Previous name:
Subsequent name:

Official Number:             363380

Class:                               ROVER CLASS Small Fleet Tanker

Pennant No:                    A273

Laid down:
Builder:                            Swan Hunter, Wallsend
Launched:                       30 August 1973
Into Service:                    22 August 1974
Out of service:           
Fate:

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:   In 1967, tenders were invited for what eventually turned out to be 5 ships in this Class. Owing to unsatisfactory performance from the original engines, which had been a political decision, the first 3 ships in the Class were re-engined in 1974. The final 2 ships differed slightly from the earlier 3 and had improved accommodation standards and different stern anchor arrangements.

30 October 1973 launched by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Nr 60  named  BLACK ROVER. The Lady Sponsor was Mrs Sandra Trewby, the wife of Vice Admiral George F.A. Trewby, the Chief of Fleet Support

Launched without her funnel and accommodation

6 December 1973 her Ship’s Badge was officially presented to her

23 August 1974 completed at a cost of £7m

8 May 1979 along with RFA’s OLMEDA and REGENT sailed Portsmouth as part of Task Group 317.8 led by the guided missile destroyer HMS NORFOLK

17 June 1979 Captain Shane Redmond RFA appointed as Master

12 May 1980 With the frigate HMS ESKIMO, she was despatched from St Vincent in the Bahamas  area after Cuban aircraft had attacked and sunk the Bahamian Defence Force vessel FLAMINGO while it was trying to arrest Cuban fishing vessels which were fishing illegally and rescued the crew

1982 Did not see service during the Falklands Conflict as she was in refit at Rosyth at the time

14 February 1983 Captain Anthony Pitt DSC RFA appointed in command

Captain A F Pitt DSC RFA

2 July 1986 following a fire in the engine room, whilst alongside at Portland, Dorset MM1A J. Ganbrill, MM1A D. Evans and SG1A E Cripps were each presented with a C in C’s Commendation for prompt and courageous response to the emergency which helped save the ship

September 1988 Captain Jeremy R J Carew OBE RFA in command

8 October 1988 Captain (E) E M Quigley RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

9 January 1989 to 11 April 1989 in refit at Rosyth

11 April 1989 Captain Brian J Waters RFA appointed as Master

18 December 1989 Captain Peter J Lannin RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

9 June 1991 Captain Pat Thompson RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

26 November 1993 Captain Anthony F Pitt DSC RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

April 1996 Supported the destroyer HMS GLOUCESTER during the first RN/USN/Russian Navy exercise off the south coast of England

6 May 1996 berthed at Devonport

28 June 1996 RASed USS John F. Kennedy in the Western Approaches, whilst serving as BOST tanker.  The RAS lasted seven hours and during the evolution 2,400 cubic metres of  fuel was transferred.

May 1997 to 29 August 1997 Humanitarian aid - in Operation Caxton - with the destroyer HMS LIVERPOOL she was in the vicinity of Montserrat during and after major volcanic eruptions and   supported the voluntary evacuation of the island

12 July 1998 Humanitarian aid - towed the inter-island freighter ANESTINE MAC to a safe anchorage at Montserrat

22 September 1998 and 23 September 1998 Humanitarian relief - supported the frigate HMS SHEFFIELD in St Kitts and Montserrat in the wake of Hurricane Georges

31 October 1998 to 3 November 1998 Humanitarian relief - supported the frigate HMS SHEFFIELD in the Honduran  offshore islands in the wake of Hurricane Mitch on Operation Mainsail

6 November 1998 15 November 1998 with other RN units and RFA Sir Tristram responded to the effects of Hurricane Mitch in Nicaragua and Honduras providing hurricane relief efforts. Shared the Wilkinson Sword of Peace award with RFA SIR TRISTRAM in recognition of their outstanding contribution to humanitarian relief operations in  Honduras and  Nicaragua

15 November 1999 to 20 May 1999 in refit

6 October 2000 arrived off Belize with HMS Cardiff to provide hurricane relief efforts after Hurricane Keith

15 May 2001 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

1 April 2002 to 24 May 2002 routine docking

6 October 2002 CPO (Cook) Leslie J Austin discharged dead

6 March 2003 off Freetown, Sierra Leone with HMS Iron Duke as part of a Joint Task Force. Stayed 7 days

7 December 2003 Seaman 1A Neville P Gilroy discharged dead.

14 May 2004 Captain Alistair Swatridge RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

23 May 2005 a small fishing vessel "Bounty" TH 151 capsized and sank in Lyme Bay,  two survivors boarded a liferaft,  they were seen and rescued by the crew of the  Black Rover. The survivors were subsequently landed ashore at Portland.

21 June 2005 berthed at Gibraltar

5 August 2005 with HMS York visited Colombo, Sri Lanka as part of a RN deployment called Volans 05

17 August 2005 took part in Exercise Deep Sabre, part of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) in the South China Sea with ships from the US, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Russia along with Singapore. HMAS Westralia (ex RFA Appleleaf 3) also took part.

26 November 2005 berthed at Southampton

9 May 2006 berthed at Gibraltar

18 May 2006 sailed Gibraltar

6 June 2006 Captain Chris McKenzie RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

9 June 2007 Captain Ray Bennett RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

30 June 2007 Captain Dave Buck RFA reappointed as Commanding Officer

19 July 2008 berthed alongside at Santos

19 October 2008 Captain (E) Robert Smith RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

December 2008 ship with HMS Iron Duke at the islands of South Georgia.

9 January 2009 arrived at Tristan da Cunha

21 May 2009 alongside Yonderbury Oil Fuel Jetty at Devonport

11 November 2009 to 21 December 2009 at Birkenhead

29 May 2010 arrived at Tristan da Cunha - sailed 31 May 2010. A football match against the Tristan Tigers was lost 5-2

13 December 2010 LH (E) Stuart Jackson discharged dead at Simonstown, South Africa

7 January 2011 anchored off Tristan da Chuna for the day. A football match against the Tristan Tigers was lost 9-0

22 September 2011 berthed at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands

23 September 2011 sailed Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Portland arriving on 27 September 2011 for a SMP

17 October 2011 arrived at Plymouth

21 October 2011 berthed at D Buoy, Plymouth Sound

24 October 2011 berthed HM Dockyard, Portsmouth

26 October 2011 sailed HM Dockyard Portsmouth

14 November 2011 sailed Plymouth Sound from Buoy E