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

• Harpa and Pinna
• Another Door Part 1: War in the Far East
• Naval Events, January 1942, Part 2 of 2, Thursday 15th – Saturday 31st