Breconshire was not wasted after rejection for LSI conversion; the Royal Navy employed her as a fast oiler on the Alexandria-to-Malta route. Sources disagree over whether she could make 14 or 18 knots. Her relationship to the 18-knot Glen ships and the requirements of a fast-oiler role favor the higher original figure, while wartime wear could explain a lower later speed. After being damaged on 27 March 1942, she was kept afloat long enough to enter Grand Harbour and discharge her valuable cargo. She then settled on the harbor bottom and could not be refloated, making the simple label 'sunk' technically awkward while showing that her logistics mission was completed even after fatal damage.
Chapter · 52:01-54:21
Breconshire's service as a fast oiler to Malta
The unconverted sister served the Alexandria-Malta route as a fast oiler until damage left her grounded in Grand Harbour in March 1942.