RFA Lyme Bay

RFA Lyme Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:   

Official Number:                        9340768                                                  

Class:                                      BAY CLASS Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)

Pennant No:                            L3007
Laid down:                              1 October 2001
Builder:                                    Swan Hunter, Wallsend/Scotstoun
Launched:                               26 August 2005
Into Service:                            26 November 2007

Out of service:
Fate:

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:  In  April 2000 an Invitation to Tender was issued for the design and build of 2 Alternative Landing Ships Logistics to replace RFA’s SIR PERCIVALE and SIR GERAINT which were to enter service in 2004 and 2005. Options would be provided for up to a further 3 vessels to replace the remainder of the ageing LSL,s. 3 U.K. yards submitted bids - Appledore Shipbuilders Limited, BAE Systems and Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd. On 26 October 2000 an official announcement was made that 4  new ships would be built in a £300 million deal and that subject to negotiation of satisfactory terms and conditions, Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd would be selected as lead shipyard for the programme. Two ships would be built at Wallsend with the other two being built to the Swan Hunter design by BAE Systems Marine at Govan. The ships would be based on the very successful Dutch ROTTERDAM design, but enlarged to give greater payload carrying capacity

 

19 December 2000 ordered along with RFA LARGS  BAY

1 October 2001 construction begun - being built in 15 x 12m sections

19 January 2005 original completion date to replace RFA SIR PERCIVALE

26 August 2005 commenced floating out by Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Number 142. Named LYME BAY by Lady Elizabeth Fry, wife of Lt General Sir Rob Fry, Deputy Chief  of Defence Staff  (Commitments). Named after a bay on the south coast of England  between Portland and Torbay

3 September 2005 floating out completed

September 2005 crankshaft damaged and required replacement during engine trials at the shipyard

13 July 2006 MoD removed Swan Hunter from the LSD(A) programme and passed the entire project, including Design Authority and Lead Yard Services, to BAE Systems and arrangements were made to tow LYME BAY to Govan. Statement to the House of Commons included the following status summary: “ The LSD(A) programme is well advanced and RFA MOUNTS BAY, the first ship built by BAE Systems has completed Sea Trials and has been accepted by the MoD. RFA CARDIGAN BAY, the second BAE Systems ship, is due to be accepted in August. RFA LARGS BAY, the first of the Swan Hunter vessels was accepted off contract in April but this was over 2 years later than the original contract schedule. Although the construction of  RFA LYME BAY is well advanced, we cannot predict her acceptance date nor her cost to completion with any confidence in the current contractual arrangements. Sustaining  the current contract with Swan Hunter no longer provides value for money  for the taxpayer and to continue would be likely to lead to more delays and further cost overrun”

17 July 2006 The ship sailed undertow from Swan Hunter when incomplete to Scotstoun, River Clyde arriving on 22 July 2006 for fitting out.

15 June 2007 sailed from Govan on sea trials

22 June 2007 arrived No 2 Dry Dock at Falmouth

2 August 2007 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

3 September 2007 at anchor in Portland Harbour

11 November 2007 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

26 November 2007 accepted into service at Portland

1 February 2008 sailed Portland to the repair of the harbour at Tristan Da Cunha  - Operation Zest

24 February 2008 sailed Cape Town for Tristan da Cunha

28 February 2008 to 25 March 2008 at Tristan da Cunha for Operation Zest - emergency repairs to Calshot Harbour at Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic. She sailed from the U.K. with 150 pallets of cement, 46 Royal Engineers, a detachment of 26 RLC personnel and a medical support team. She also embarked a number of construction vehicles such as bulldozers, stone crushers and cement mixers plus landing craft to transport the stores and people ashore

6 March 2008 RASed by RFA Gold Rover off Tristan da Cunha

29 March 2008 sailed Tristan da Cunha at the end of Operation Zest to Cape Town

14 April 2008 arrived at Jamestown, St. Helena

21 July 2008 alongside at Liverpool Cruise Terminal dressed overall for the Tall Ships 2008 event

26/27 July 2008 supported the Sunderland Air Show with HMS Southampton

24 October 2008 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

28 July 2009 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

10 September 2009 HRH The Earl of Wessex visited the ship in his role as Commodore in Chief of the RFA. He was  accompanied by Brig John Smedley his Private Secretary.

17/18 September 2009 Commander in Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir Trevor Soar KCB OBE RN visited the ship

13 November 2009 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

January 2010 RFA's Argus, Lyme Bay, Wave Knight and Wave Ruler together with RN units have been honoured by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for their work to repress piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden at the 26th Session of the IMO.

9 May 2010 Captain (E) E M Quigley RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

13 August 2010 Captain Peter Farmer RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

27 August 2010 with Lyme Bay acting as afloat headquarters four RN mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs) departed Bahrain recently for a ten-day exercise with their counterparts from the US Navy in the Gulf. The exercise is designed to enable the two navies to further develop mine hunting techniques in the warm, shallow waters of the Middle East, which form a busy and important maritime environment. For the RN, it is also an opportunity for the Commander UK Mine Countermeasures Force to direct a bilateral, multi-ship mine countermeasures task force at sea. The British contingent consisted of two Hunt Class MCMVs, HMS Middleton and HMS Chiddingfold, and two Sandown Class vessels, HMS Grimsby and HMS Pembroke.

30 March 2011 with HMS Pembroke and HMS MIddleton took part in exercise with NATO’s Maritime Mine Counter Measures Group 2 to exercise in the Arabian Gulf during the final part of a month long exercise. Exercise INAS BAHR (Friendly Seas)

16 December 2011 berthed at Bahrain

28 June 2012 alongside at Falmouth in refit

2 July 2012 in a floating dock at Falmouth

21 December 2012 arrived at Falmouth

3 January 2013 sailed from Falmouth

17 January 2013 berthed at Portland

17 April 2013 sailed from Falmouth

 

Notes:

 

Was named after an area of the English Channel between Torbay and Portland on the South Coast but was originally to have been named ABOUKIR BAY to commemorate the sea battle fought under Rear Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson against the French  on 01 August 1798 off Egypt, but this was deemed to be not politically correct!