St. Helena Remembrance – the Support Tanker RFA BLACK ROVER, en route to the South Atlantic duty paid tribute the 41 crew of the tanker RFA DARKDALE killed when the ship was torpedoed by a U-boat.   During the ship’s brief visit the crew smartened the war memorial on Jamestown, St Helena.    It is impossible for the RFA BLACK ROVER to dock on the island, so the party of volunteers was put ashore on St Helena by sea boat.

The RFA DARKDALE arrived off St Helena in the summer of 1941, and was to provide fuel for passing Royal Navy warships such as Aircraft Carrier EAGLE and the Cruiser DORSETSHIRE.   On the night of the 21-22^nd October 1941 when at anchor off Jamestown the German U-68 found the ship and sank the tanker with torpedoes, the blast caused the RFA DARKDALE to turn over and sink in minutes, two men survived the explosion – blown off the upper deck and clear of the wreck.    The striken ship was torn in two, with sections protruding ominously from the Atlantic.