RFA Olwen (1)

For details on RFA Olwen (1) please see the entry for RFA British Light

RFA Olwen (2)

Lower image RFA Olwen during the Falklands War ©  Brian Bilverstone

Previous name:                     RFA Olynthus               
Subsequent name:               Kea

Official Number:                     307787

Class:                                      OLYNTHUS (later OLWEN)CLASS  Large Fleet Tanker

Pennant No:                           A122

Laid down:                             11 July 1963
Builder:                                   Hawthorne Leslie Shipbuilders Ltd, Hebburn
Launched:                              10 July 1964
Into Service:                           12 June 1965
Out of service:                        19 September 2000
Fate:                                         Broken up

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  The 1962 Defence Estimates included plans for “front line support ships” which would be capable of maintaining “fleet speed”, a term which was later defined as sustained steaming at 20 knots. It was noted during the Kuwait Crisis in the summer of 1961 that the four oilers of the TIDE CLASS, together with OLNA (2) were the only RFA’s with this capability. Invitations to Tender were issued during 1962 and on the 4th February 1963, it was officially announced that an order had been placed for three ships in what became known as the OLYNTHUS CLASS. Early official references to the Class suggest that up to six ships were planned. They were designed by the builders to meet specific requirements and this design built on the success of the IMPROVED TIDE CLASS and when they entered service they were the largest and fastest ships in the RFA Fleet. Capable of operating 3 x Sea-King helicopters, they had full hangar facilities too. 2 of the Class were renamed in 1967 to obviate confusion with the names of HM ships. When built, the Class cost approx £10½m

4 February 1963 Ordered as AO 15

11 July 1963 laid down

1964 her Ship’s Badge was officially presented to her

10 July 1964 launched by Hawthorn Leslie Shipbuilders Ltd, Hebburn as Yard Nr 755 named OLYNTHUS (2)  The Lady Sponsor was Mrs E.J. Braybrook, the wife of the Director of Stores (Navy)

 10 August 1964 Mr Hugh C F Sweenie RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

1 March 1965 Captain Iorwerth B Roberts RFA appointed as Master

21 June 1965 completed six months after the original planned completion date

26 June 1965 sailed from the Tyne

8 August 1965 to 11 August 1965 took part in the Clyde Royal Review along with RFA‘s BLACK RANGER, RESURGENT, ROWANOL and WAVE PRINCE

December 1965 dry docked at Southampton due to reported 'teething troubles' with her engines 

15 January 1967 Captain A S McWIlliam RFA appointed as Master

15 June 1967 Mr Ken Robinson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

5 August 1967 the Lady Sponsor attended a Renaming Luncheon aboard at Portsmouth

28 August 1967 During a refit at Portsmouth was renamed OLWEN (2) to obviate confusion  with the submarine HMS OLYMPUS. Name derived from that of the daughter of  Ysbadadden who was won by  Culhwch, the nephew of  King Arthur, who firstly had  to fulfill 40 tasks, one of which was the hunting of the boar Tworch Trwyth

28 August 1967 the Olynthus Class was redesignated as the Olwen Class

March 1968 Captain George Robson CBE RFA appointed as Master

15 May 1968 Mr E Smeaton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

26 June 1969 Followed HMY BRITANNIA to an anchorage 5 cables west of the breakwater at Holyhead as one of the ships involved in the Prince of Wales’ Investiture Tour of the Principality of Wales. Other ships included the frigate HMS LLANDAFF and the minesweepers HMS’s IVESTON, LEWISTON and SHOULTON

30 June 1969 sailed Holyhead and anchored off Llandudno

3 July 1969 sailed Llandudno for an At Sea Day with the frigate HMS LLANDAFF on completion of which she anchored off Abersoch in order to refuel the minesweeper HMS SHOULTON early the following morning

19 November 1970 to 11 December 1970  humanitarian assistance - took part in Operation Burlap - to East Pakistan following extensive damage and flooding caused by a cyclone along with HM ships TRIUMPH,  INTREPID and HYDRA and RFA’s RESOURCE, SIR GALAHAD (1) and  STROMNESS

11 November 1971 Captain Barry H Rutterford RFA appointed as Master

Captain Barry H Rutterford RFA

19 July 1972 Captain Richard M Thorn RFA appointed as Master

24 June 1973 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 2nd Cod War until 10 July 1973

14 July 1973 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 2nd Cod War until 27 July 1973

30 July 1973 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 2nd Cod War until 10 August 1973

10 July 1974 to 30 September 1974 with the Task Force including the carrier HMS HERMES with 41 Commando Royal  Marines and RFA’s GOLD ROVER, OLNA (3) and REGENT, she stood by off Cyprus following a coup d’etat attempt and the subsequent Turkish invasion.

February 1975 Supported the helicopter cruiser HMS TIGER and the frigate HMS CHARYBDIS off  Cyprus during a period of heightened tension there

29 October 1975 Berthed on Yonderberry Jetty, Plymouth and at anchor in the Sound

3 November 1975 sailed Plymouth to take part in Exercise Moby Dick to the South West of Ireland

4 November 1975 RASed HMS's Hermes, Bacchante and Tartar

5 November 1975 RASed HMRCS's Fraser and Nipicon and HMS Sheffield

6 November 1975 RASed HMS's Blake, Galatea, Eskimo, Tartar, Bacchante and Skeena

7 November 1975 RASed HMRCS Nipicon -  noon position 310 miles WNW of Fastnet Rock

8 November 1975 RASed HMS Hermes -  noon position 100 miles off west coast of Ireland

9 November 1975 RASed HMS's ESKIMO, TARTAR, BLAKE and GALATEA

10 November 1975 RFA Pearleaf pumped over to Olwen and RFA Olna pumped over to RFA Olmeda

11 November 1975 RASed USS JOSEPHUS DANIELS (Guided Missile Destroyer), HMS Blake and Galatea

12 November 1975 RASed HMS Hermes

13 November 1975 Noon position 200 miles NW of Cape Wrath. heading for the Faroes

14 November 1975 RASed HMS Galatea and Hermes

15 November 1975 RASed HMS Blake and USS Bowen

16 November 1975 RASed Galatea, USS Ainsworth & Paul. Simulated ammunition RAS with USS Josephus Daniels

17 November 1975 RASed HMS Hermes.  Noon position  90 miles west of Norway on NE heading

18 November 1975 Pump over from RFA Pearleaf

19 November 1975 RASed with  USS Paul, Josephus Daniels and HMS Galatea.  Trouble with steering

20 November 1975 Off the Shetlands.  RASed HMS's Blake and Hermes

21 November 1975 Off Aberdeen.  RASed HMS Devonshire and USS Fletcher. then anchored at Rosyth until 26 November 1975

27 November 1975 went alongside at Rosyth until 9 December 1975

9 December 1975 sailed Rosyth for Icelandic waters and to relieve RFA Tidepool

13 December 1975 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 3rd Cod War until 5 January 1976

15 January 1976 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 3rd Cod War until 23 February 1976

24 March 1976 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 3rd Cod War until 22 April 1976

10 April 1976 Wessex 417 crewed by Lt Cdr Simmons, Lt T MacMahon, Lt A Ross and POACMN Butler left RFA Olwen and flew to a Norwegian research ship 'Harmoni'  46 miles to the north with a crew member who had suffered from bleeding on the brain. This research ship was stuck in pack ice nearly four hundred miles inside the Arctic Circle. A US Air Force Hercules from Keflavik assisted in finding the Harmoni. RFA Olwen was inside the ice field with the ice being up to 15 feet thick. The sick seaman was brought back to RFA Olwen and with the assistance of the Hercules exited from the ice pack. She sailed to Jan Mayen Island where the helicopter was again used to transfer the patient ashore and a two engined Norwegian plane was waiting to take him to Norway.

26 May 1976 deployed in support of RN units off Iceland during 3rd Cod War until 1 June 1976

25 November 1977 to 19 December 1977 along with RFA RESOURCE, the frigates HMS ALACRITY and HMS PHOEBE and the nuclear powered submarine HMS DREADNOUGHT was secretly despatched from Devonport to a holding area 1000 miles NE of the Falkland  Islands on  Operation Journeyman - to prevent a possible Argentinian  invasion - after 50 Argentine “scientists” landed on South  Thule

3 September 1978 while on passage from Malta to Portland, she ran aground at 0858 on the Shambles Bank to the east of Portland Bill in Dorset. RFA Typhoon, which was undergoing trials off Falmouth, was directed to make full speed to Portland and was accompanied by the civilian tug Guardsman. HMS Norfolk had a line of Olwen's bow. She was refloated at 1949 that same evening with the  additional assistance of the Dockyard tugs FOXHOUND and SHEEPDOG

5 April 1980 carried out 12 successful Sea Harrier landings on her Flight Deck. This was the first  time that a Sea Harrier had landed on the deck of an RFA

7 October 1980 Along with RFA STROMNESS were the first RFA’s to be deployed on Operation Armilla - the Gulf Patrol

1982 did not see service in the Falklands Conflict as she was in refit at Gibraltar at the time. Her refit was completed ahead of schedule but she did not arrive in the South Atlantic until July 1982

9 August 1984 while serving in the Falklands Islands area she was hit by a rogue wave which killed two and injured four of her crew. The injured men were flown to the British Military Hospital at Port Stanley

20 October 1986 humanitarian aid - airlifted 2 fishermen from the Irish fishing vessel STARDUST off Northern Ireland to Kilmarnock after they had been overcome by methane gas poisoning

6 November 1986 humanitarian aid - assisted in the search and rescue attempt for survivors from a  ditched Chinook helicopter 2 miles east of Sumburgh Head in the Shetlands in which 45 people died

31 October 1987 Captain Rex A Cooper RFA appointed as Master

13 June 1988 sailed Portsmouth as part of Task Group 318.1 - the Outback 88 Deployment led by the carrier HMS ARK ROYAL - along with RFA’s FORT GRANGE and ORANGELEAF (3)

4 April 1991 Captain Anthony Pitt DSC RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

29 September 1991 Steward Glen Lawrence discharged dead

10 July 1992 berthed ats Singapore

23 August 1992 Captain Brian J Waters OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

January 1993 was part of Task Force 612 led by the carrier HMS ARK ROYAL in Operation Grapple - Adriatic operations

December 1993 Captain Derek N L Yeomans RFA in command

8 December 1994 Captain Brian J Waters OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

28 June 1996 humanitarian aid - provided a Boarding Party to assist to control flooding in the Russian cruise liner ALLA TARASOVA off  Fraserburgh, Scotland

28 September 1996 Captain David Gerrard RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

Captain David Gerrard RFA

30 April 1998 Captain Pat Thompson OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

21 April 1999 to 14 June 1999 routine docking

1999 wthdrawn from service as an economy measure and was laid up at Portsmouth

19 September 2000 handed over for disposal; purchased by Eckhardt Organisation, Germany for scrap

January 2001 was renamed KEA for the delivery run to the breakers

2 February 2001 sailed Portsmouth in tow of the Honduras-registered tug VALIANT NADER for Aliaga, Turkey

19 February 2001 broke adrift from her tug in a storm off Gibraltar when the tug lost all power. A Spanish rescue tug from Algeciras came to her aid

26 February 2001 tow was passed to the Honduras-registered tug SIR MICHAEL

May 2001 reported that she and her sister ship RFA OLNA (3) had been banned from Turkish yards owing to high asbestos content. Diverted to Greece. Finally sailed via the Suez Canal for Indian breakers

21 July 2001 beached at Alang, India  for demolition by Shree Saibaba Ship Breaking Co

Notes: