RFA ''Eaglesdale'' (A104) was a Dale-class

fleet tanker A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

of the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

(RFA). She was launched in 1941 as ''Empire Metal'' and transferred to the RFA on completion in 1941.

History

The ''Empire Metal'' was built by Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd,

Haverton Hill-on-Tees Haverton Hill is an area within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. Once considered a part of Billingham, Haverton Hill was once a thriving industrial community which has suffered significant depopu ...

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''.

War service

''Eaglesdale'' was a member of a number of convoys during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. ;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 Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

, she was in ballast. ;OS 23 ''Eaglesdale'' was a member of Convoy OS 23 which departed

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

on 24 March 1942 and arrived at

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and po ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

on 11 April. She was in ballast and her final destination was Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. ;TAG 19 Convoy TAG 19 departed Curaçao on 6 November 1942, arriving at Guantanamo on 11 November 1942. ;BP 83 ''Eaglesdale'' was a member of Convoy BP 83 which departed

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

on 11 June 1943 and arrived at

Bandar Abbas Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musand ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

on 16 June. ;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. ;CX 17 ''Eaglesdale'' was a member of Convoy CX 17 which departed

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...

, Ceylon on 3 February 1944 and arrived at Addu Atoll,

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

on 6 February ;JC 46 ''Eaglesdale'' was a member of Convoy JC 46 which departed Colombo on 26 April 1944 and arrived at

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on 3 May. ''Eaglesdale'' detached from the convoy en route and sailed to

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...

, Ceylon where she arrived on 28 April. ;RK 34A ''Eaglesdale'' was a member of Convoy RK 34A which departed Chittagong,

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on 13 January 1945 and arrived at

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Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

on 14 January. ''Eaglesdale'' was used for trials of refuelling equipment after the capture of a

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supply ship. This included the fitting of rubber hoses and deck roller.

Postwar service

She was decommissioned on 21 July 1958 and was laid up on the River Tyne. ''Eaglesdale'' arrived on 29 November 1959 at

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

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for scrapping.

References

Ships built on the River Tees Ministry of War Transport ships Dale-class oilers Tankers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary 1941 ships {{UK-aux-ship-stub