British Tanker Company

British Tanker Company Limited

British Tanker Company flag 1915-1926
Industry	Ship transport
Founded	1915
Headquarters	, England
Owner(s)	Anglo-Persian Oil Company

British Tanker Company Limited was the maritime transport arm of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, the forerunner of BP. The British Tanker Company was formed in 1915 with an initial fleet of seven oil tankers. The Company became the BP Tanker Company in 1955.

History 1915 to 1945

British Emperor, launched in 1916

From the moment oil was discovered in Persia (now Iran) in May 1908, the issue arose of how best to ship it back to Britain. The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) initially employed independent contractors to carry the oil by sea. However, the directors of the APOC soon decided it would be better for the company to possess its own fleet of tankers. It set up the British Tanker Company Limited (BTC) in April 1915, with an initial capital of £100,000. The BTC placed orders with two Tyne based shipbuilders, Armstrong Whitworth and Swan Hunter, for a total of 7 steam-powered oil tankers.

The BTC's first tanker was the 3,663 gross tonnage British Emperor, launched in 1916. She was employed to take oil from Abadan to the ports of Bombay, Karachi, Madras and Calcutta. Her career eventually ended in 1941, when she was sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin, after evading all the Pinguin's attempts to capture her intact.

The names of all the first 7 ships bore the prefix "British", and all future additions to the fleet followed the same naming convention.

The BTC's share capital was doubled to £200,000 in 1916, and further increased to £3,000,000 in November 1917.

Over the next decade, the demand for oil grew throughout the industrialised world, and the BTC expanded its fleet accordingly. By just 1924 the fleet numbered 60 vessels. The 60th ship was the new flagship, the 6,998 gross tonnage British Aviator. She was the BTC's first diesel engined oil tanker, and was at that time the most powerful single-screw motor ship in the world.

The cargoes carried by the BTC were crude oil and refined oil products; the main refined products being fuel oil, benzine and kerosine. During the 1920s the principal destination for the BTC was the United Kingdom, which accounted for around half of all cargoes discharged. Twice as much crude oil was delivered to the United Kingdom than refined products, with most of the crude oil being taken to the refineries at Llandarcy and Grangemouth. The next largest destination for the BTC was India, receiving 14% of the total cargoes carried. Cargoes discharged in Europe increased steadily, and by 1928 accounted for 13% of the total. In 1928 the BTC's fleet consisted of 80 sea-going tankers, 5 coastal vessels, and 4 government owned steamers, with a further 13 sea-going tankers being chartered by the BTC.

With the onset of the Great Depression in the early 1930s, the merchant navies around the world faced increasing unemployment. However, through a number of strategic mergers, as well as the continuing support of the Shah of Iran, the APOC managed to strengthen its position within the industry, and the BTC's fleet continued to grow.

With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the British government chartered the BTC's whole fleet of 93 vessels, to transport fuel for its armed forces. The fleet lost 41 ships sunk during the war, many during the Battle of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean U-Boat campaign, with 2 others so badly damaged they could only be used as storage hulks.

Fleet list 1930 to 1945

Ship	Built	Gross Tonnage	Photo	Built by	Notes
British Admiral	1917	6,842		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Broken up in 1937
British Advocate	1922	6,994		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland	Captured 20 February 1941 by the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer
British Ambassador	1924	6,940		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Architect	1922	7,388		Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Glasgow
British Ardour	1928	7,124		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 5 April 1943 by torpedo from German submarine U-706
British Aviator	1924	6,998		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Beacon	1918	6,891		Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast
British Birch	1916	5,882		Short Brothers Ltd, Sunderland	Built as Birchleaf. Renamed British Birch in 1920. Broken up in 1931
British Captain	1923	6,968		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 2 December 1941 by mine
British Chancellor	1921	7,086		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Character	1941	8,453		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Chemist	1925	6,997		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Chivalry	1929	7,118		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 22 February 1944 by torpedo from Japanese submarine I-37
British Colonel	1921	6,999		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Colony	1927	6,917		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 13 May 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-162
British Commander	1922	6,896		Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee	Sunk 26 August 1940 by the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin
British Commerce	1922	4,205		William Beardmore & Co Ltd, Glasgow
British Commodore	1923	6,865		Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee
British Confidence	1936	8,494		Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead
British Consul	1924	6,940		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland	Sunk 19 August 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-564
British Corporal	1922	6,972		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Councillor	1922	7,045		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland	Sunk 3 Feb 1940 by mine
British Courage	1928	6,952		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
British Destiny	1937	8,470		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
British Diligence	1937	8,408		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Diplomat	1926	6,484		John Brown & Co Ltd, Clydebank
British Dominion	1928	6,983		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 10 January 1943 by torpedo from German submarine U-620
British Duchess	1924	5,973		J L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Emperor	1916	3,637		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 7 May 1941 by the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin
British Empress	1917	6,847		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Endeavour	1927	4,580		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 22 Feb 1940 by torpedo from German submarine U-50
British Endurance	1936	8,406		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Energy	1931	7,209		Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock
British Engineer	1922	6,993		Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast
British Ensign	1917	7,048		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Enterprise	1921	4,204		William Beardmore & Co Ltd, Glasgow
British Faith	1928	6,955		Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee
British Fame	1936	8,303		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 12 August 1940 by torpedo from Italian submarine Alessandro Malaspina
British Fern	1917	5,831		Napier & Miller Ltd, Glasgow	Built as Fernleaf. Broken up in 1931
British Fidelity	1938	8,465		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
British Fortitude	1937	8,482		Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead	Damaged 23 February 1943 by torpedo from German submarine U-202, but survived
British Fortune	1930	4,696		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow	Sunk 31 October 1941 by German aircraft
British Freedom	1928	6,985		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 14 January 1945 by torpedo from German submarine U-1232
British Fusilier	1923	6,943		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British General	1922	6,985		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 7 October 1940 by torpedo from German submarine U-37
British Genius	1939	8,553		William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Glory	1928	6,993		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland	Damaged 15 October 1940 by torpedo from German submarine U-138, but survived
British Governor	1926	6,840		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Gratitude	1942	8,463		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Grenadier	1922	6,888		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastlee	Sunk 22 May 1941 by torpedo from German submarine U-103
British Gunner	1922	6,894		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 24 February 1941 by torpedo from German submarine U-97
British Harmony	1941	8,453		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Holly	1917	5,162		William Hamilton & Co Ltd, Port Glasgow	Broken up in 1931
British Honour	1928	6,991		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Hope	1928	6,951		Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Dundee
British Hussar	1923	6,944		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastlee
British Industry	1927	4,297		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Influence	1939	8,431		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 14 Sept 1939 by torpedo and gunfire from German submarine U-29
British Integrity	1937	8,412		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
British Inventor	1926	7,101		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 13 June 1940 by mine
British Isles	1917	7,108		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle	Broken up in 1938
British Judge	1921	6,735		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Justice	1928	6,982		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Lady	1923	6,098		J L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Lantern	1918	6,897		Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast	Broken up by 1936
British Liberty	1939	8,435		Furness Shipbuilding Co, Haverton Hill-on-Tees	Sunk 6 January 1940 by mine
British Light	1917	6,470		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Lord	1922	6,098		J L Thompson & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Loyalty	1928	6,993		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 9 March 1944 by torpedo from German submarine U-183, but salvaged as a hulk
British Mariner	1922	6,996		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Severely damaged 20 October 1941 by torpedo from German submarine U-126, but salvaged and used as a hulk
British Merchant	1922	6,994		William Beardmore & Co Ltd, Glasgow
British Merit	1942	8,093		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow	Damaged 25 July 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-552, but survived
British Might	1945	8,200		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
British Motorist	1924	6,891		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 19 February 1942 by Japanese aircraft
British Officer	1922	6,990		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 1 December 1940 by mine
British Patience	1943	8,097		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
British Petrol	1925	6,906		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 14 June 1940 by the German auxiliary cruiser Widder
British Pluck	1928	1,025		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Renamed Shelbrit 1 in 1936
British Power	1936	8,451		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow
British Premier	1922	5,872		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 24 December 1940 by torpedo from German submarine U-65
British Prestige	1931	7,106		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
British Pride	1931	7,106		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
British Princess	1917	7,019		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Progress	1927	4,581		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle	Broken up 4 November 1943 after being severely damaged by torpedo from a German E-Boat
British Promise	1942	8,443		Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead	Damaged 21 November 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-518, but survived
British Prudence	1939	8,620		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland	Sunk 23 March 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-754
British Purpose	1943	5,845		Furness Shipbuilding Co, Haverton Hill-on-Tees	Damaged 20 October 1943 by torpedo from German submarine U-532, but survived
British Reliance	1928	7,000		Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock	Sunk 2 April 1941 by torpedo from German submarine U-46
British Renown	1928	6,997		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland	Damaged 21 November 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-518, but survived
British Resolution	1937	8,408		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Resource	1931	7,209		Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd, Greenock	Sunk 15 March 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-124
British Respect	1943	8,479		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Restraint	1943	8,448		Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead
British Sailor	1918	5,576		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Originally built as War Rajah. Renamed British Sailor in 1920
British Science	1931	7,138		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 18 April 1941 by torpedo from German aircraft
British Scout	1922	1,507		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Security	1937	8,470		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow	Sunk 23 May 1941 by torpedo from German submarine U-556
British Sergeant	1922	5,868		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 9 April 1942 by Japanese aircraft
British Sincerity	1939	8,533		Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead
British Soldier	1918	5,564		William Gray & Co Ltd, Hartlepool	Originally built as War Sikh. Renamed British Soldier in 1919
British Sovereign	1917	3,657		Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, Newcastle
British Splendour	1931	7,138		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 7 April 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-552
British Star	1918	6,888		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Renamed Clynthus 1937
British Statesman	1923	6,991		Sir James Laing & Sons Ltd, Sunderland
British Strength	1931	7,139		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 15 March 1941 by German battleship, Scharnhorst or Gneisenau
British Tenacity	1939	8,439		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Thrift	1928	707		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Renamed Thriftie in 1935, then Shelbrit 2 in 1936
British Tommy	1921	1,411		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
British Trader	1921	4,204		William Beardmore & Co Ltd, Glasgow
British Tradition	1942	8,443		Cammell Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead
British Triumph	1936	8,402		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow	Sunk 13 Feb 1940 by mine
British Trust	1939	8,466		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow	Sunk 1 May 1943 by torpedo from German aircraft
British Union	1927	6,987		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 18 January 1941 by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran
British Unity	1939	8,407		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
British Valour	1927	6,952		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow
British Venture	1930	4,696		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow	Sunk 24 June 1943 by torpedo, from Japanese submarine I-27
British Vigilance	1942	8,093		Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow	Sunk 24 January 1943 by torpedo from German submarine U-105
British Vigour	1943	5,844		Furness Shipbuilding Co, Haverton Hill-on-Tees
British Virtue	1945	8,500		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle
British Viscount	1921	6,895		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 3 April 1941 by torpedo from German submarine U-73
British Wisdom	1945	8,130		Blythswood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Glasgow
British Workman	1922	6,994		Workman, Clark & Co Ltd, Belfast	Sunk 3 May 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-455
British Yeoman	1923	6,990		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle	Sunk 15 July 1942 by torpedo from German submarine U-201
British Zeal	1937	8,532		Lithgows Ltd, Port Glasgow	Damaged 31 December 1940 by torpedo from German submarine U-65, but survived
Shelbrit 1	1928	1,025		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Originally built as the British Pluck. Renamed Shelbrit 1 in 1936
Shelbrit 2	1928	695		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Originally built as the British Thrift. Renamed Thriftie in 1935, then Shelbrit 2 in 1936
Thriftie	1928	695		Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Newcastle	Originally built as the British Thrift. Renamed Thriftie in 1935, then Shelbrit 2 in 1936
War Nawab	1919	5,586		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
War Nizam	1918	5,605		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle
War Sudra	1920	5,599		Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Newcastle

History post 1945

Within a year of peace in 1945, the BTC had restored its fleet to its pre-war total of 93 ships. The recovery was further bolstered by the building of 57 new tankers, each of 8,600 gross tonnage. These new ships increased the tonnage of oil transported from the Abadan refinery, but they remained light enough to sail through the shallow waters of the Suez Canal.

In 1951 the situation changed dramatically, when Iran nationalised its oil industry. The APOC removed all its staff from the country, and for the time being it had no access to Iranian oil. The APOC set about forming new alliances with other oil producing countries, especially Kuwait and Bahrain.

In the early 1950s the BTC began increasing the size of its deep-sea ships by building 13 so called 'super-tankers', each with a gross tonnage of 18,000. These larger ships were particularly useful during the Suez crisis of 1956, which closed the Suez Canal and forced ships to sail around the Cape of South Africa, adding 9,000 nautical miles to their journey.

In November 1954 the APOC renamed itself the British Petroleum Company, and in 1955 the BTC became the BP Tanker Company. By the end of the 1950s, the BP Tanker Company's fleet stood at 146 vessels, including super-tankers of 38,000 gross tonnage (67,000 deadweight tonnes), with plans to build tankers of 60,000 gross tonnage (100,000 deadweight tonnes), which would hold more than 25 million gallons of crude oil.

House flag

The first house flag consisted of the black letters BTC set in a white circle on a white horizontal band, the white bordered with black, all set against a red background.

In 1926 the flag was changed to include the Persian colours. This new house flag consisted of the red Cross of Saint George on a white background, with a large green lozenge imposed over the centre of the cross, the lozenge containing a golden lion 'passant guardant'; the lion being a symbol of Persia. This remained until 1954, when a red lion ‘rampant’ replaced the golden lion.

BTC House flag, 1915 to 1926

BTC House Flag, 1926 to 1954

References

• National Archives, Kew
• BP Magazine: Issue 2, 2009: page 24
• Lloyd's shipping registers
• Harvey, W J & Dr. Solly, R J (2005). BP Tankers: A Group Fleet History. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1861762518. 
• Ferrier, R W (1982). The History of the British Petroleum Company: Volume 1 The Developing Years, 1901-1932. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521246474.  pages 292-294

External links

• [1] Plimsoll Ship Data website - Lloyd's shipping registers 1930 to 1945
• [2] Allied ships hit by U-Boats during the Second World War
• [3] National Archives, Kew - Second World War Merchant shipping movement cards
• [4] The position of ship wrecks - vessels of the British Tanker Company