MV Harpa

History
Name: MV Harpa
Operator: Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company, London
Builder: Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd., Hebburn
Yard number: Build number 575
Launched: 5 December 1930
Identification:
  • Callsign GTQK
Fate: Sunk 27 January 1942
General characteristics
Class and type: Oil tanker
Tonnage: 3,007
Length: 93.14 m (305.58 ft)
Beam: 15.26 m (50.07 ft)
Draught: 5.87 m (19.26 ft)
Propulsion: Two 6-cylinder Hawthorn oil engines, twin screw
Crew: 41 Merchant Navy plus 2 DEMS gunners

MV Harpa was an oil tanker of the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company (later Royal Dutch/Shell) and was in service with the British Merchant Navy during World War II.

Bombing

Bombed 22 December 1941 at Port Swettenham, with the loss of 4 engineering officers:

Cheras Road Civil Cemetery (Malaysia)

Name Rank Age
BOYACK, THOMAS B. Fifth Engineer Officer 26
VAN VUUREN, JAN Fourth Engineer Officer 28
WIDDAS, GORDON Chief Engineer Officer 43
WOODBRIDGE, L H J Third Engineer Officer 22

Sinking

Was sunk by a British seamine in Main Strait, Singapore† en route to Batavia with a full cargo of aviation spirit on 27 January 1942 with the loss of 7 British officers, 2 Royal Navy DEMS gunners and 25 Chinese crew:

Tower Hill Memorial (London)

Name Rank Age
CAMPBELL, WALTER DOUGLAS Chief Officer 38
HOWARTH, CHARLES ALEXANDER Master 42
MILES, ROLAND CHARLES VICTOR Second Officer 27
MITCHELL, DOUGLAS CHARLES STEWART Radio Officer 27
McEWAN, THOMAS Fourth Engineer Officer 26
RUSSUM, REX GELDARD Third Officer 23

Kranji War Cemetery (Singapore)

Name Rank Age
GRANT, ALEXANDER HOPE GORDON Chief Engineer Officer 42

Book of Remembrance (NUMAST)

Name Rank Age
DIXON, JONATHAN Able Seaman R.N. 22
RITCHIE, GEORGE WILLIAM Able Seaman R.N. 27

Hong Kong War Memorial

Name Rank Age
AH WONG Sailor 35
CHEONG TEE Fireman's Boy 21
CHIA SEE FONG Chief Steward 53
CHOW FATT SOON Sailor
CHOY NAM Donkeyman
CHUNG KAM Fireman 29
FOO SUAN YEE Boy 24
GOH MOH WEE Mess Room Boy
HO CHAN Carpenter 43
HO KEE ANN Chief Steward
HO KEE WEE Chief Cook
HONG KUM Fireman 36
KWAN MUI Cook 51
KWONG WAH Fireman 31
LAM FANG Fireman
LAU HAU Boy 23
LAY YAU Fireman 31
LE AH SING Storekeeper 33
SIE KAY POH Quartermaster 23
TAY CHAN Fireman 36
TEAN YIT Cook
TING AH TAY Quartermaster 34
TING EE CHING Boy 35
WONG CHIN Cook 31
YU SHUN Quartermaster

†Tom Simkins MBE, Chief Radio Officer of SS Pinna, stated the sinking to be in the Rhio Strait (now Riau Strait, between Batam and Bintan Islands).

Sources

Coordinates: 1°15′N 104°00′E / 1.25°N 104°E / 1.25; 104


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