MV Gadila
Encyclopedia
MV Gadila was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell
oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier
(MAC ship). The group is collectively known as the Rapana class.
MV Gadila was built at the Howaldtswerke, Kiel
, Germany
and completed 11 April 1935 as an oil tanker for the Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell
line. She was converted at Smith's Dock, North Shields
between April 1943 and 1 February 1944. She entered service as a MAC ship in March 1944, and operated under the Netherlands Mercantile Marine flag.
As a MAC ship, she had no aircraft hangar, and continued to carry normal cargoes with a mercantile ship's crew, although operating under Royal Navy control. Only her air crew and the necessary maintenance staff were Naval personnel. In the case of the Gadila, these were provided by the Royal Netherlands Navy
and served as elements of Fleet Air Arm
860 Naval Air Squadron (Dutch).
The Gadila and her sister MV Macoma
were the first aircraft carrying vessels to be operated under the flag of the Netherlands.
At the end of the war, Gadila was reconverted to an entirely mercantile oil tanker and served in this capacity until broken up for scrap in Hong Kong in 1958.
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier
Merchant aircraft carrier
Merchant aircraft carriers were bulk cargo ships with minimal aircraft handling facilities, used during World War II by Britain and the Netherlands as an interim measure to supplement British and United States-built escort carriers in providing an anti-submarine function for convoys...
(MAC ship). The group is collectively known as the Rapana class.
MV Gadila was built at the Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and completed 11 April 1935 as an oil tanker for the Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
line. She was converted at Smith's Dock, North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
between April 1943 and 1 February 1944. She entered service as a MAC ship in March 1944, and operated under the Netherlands Mercantile Marine flag.
As a MAC ship, she had no aircraft hangar, and continued to carry normal cargoes with a mercantile ship's crew, although operating under Royal Navy control. Only her air crew and the necessary maintenance staff were Naval personnel. In the case of the Gadila, these were provided by the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and served as elements of Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
860 Naval Air Squadron (Dutch).
The Gadila and her sister MV Macoma
MV Macoma
MV Macoma was one of nine Anglo Saxon Royal Dutch/Shell oil tankers converted to become a Merchant Aircraft Carrier . The group is collectively known as the Rapana Class....
were the first aircraft carrying vessels to be operated under the flag of the Netherlands.
At the end of the war, Gadila was reconverted to an entirely mercantile oil tanker and served in this capacity until broken up for scrap in Hong Kong in 1958.