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Revision as of 16:41, 4 July 2024 by Mikeyp72 (talk | contribs) (→Service history: added 1982 Dartmouth Training Squadron's Mediterranean deployment with reference source)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 1982 Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary For other ships with the same name, see RFA Bayleaf.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | RFA Bayleaf |
| Builder | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
| Yard number | 1366 |
| Laid down | 1 February 1975 |
| Launched | 27 October 1981 |
| Completed | 25 March 1982 |
| Decommissioned | 21 April 2011 |
| In service | 26 March 1982 |
| Out of service | 28 April 2011 |
| Identification |
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| Honours and awards | |
| Fate | Scrapped 2012 |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Leaf-class support tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 37,390 t (36,799 long tons) |
| Length | 170.7 m (560 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 25.9 m (85 ft 0 in) |
| Height | 43.85 m (143 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 11 m (36 ft 1 in) |
| Depth | 15.7 m (51 ft 6 in) |
| Installed power | 14,000 hp (10,440 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 56 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | None |
RFA Bayleaf (A109) was a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom, which served with the fleet for 30 years, tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.
She was involved in the Falklands War in 1982, the Gulf War in 1991, and from January 2003 to April 2003 she was deployed for Operation Telic (Op TELIC), the codename for the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq. Bayleaf had three Leaf-class sisters Oakleaf, Brambleleaf and Orangeleaf and all four were originally designed as commercial tankers and underwent major conversions to bring them up to RFA standards and equip them for naval support.
She was the third Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel to bear the name.
Construction
Bayleaf was one of four ships ordered from Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in 1973, and laid down in 1975 as the Hudson Sound. When the ordering company ran into financial difficulties, the ships were laid up, and later were offered for sale or charter. The ship was finally launched on 27 October 1981, the Lady Sponsor was Mrs Angela Pritchard, the wife of Mr K Pritchard, Director General of the Naval Stores and Transport, Ministry of Defence (MoD). In January 1982 Captain A.E. Hunter, RFA, was appointed as Master and between 20 to 23 March she ran trials and when completed on 25 March she was then bareboat chartered to the MoD and renamed Bayleaf.
Service history
She was almost immediately put into active service, and sailed to Gibraltar and Ascension Island en route for service in "Operation Corporate" – the Falklands War – in company with HMS Intrepid. She arrived in the Total Exclusion Zone on 9 June 1982, finally returning to Devonport on 31 August.
On 30 September 1982 Bayleaf sailed from HMNB Devonport in support of the Dartmouth Training Squadron's Mediterranean deployment. She arrived at Gibraltar on 4 October and then throughout the months of October and November she called at the italian city of Naples, followed by Brindisi in Southern Italy, then onto Salonika in Greece, next to Istanbul in Turkey and then the city and seaport of Trieste in Italy, before returing to the United Kingdom, arriving at Plymouth 24 November.
In January 1991 she sailed from the UK to relieve RFA Orangeleaf during "Operation Granby" – the First Gulf War.
On 1 March 1997 she collided with the Royal Yacht HMY Britannia while carrying out a replenishment at sea (RAS) off Karachi.
In 2001 Bayleaf was purchased outright by the MoD.
_and_RFA_Bayleaf_(A109).jpg)
From January 2003 to April 2003 she was deployed for "Operation Telic" – the Second Gulf War.
Following the reductions to the Royal Navy fleet outlined in the 2010 "Strategic Defence and Security Review" it was decided that Bayleaf would be paid off in April 2011. The RFA Ensign was scheduled to be lowered for the final time on 20 April 2011 at HMNB Devonport. Following this, the ex-RFA Bayleaf was towed out of Portsmouth on 2 August 2012 to Aliaga in Turkey where the ship was broken up.
See also
References
- ^ White, Christopher J.; Robinson, Peter (2011). "RFA Bayleaf". historicalrfa.org. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- "RFA Bayleaf - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- Padley, Peter (2011). "More Vessels of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary". hmforces.co.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- Navy News (22 March 2011). "Trusty tanker Bayleaf bows out". Archived from the original on 26 March 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
| Leaf-class tankers | |
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 Royal Navy | |
 Royal Australian Navy |
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