RFA Appleleaf (3)
Previous name: Hudson Cavalier
Subsequent name: HMAS Westralia Shiraz
Class:
Pennant No: A79
Laid down: 5 November 1973
Builder: Cammel Laird, Birkenhead
Launched: 24 July 1975
Into Service: 8 June 1979
Out of service: 12 September 1989
Fate: Leased and then sold to Royal Australian Navy
Items of historic interest involving this ship: -
27 March 1982 on passage from Curacao is diverted to Gibraltar to embark general naval stores then proceed south to support HMS Endurance and RFA Fort Austin
1982 took part in Operation Corporate (Falklands War) received Falklands Battle Honour.
December 1983 crew member of RFA Appleleaf appeared before Blenheim Court, New Zealand convicted of killing a woman and injuring three others while under the influence of drink. Fined £800 and advised he would have been sent to Gaol if he remained in New Zealand.
5 January 1987 Captain Shane Redmond OBE RFA appointed as Master
24 May 1987 Captain J B Dickinson OBE RFA appointed as Master
12 June 1987 Captain Shane Redmond OBE RFA appointed as Master
20 March 1989 Captain Pat Thompson RFA appointed as Master
24 September 1989 leased to Royal Australian Navy.
9 October 1989 renamed and commissioned as HMAS Westralia
Cap Tally courtesy of the Naval Tankermen's Association, Australia
3 December 1990 to 28 May 1991 served as part of Australia's committment in the First Gulf War
1994 Australia purchased the ship outright.
5 May 1998 at about 10:31hrs near Rottnest Island having shortly before sailed from Fleet Base West, Western Australia suffered a serious fire following a major fuel leak in the engine room with four fatalities.
16 September 2006 decommissioned by Royal Australian Navy and subsequently sold commerically to AGR Group and Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc to serve as a Floating Production Storage and offloading vessel. Ship renamed Shiraz.
15 January 2010 arrived at Aligia, Turkey for breaking up
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