RFA Olmeda facts for kids
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RFA Olmeda at sea
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | RFA Olmeda |
| Builder | Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallend, Tyne and Wear |
| Yard number | 2004 |
| Laid down | 27 August 1963 |
| Launched | 19 November 1964 |
| Commissioned | 18 October 1965, as Oleander |
| Decommissioned | January 1994 |
| Renamed |
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| Identification | IMO number: 6501331 |
| Fate | Arrived Alang for demolition, 17 August 1994 |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ol-class tanker |
| Displacement | 33,240 long tons (33,773 t) full load |
| Length | 648 ft (198 m) |
| Beam | 84 ft 2 in (25.65 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft (290 in) |
| Propulsion | 2× Pametrada steam turbines, double reduction geared, single shaft |
| Speed | 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h) |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 3× Wessex or Sea King helicopters |
| Service record | |
| Operations: | |
RFA Olmeda (A124) was a special kind of ship called a "fast fleet tanker." It belonged to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which supports the Royal Navy. Its main job was to refuel other navy ships while they were at sea. The ship was first named Oleander but got its new name, Olmeda, after two years of service.
Olmeda played an important role in the Falklands War, especially in the final action to take back the South Sandwich Islands.
Contents
About the Ship
Olmeda was the second ship of its type, known as the Ol-class tankers. It started service in late 1965 as Oleander. Like its sister ships, Olmeda had a regular start to its career. However, in 1967, its name was changed to Olmeda. This was done to avoid confusion with another ship, HMS Leander.
Ship's Adventures
Helping in the Cod Wars
In 1973, during what was known as the Second Cod War, Olmeda helped support Royal Navy ships. The Cod Wars were a series of disagreements between the United Kingdom and Iceland about fishing rights.
Role in the Falklands War
Olmeda was very busy during the Falklands War. It was one of the first ships to sail south to the Falkland Islands when the conflict began.
The ship refueled many important vessels of the Task Force. This included the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible, and the hospital ship SS Uganda.
After Argentina surrendered the Falkland Islands, Olmeda joined other ships like HMS Yarmouth and HMS Endurance. They sailed to the South Sandwich Islands, where Argentina had set up a base on South Thule in 1976.
After HMS Yarmouth showed off its guns, the ten Argentine military personnel at the base surrendered. Before leaving South Thule, Yarmouth was refueled by Olmeda on June 21. This might have been the most southerly refueling of ships at sea in the history of the Royal Navy!
End of Service
In 1993, Olmeda was taken out of service. It was then sold to be broken up for scrap metal. The process of taking the ship apart began in Alang, India, on December 23, 1994.
