View source for RFA Aldersdale

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{{Short description|1937 Dale-class replenishment oiler for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:RFA Aldersdale.jpg|150px]]
|Ship caption=Launching of ''Aldersdale''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag=[[File:British-Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary-Ensign.svg|60px|RFA Ensign]]
|Ship name=RFA ''Aldersdale''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=1936
|Ship builder=[[Cammell Laird|Cammell Laird and Co.]], [[Birkenhead]]
|Ship laid down=September 1936
|Ship launched=7 July 1937
|Ship acquired=
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned=17 September 1937
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=*Damaged in air attack on 5 July 1942
*Abandoned hulk sunk on 7 July 1942
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Dale class oiler|Dale-class]] [[oil tanker|fleet tanker]]
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement={{convert|17231|LT|t}} full load
|Ship length={{Convert|482|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{Convert|61|ft|10|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{Convert|27|ft|6.5|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=1 x 4 cyl Doxford diesel engine with a single shaft. 687 nhp
|Ship speed={{Convert|11.5|kn|km/h}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=44
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''RFA ''Aldersdale'' (X34)''' was a [[Dale class oiler|Dale-class]] [[oil tanker|fleet tanker]] of the [[Royal Fleet Auxiliary]].

She was originally one of six ships ordered by the British Tanker Co., which were purchased on the stocks by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] prior to the [[Second World War]]. ''Aldersdale'' was part of [[convoy PQ 17]] in 1942, and was damaged by bombs from three Junkers aircraft on 5 July 1942 after Convoy PQ 17 had been ordered to scatter. ''Aldersdale'' was abandoned and the drifting wreck was [[torpedo]]ed and sunk by the {{GS|U-457}} on 7 July 1942.

==Career==
Ordered by the [[British Tanker Company]] in 1936, ''Aldersdale'' was built by [[Cammell Laird|Cammell Laird and Co.]], [[Birkenhead]] and launched on 7 July 1937. She was taken over by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] on 17 September 1937 after completing her [[sea trial]]s, and on 18 September 1937 sailed from [[Greenock]] bound for [[Abadan]] on the [[Persian Gulf]] on her maiden voyage.<ref name="histrfa">{{Cite web |url=http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-aldersdale|title=RFA Aldersdale|website=Historical RFA |publisher=Royal Fleet Auxiliary Historical Society|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>  Returning to the UK in late 1937, she began to be fitted with defensive armament in January 1938, a process completed in November 1938 after returning from a voyage to [[Trinidad]]. After several more voyages between Abadan and the UK, she was in the Middle East at the outbreak of the [[Second World War]].<ref name="histrfa"/> She passed through the Mediterranean in a convoy, and then sailed to Trinidad, and then to [[Freetown]] where she arrived in late October 1939. Returning to the UK, via [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]], in December 1939, ''Aldersdale'' underwent repairs at [[Cardiff]] in January 1940.<ref name="histrfa"/>

''Aldersdale'' sailed to [[Gibraltar]] in February 1940, and to Trinidad in March. On her return to British waters, she was sent to [[Scapa Flow]], and then to the [[Faroe Islands]] in April. She sustained damage from the cruiser {{HMS|Aurora|12|6}} on her arrival on 24 April 1940, and returned to the UK via [[Iceland]].<ref name="histrfa"/> She was taken in hand for repairs on the [[River Clyde]] on 25 July 1940, with work completed on 8 August 1940. She returned to Scapa Flow in September, going on to suffer a number of collision in the later part of the year; with the {{SS|Circe Shell}} on 4 October 1940, {{SS|Athelempress}} on 25 November 1940 and the [[Booth Line]]'s {{SS|Benedict}} on 22 December 1940.<ref name="histrfa"/> During this time, and into 1941 ''Aldersdale'' refuelled allied warships at Scapa Flow. On 19 April 1941 she and [[RFA Oligarch|RFA ''Oligarch'']] were allocated to Fleet Attendant Duties in Norwegian waters, with ''Aldersdale'' the initial support ship for [[Halcyon-class minesweeper|''Halcyon''-class minesweepers]] based in the [[Kola Inlet]] as escorts for [[Arctic convoys of World War II|homeward-bound Arctic convoys]].<ref name="histrfa"/> On 12 August 1941 ''Aldersdale'' was allocated to [[Operation Dervish (1941)|Operation Dervish]], the first aid convoy to Northern Russia, arriving at [[Arkhangelsk]] on 31 August 1941. On 1 September 1941 she touched an uncharted shoal in Sardau Bay, [[Spitzbergen]], before returning to the UK later that month.<ref name="histrfa"/>

''Aldersdale'' returned to [[Reykjavík]] in [[Convoy UR 2]], where on 25 December 1941 she suffered damage to her superstructure when she was fouled by the Norwegian tanker {{SS|Svenor}}, which had broken adrift during a squall.<ref name="histrfa"/> On 15 March 1942 she suffered further damage, this time to her bows by ice. On 31 March 1942 she joined [[Convoy PQ 14]] assembling at Reykjavík, departing for [[Murmansk]] on 8 April 1942. On 13 April 1942 the convoy ran into heavy ice and dense fog. ''Aldersdale'' was one of 11 ships damaged by ice and forced to return to [[Hvalfjordur]]. ''Aldersdale'' was under repair on the Clyde between 3 May and 4 June 1942. She then sailed to Iceland to join [[convoy PQ 17]] to Arkhangelsk. On 30 June she took over refuelling duties from [[RFA Gray Ranger|RFA ''Gray Ranger'']], which had returned to port for repairs after a [[Iceberg|growler]] had split her bow open.<ref name="histrfa"/>

==Loss==
On 4 July 1942 the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] was concerned that heavy German fleet units were putting to sea to attack the convoy. Convoy PQ 17 was ordered to scatter and the ships to make their way independently to Soviet ports. This left the merchants vulnerable to air and submarine attack. On 5 July ''Aldersdale'' was bombed by three [[Junkers]] aircraft from astern in position 77°00N 22°00E in the [[Barents Sea]]. The first two bombers scored near misses that shook the ship, after which they machine gunned the decks and superstructure. The third bomber scored a hit that seemed to lift ''Aldersdale'' out of the water. Her engines were wrecked and she began to rapidly take on water.<ref name="histrfa"/> The [[minesweeper]] {{HMS|Salamander|J86|6}} attempted to take her in tow, but had to cast her off. ''Aldersdale''{{'}}s crew abandoned ship, all 54 being taken off by ''Salamander''.<ref name="histrfa"/>

The drifting hulk was sighted by the [[U-boat]] [[German submarine U-457|''U-457'']] two days later on 7 July. Between 11.40 and 13.00 the submarine shelled the hulk with her deck gun, firing 38 high explosive shells and 37 incendiary shells from her [[8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun|88mm gun]] and 40 rounds from her [[2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling|2cm Flak gun]].<ref name="uboat"/> ''U-457'' then fired a torpedo into the abandoned ''Aldersdale''. The wreck broke in two, both halves sinking within 20 minutes.<ref name="histrfa"/><ref name="uboat">{{Cite web |url=https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/1907.html|title=Aldersdale|website=Uboat.net|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{coord|75|0|N|45|0|E|display=title}}
{{Dale class oilers}}
{{July 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aldersdale}}
[[Category:Dale-class oilers]]
[[Category:Tankers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by German submarines in World War II]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in July 1942]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Mersey]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

French submarine Argo (Q151) (edit)
German submarine U-136 (1941) (edit)
German submarine U-153 (1941) (edit)
German submarine U-166 (1941) (edit)
German submarine U-213 (edit)
German submarine U-215 (edit)
German submarine U-457 (edit)
German submarine U-502 (edit)
German submarine U-576 (edit)
German submarine U-588 (edit)
German submarine U-751 (edit)
German submarine U-754 (edit)
HMHS Gloucester Castle (edit)
HMS Aurora (12) (edit)
HMS Niger (J73) (edit)
HMS Salamander (J86) (view source)
HM Motor Gun Boat 501 (edit)
Italian submarine Pietro Calvi (edit)
Japanese destroyer Arare (1937) (edit)
Japanese destroyer Nenohi (1932) (edit)
Kōtoku Maru (1937) (edit)
MS Ukraina (edit)
Oaxaca (ship) (edit)
RFA Abbeydale (A109) (edit)
RFA Aldersdale (X34) (edit)
RFA Arndale (A133) (edit)
RFA Bishopdale (A128) (edit)
RFA Boardale (view source)
RFA Broomdale (A168) (edit)
RFA Cairndale (X36) (view source)
RFA Cedardale (A380) (edit)
RFA Darkdale (edit)
RFA Denbydale (view source)
RFA Derwentdale (A114) (edit)
RFA Dewdale (A151) (edit)
RFA Dingledale (A144) (edit)
RFA Dinsdale (X106) (view source)
RFA Eaglesdale (A104) (edit)
RFA Easedale (A105) (edit)
RFA Echodale (A170) (edit)
RFA Ennerdale (A173) (edit)
SS Alexander Macomb (edit)
SS Athelempress (view source)
SS Avila Star (edit)
SS Benedict (view source)
SS Broompark (1939) (edit)
SS Christopher Newport (edit)
SS Circe Shell (view source)
SS Edward Luckenbach (1916) (edit)
SS El Capitan (1917) (edit)
SS Empire Byron (edit)
SS Empire Explorer (edit)
SS Fairport (1941) (edit)
SS Hartlebury (edit)
SS John Randolph (edit)
SS Malines (1921) (edit)
SS Nicholas Cuneo (edit)
SS Pan Kraft (edit)
SS Pennsylvania Sun (edit)
SS R. W. Gallagher (edit)
SS River Afton (edit)
SS Robert E. Lee (1924) (edit)
SS Santa Rita (1941) (edit)
SS Svenor (view source)
SV Toufic El Rahman (edit)
Soviet cruiser Komintern (edit)
Soviet submarine Shch-317 (edit)
USAT Arcata (edit)
USS Grunion (edit)
USS S-16 (SS-121) (edit)
USS Southern Seas (PY-32) (edit)
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