A B747-100 RETURNED TO THE DEP ARPT DUE TO R WING HVY. AIRPLANE FUELED WITH #1 MAIN TANK FUEL QUANTITY INDICATOR DEFERRED AS INOP. REQUIRED MEL TANK STICK READINGS AFTER FUELING FOUND IN ERROR.

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DEPARTED ZZZZ WITH AN ESTIMATED 217000 LBS OF FUEL ONBOARD AND WITH A #1 TANK FUEL INDICATING SYS INOP AND DEFERRED. AFTER TKOF THE FO WHO WAS FLYING NOTED A R WING HVY CONDITION THAT REQUIRED TRIM ADJUSTMENT. DECIDED TO RETURN TO ZZZZ. AFTER LNDG FOUND THAT THE #1 TANK WAS VERY LOW ON FUEL INSTEAD OF THE NEARLY FULL CONDITION WE EXPECTED (ABOUT 25000-30000 LBS). AS A RESULT WE MOST LIKELY DEPARTED WITH ABOUT 185000-190000 LBS OF FUEL WHICH WAS INADEQUATE FOR THE FLT TO ZZZ1. THE TANK HAD BEEN CHKED USING THE STICKS BY A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE AND THE READINGS WERE IN ERROR. THE TOTALIZER WAS MOST LIKELY ALSO IN ERROR AS THE TANK APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN SENDING A FULL INDICATION TO THE TOTALIZER SYS AT ALL TIMES. AS SUCH; THE REFUELING SYS WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND TANK #1 WOULD NOT ACCEPT FUEL BECAUSE THE SYS SENSED A 'FULL' TANK AND SHUT OFF REFUELING TO THAT TANK. THE OTHER TANKS FILLED IN THE NORMAL MANNER; TANK #1 DID NOT. AT THIS TIME WE DO NOT KNOW IF THIS CONDITION EXISTED FURTHER BACK IN TIME AND THE ERRORS EXISTED ON PREVIOUS LEGS. THERE MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN SOME CONFUSION DETERMINING THE FUEL ON BOARD FROM THE FUEL RECEIPTS AS THEY WERE IN LITERS AND OUR ARR FUEL NUMBERS MAY HAVE BEEN WRONG.