RFA Orangeleaf (A110)
 RFA Orangeleaf during refit at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | RFA Orangeleaf |
| Builder | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
| Yard number | 1362 |
| Launched | 12 February 1975 |
| Completed | 28 June 1979 |
| Commissioned | 1979[1] |
| Decommissioned | 30 September 2015 |
| In service | 2 May 1984 |
| Out of service | 30 September 2015 |
| Identification |
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| Honours and awards | Al Faw 2003 |
| Fate | Scrapped 2016 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Leaf-class fleet support tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 40,860 t (40,215 long tons) |
| Length | 560 ft (170.69 m) |
| Beam | 85 ft (25.91 m) |
| Draught | 39 ft (11.89 m) |
| Installed power | 14,000 bhp (10,440 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 56 |
| Armament |
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RFA Orangeleaf was a Leaf-class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary[2] (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom, and which served with the fleet for over 30 years, tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy and allied naval vessels around the world.
She was used by the RFA in the Falklands War in 1982, but she was then known as MV Balder London. From January 2003 to April 2003 Orangeleaf was deployed for Operation Telic (Op TELIC), the codename for the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq. She had three Leaf-class sisters Oakleaf, Brambleleaf and Bayleaf 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.
Service history[edit]
As MV Balder London,[3] before joining the RFA, she saw action in 1982, carrying aviation fuel to the Falkland Islands from Ascension Island. At the end of the conflict, she entered the bay of San Carlos Water, East Falkland.[4]
Orangeleaf saw action in the Gulf War in 1991. During early-to-mid-2004, the ship took part in a deployment with a French carrier battle group, centred on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, to the Indian Ocean. She also appeared in the International Fleet Review of 2005.
On 23 October 2009, she was moved from Birkenhead dry-docks into the River Mersey and so to the Cammell Laird shipyard to continue a major refit.
In 2011, she conducted a light jackstay transfer with HMS Dragon.[5] She was decommissioned on 30 September 2015.
In late February 2016 she was towed to Aliaga, Turkey to be broken up for scrap.[6][7][8] Leyal reported scrapping was completed by June 2016.[9]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ "ORANGELEAF". www.marinetraffic.com. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^ "The RFA ORANGELEAF". www.fleetmon.com. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
- ^ Puddefoot 2009, p. 200.
- ^ "Dragon notches up another first as she conducts a Light Jackstay". Royal Navy. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ "Royal Fleet Auxiliary bids farewell to RFA Orangeleaf". Royal Navy. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Last of the RFA Leaf Class Tankers to Retire". Navaltoday.com. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ "Farewell to Orangeleaf". navynews.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ^ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583144/DSA_ship_recycling_orangeleaf_Web.pdf [bare URL PDF]
Bibliography[edit]
- Puddefoot, Geoff (2009). The Fourth Force The Untold Story of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary since 1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-046-8.
External links[edit]
 Royal Navy | |
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 Royal Australian Navy |
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