MV Gadila

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 sometimes collectively known as the Rapana class.

MV Gadila
History
Netherlands
Name	Gadila
Builder	Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Launched	1 December 1934
Honours and awards	Atlantic convoys
Fate	Scrapped Hong Kong 1958
General characteristics
Tonnage	7,999 GRT
Length	463 ft (141 m) pp 481 ft (147 m) oa
Beam	59 ft (18 m)
Draught	27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Propulsion	Diesel one shaft 4,000 bhp
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h)
Complement	100
Armament	1 × 4 in (100 mm) gun 8 × 20 mm
Aircraft carried	Four Fairey Swordfish

MV Gadila was built at the Howaldtswerke, Kiel, Germany and completed 11 April 1935 as an oil tanker for the 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 British Royal Navy control. Only her air crew and the aviation support 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 (Dutch) Naval Air Squadron.

The Gadila and her sister MV Macoma were the first aircraft carrying vessels with a flight deck 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.