RFA War Nahab
Vessel name on Arrival: RFA War Nahab
Original Builder: Palmers of Jarrow
Original Yard No: 886
Official Number: 143383
Vessel Type: tanker
GRT: 5577
Year Built: 1919
Arrival Date: 25/07/1958
Breakup Started: 12/01/1959
Date First Beached: 27/03/1959
Date Breakup Completed: 02/09/1959
Draught For’d: 13' 6"
Draught Aft: 18' 6"
Name Changes:
1919 : WAR NAWAB for the British Government
1921 : WAR NAWAB for the Admiralty
Other Information:
Oil Tanker for the British Government / Admiralty
Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel (RFA) Pennant Nos. Y7.330 / X 82
13-06-1919 : Launched
August 1919 : Completed
Dimensions : 121.9 metres x 15.9 metres
Propulsion : Triple Expansion Steam Reciprocating Engine : 11 knots
The Career of S.S. War Nawab
To combat the alarming losses of British merchant ships during WW1, the New Ministries and Secretaries Act was passed in December 1916, which provided for the appointment of a Shipping Controller with very wide powers “to take such steps as he thinks best for providing and maintaining an efficient supply of shipping”.
On 20 December 1916, the first meeting of the Merchant Shipbuilding Advisory Committee took place where it was decided that an extensive shipbuilding programme should be started, the ships to be of a simple design and as far as possible to be of a standard type as regards hulls and engines. These new vessels for the Government were given a standard nomenclature, the prefix to their names being WAR.
821 vessels were ordered from U.K. yards and abroad and 416 were completed to Government order, 279 were sold and transferred to private owners before completion and the remainder were cancelled. Of the 416 completed to Government order, 15 were transferred to Admiralty service as oilers.
They were all modified versions of the A and B Class standard dry cargo ships, known as the Z Class. All had 2 large dry cargo holds, 6 of them had 5 cargo tanks and the remaining 9 had 7 cargo tanks, specially designed for the carriage of heavy fuel oil. Most of them were initially under commercial management.
07-09-1919 : arrived at Port Said having sailed from the Tyne
09-06-1920 : arrived at Suez from Abadan
21-10-1920 : anchored at Spithead having sailed from Abadan
23-10-1920 : berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
26-10-1920 : sailed Portmouth Harbour
14-12-1920 : arrived at Glasgow from Tampico
18-03-1921 : berthed at Portsmouth Harbour from Trinidad
21-03-1921 : sailed Portsmouth Harbour
04-03-1922 : Captain and crew French steamer picked up and landed at Falmouth by RFA War Nawab
05-03-1922 : sailed Falmouth for Tampico
18-03-1921 : berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
02-04-1921 : berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
22-08-1922 : berthed at the Clyde from Portland
31-08-1922 : sailed the Clyde for Port Arthur
29-03-1923 : alongside the oil wharf at Kepple Harbour, Singapore
8 to 10-05-1923 : alongside the oil wharf at Kepple Harbour, Singapore
10-06-1923 : at SIngapore alongside HMS DIomede to refuel her
16-06-1923 : arrived at Singapore from Abadan discharged and sailed for Abadan on 19-06-1923
26-08-1923 : arrived at Singapore from Balik Papan
07-09-1923 : berthed at main wharf, Kepple Harbour, Singapore
07-02-1924 : alongside the Oil Wharf at Kepple Harbour, SIngapore
22-03-1924 : arrived at Singapore from Tarakan to discharge
25-03-1924 : sailed Singapore for Miri
02-04-1924 : berthed at Singapore from Miri
15-07-1924 : berthed at Falmouth for repairs having sailed from Portland
24-08-1924 : sailed Port Arthur for Devonport
23-09-1924 : while on passage from Rosyth to Port Arthur was reported 260 miles north of Malin Head
10-06-1925 : Colonial Hospital, Trinidad – Fireman John Byrne discharged dead having suffered a stroke
28-10-1930 : berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
31 October 1930 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
27 October 1931 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
12 January 1932 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
20 July 1932 berthed at Singapore from Seletar sailing later the same day for Abadan
26 September 1932 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
1 November 1932 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
27 November 1936 the Admiralty announced that awards for salvage of the lighter Hong Kong were due to the crew of RFA War Nawab. They amounted to various sums ranging from £1 17s 10d to 5s 8d.
April 1937 damaged ss KORRALES whilst moving at Swansea
11 May 1937 damaged whist fuelling the battleship HMS ROYAL OAK at La Pallice, France
12 September 1937 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
14 September 1937 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
24 September 1937 Captain E Parker RFA appointed as Master
16 May 1938 arrived at Malta from Port Said
27 July 1938 grounded at Trinidad
28 August 1938 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
May 1939 withdrawn from seagoing service at Portsmouth and fitted with racks to carry 50 gallon barrels for petrol stowage. Placed in semi-commission with 2 Officers and 8 Ratings on Yard Craft Agreements
31 August 1939 Mr Clifford N Ansell RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
16 September 1939 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
6 February 1940 Mr L T Tomlinson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
26 February 1940 Captain R D Williams RD RFA (Commander RNR (Retd) appointed as Master
12 August 1940 while at Portsmouth she overnight assisted in destroying 1 enemy aircraft and seriously damaged another one
September 1940 RFA War Nawab was to be used as a Fire Ship in Operation Lucid – See RFA Fire Ships in archived stories
10 September 1940 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
21 September 1940 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour returning to her berth later in the same day
24 September 1940 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
7 October 1940 Mr Wilfred C Shortland RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
4 November 1940 Captain R D Williams RD RFA (Commander RNR (Retd) appointed as Master
11 November 1940 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
10 February 1941 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
24 May 1941 was damaged by near misses during an air raid at Portsmouth
27 May 1941 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
31 May 1941 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
26 June 1941 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
25 August 1941 Mr Percy E C Ogden RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
7 September 1942 Mr G A Calvert RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
9 July 1943 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
19 January 1944 Captain Robert Grimer DSC RFA appointed as Master
20 January 1944 Mr Charles A Smith DSC RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer
Chief Engineer Officer Charles A Smith DSC RFA
28 February 1945 in collision with the Norwegian IDEFJORD
25 September 1945 berthed at Portsmouth Harbour
8 April 1946 sailed from Portsmouth Harbour
8 August 1946 taken in hand at Southampton for bottom cleaning and necessary repairs to enable a MoWT certificate to be issued for her voyage to Devonport
29 November 1946 after failure of Operation Lucid RFA War Nawab was used as a Fuel Hulk at Devonport on Yard Craft agreement
December 1946 sold to Bulk Storage Ltd, London
26 February 1952 at Devonport with RFA Careful alongside to be refuelled – 182 tons of FFO supplied
27 March 1952 at Devonport with RFA Careful alongside to be refuelled – 178 tons of FFO supplied
16 June 1952 at Devonport with RFA Careful alongside to be refuelled
11 July 1952 at Devonport with RFA Careful alongside to be refuelled
16 December 1952 at Devonport with RFA Careful alongside to be refuelled
26 July 1958 arrived at Troon for breaking up by West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co Ltd