HMS Breconshire
Royal Fleet Auxilliary Sea Salvor
& HMS Barhill raising HMS
Breconshire 1954.
Photo courtesy of Joseph Borda
| Fleet tanker which made many trips to Malta mainly from Alexandria. The submarine Truant acted as a lighthouse to guide the ship in. |
Log
| 21st April 1941 | Arrived Malta with aviation spirit, oil fuel & general supplies.Left on the 28th with the 14th destroyer Flotilla for Alexandria. |
| 5th December | Left Malta for Alexandria with escorts Kingston, Kimberley. Ajax, Neptune & Lively acted as divertions. |
| Returned from Alexandria with escorts Jaguar & Kandahar. | |
| 18th December | Arrived Malta from Alexandria with escorts of 4 destroyers Havock, Lance, Kandahar, Jaguar & 3 cruisers - Aurora, Penelope, Neptune. |
| March 1942 | Arrived Malta in Operation MW 10.
After being heavily damaged she was towed to Marsaxlokk harbour by Ancient
& Robust. Escorted by HMS
Southwold which was to sink after hitting a mine outside Marsaxlokk
harbour. Two more heavy bombing attacks on the ship resulted in the ship slowly rolling over & sinking. A small ship named King of England moored alongside & pumped out the cargo of oil ferrying it to Grand Harbour. The wreck was just visible above the water for the rest of the war. |
References
| Salvaging The Breconshire - Video | http://www.britishpathe.com/video/salvaging-of-hms-breconshire/query/breconshire |
| A Naval History of Malta 1798 - 1979 | Book by Peter Elliott |