RFA Cairndale and the hunt for the Bismarck
Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 5:34 am
I've often wondered why the RN didn't make provision for RFA Oilers to Oil AT Sea RN units during the hunt for Bismarck. Well it turns out that they did:
17 April 1941 berthed at Gibraltar under the escort of HMS/m PANDORA
28 April 1941 in drydock at Gibraltar
25 May 1941 fitted for OAS operations, she sailed from Gibraltar with the store ship City of Dieppe escorted by HMS/m SEVERN to act as the oiler for Force H, the Squadron hunting the German battle cruiser BISMARCK and patrolled in the vicinity of 43°00 N 35°00 W. After the BISMARCK was sunk, she was ordered to return to Gibraltar
30 May 1941 when in position 35°19N 08°33E, 100 miles NW of Casablanca in the Eastern Atlantic under escort of HM corvettes COREOPSIS and FLEUR DE LYS torpedoed with two torpedoes by the Italian submarine Guglielmo Marconi and sank in four minutes. Four members of the crew were killed and have no known grave but the sea. The three who died are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial and one on the Halifax Memorial, Canada. Her Master and other survivors were saved by the rescue tug HMS ST DAY and were landed at Gibraltar.
http://www.historicalrfa.org/rfa-cairnd ... nformation