960 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 1st Cod War until 27 November 1960
16 December 1960 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 1st Cod War until 9 January 1961
11 January 1961 Captain Robert H Venning RFA appointed as Master
6 February 1961 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 1st Cod War until 1 March 1961
1 March 1961 on the River Tyne the m.v. Volvula broke adrift in a storm. She was carried 4 miles down the river hitting and damaging RFA WAVE PRINCE and RFA C653
MV Volvula
25 May 1961 Captain George Robson RFA appointed as Master
26 May 1961 at Lisanally
6 July 1961 at the Strangers Hospital, Rio de Janeiro Chief Engineer Officer John Wilson discharged dead - heart failure
7 July 1961 Mr J A Ferguson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
5 August 1961 berthed at Gosport Oil Jetty
December 1961 to February 1962 in the Special Squadron during its South Atlantic Cruise supporting the cruiser HMS LION
February 1962 supported Royal Naval Ships off British Guiana during unrest in that colony
1962 accompanied the Squadron visiting Stockholm for the British trade Fair in Helsinki and en route towed the broken-down Grimsby-registered coaster CABOURNE from the Pentland Firth to Wick
30 May 1962 RASed with HMS BERMUDA
24 October 1962 Captain E Payne RFA appointed as Master
27 October 1962 Mr J A MacPherson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
8 December 1962 sailed Portsmouth as escort Supply Ship to HMY BRITANNIA bound for Suva to commence the Royal Tour of Fiji, New Zealand and Australia during which she steamed 26,000 miles
14 December 1962 RASed with HMY BRITANNIA off Ponta Delgada, Azores
22 December 1962 20 members of the crew to HMY BRITANNIA for a Carol Service
23 December 1962 berthed at Kingston, Jamaica with HMY BRITANNIA - sailed for the Panama Canal on 28 December 1962
30 December 1962 at Rodman US Naval Base, Panama City after transit of Panama Canal
6 February 1962 visited Auckland, New Zealand
5 March 1963 RASed HMY Britannia while on passage from Sydney, NSW to Brisbane
9 March 1963 refuelled HMAS ANZAC while on passage from Brisbane to Hayman Island
14 March 1963 RASed with HMAS ANZAC
16 March 1963 arrived at Dawin with HMY BRITANNIA and HMAS ANZAC
18 March 1963 sailed Darwin with HMY BRITANNIA and HMAS ANZAC
19 March 1963 RASed with HMY BRITANNIA and HMAS ANZAC 129 miles south west of Bathhurst Island while on passage from Darwin to Fremantle, Western Australia
21 March 1963 RASed with units of the Royal Yacht Squadron
23 May 1963 Seaman S Smith fell over the side in Hong Kong Harbour. Assistant Cook Arthur Boyle jumped over the side and rescued Seaman Smith. Boyle was later awarded a Testimonial on Parchment by the Royal Humane Society
7 October 1963 Captain S E Clench RFA appointed as Master
9 November 1963 at Newcastle on Tyne and Mr Ronald C Putt MID RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
Chief Engineer Officer Ronald C Putt MID RFA
12 April 1964 at Plymouth
17 April 1964 Captain A S McWilliam RFA appointed as Master
Captain A S McWilliam RFA
4 August 1964 at Plymouth and Mr T J W Humphrey RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
10 December 1964 at Smith's Dock, North Shields for refit until 11 January 1965
27 July 1965 Mr J B Jackson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
8 August 1965 to 11 August 1965 took part in the Clyde Royal Review along with RFA’s BLACK RANGER, OLYNTHUS (2), RESURGENT and ROWANOL and was then laid up at Devonport
15 October 1965 Captain R J Lockwood RFA appointed as Master
20 December 1965 at Plymouth
10 January 1966 Mr Ronald C Putt MID RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
February 1966 brought out of reserve to assist in a major fuel lift from Trinidad and completed two voyages.
4 February 1966 sailed Devonport for Trinidad arriving 17 February 1966
19 February 1966 sailed Trinidad to Devonport arriving 3 March 1966
5 March 1966 sailed Devonport to Pembroke Dock arriving the next day
8 March 1966 sailed Milford Haven for Trinidad arriving 19 March 1966
24 March 1966 sailed Trinidad to Old Kilpatrick OFJ arriving 3 April 1966
5 April 1966 sailed Old Kilpatrick OFJ for Devonport arriving 6 April 1966 to be laid up again
2 June 1971 placed on the Disposal list
12 June 1971 offered for sale 'as lying' at Devonport in The Times of this day
5 December 1971 sailed Devonport in tow for the breakers
16 December 1971 arrived at Burriana, Spain for breaking up