RFA Resurgent

RFA Resurgent

 

 

 

 

Previous name:                      Changchow III
Subsequent name:

Official Number:                     184366                                                                           

Class:                                    RETAINER CLASS Armaments/Victualling Stores Issuing Ship

Pennant No:                          A280

Laid down:
Builder:                                 Scotts' Ship Building, Greenock
Launched:                             31 July 1950
Into Service:                         15 February 1951

Out of service:                       18 August 1979 laid up at Rosyth
Fate:                                    Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:   There were 2 ships in this Class, which had originally been built as cargo/passenger liners for their owners’ China - Hong Kong - Amoy - Indonesia trade. As built, the Promenade and Upper Decks on each side were for the exclusive use of 48 x First Class passengers for whom their was luxurious accommodation in 2-bert cabins. They also had a Card Room, Lounge, Veranda Lounge and 2 Dining Saloons for European and Chinese palates respectively. There were no Second Class passengers but a steep social drop in accommodation in 8 and 10 berth cabins for 320 Steerage Class passengers who also had their own Dining Saloon. Both ships proved surplus to requirements almost at once, as the trade at that time was overstocked with tonnage and the Chinese Communist Government stopped all immigration as soon as they came to power.. The Admiralty purchased both ships and after employing them for a while on charter work, they were converted into Armament Stores Issuing Ships, although they also carried a proportion of Victualling Stores too. They were eventually replaced by RFA’s FORT GRANGE and FORT AUSTIN

 

31 July 1950  launched by Scotts Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Greenock as Yard Nr 654 named CHANGCHOW III for China Navigation Co, London

15 February 1951 completed and after trials was chartered by Cie des Messageries Maritimes, France for their France - South Pacific - Sydney service

29 February 1952 purchased by the Admiralty but remained on charter

21 July 1952 berthed at Sydney, NSW from Noumea

26 July 1952 at Sydney, NSW but prevented from putting to sea due to severe weather

29 December 1952 berthed at Sydney, NSW from Noumea

March 1953 finally delivered to the Admiralty

25 April 1953 renamed Resurgent and was again chartered out

2 October 1953 at Curacao 2nd Cook Lo Chun discharged dead - natural causes

February 1954 she was offered for charter by the MoT until 04/55, with the possibility of an extension thereafter

1955 - 1957 on charter to British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd, London same name

July 1957 returned to Admiralty service

August 1957 taken in hand by Vickers Armstrong (Shipbuilders) Ltd at Palmers Hebburn Yard for conversion into an Armaments Stores Issuing Ship for service with the Far East Fleet

1 May 1958 Captain E Payne RFA appointed as Master

2 August 1958 conducted RAS trials off the Tyne with the frigate HMS BLACKWOOD

28 August 1958 sailed from the Tyne on completion of her conversion

Setember 1958 trials and then to Cairn Ryan for ammunition storing

8 October 1958 at Plymouth

9 October 1958 sailed for the Far East

13 October 1958 berthed at Gibraltar

17 November 1958 sailed Aden

21 December 1958 in exercises off Hong Kong with HMS Ceylon, HMS Cheviot, HMS Cavalier, HMS Cardigan Bay together with RFA's Reliant and Tidesurge

Christmas 1958 at Hong Kong

3 January 1959 Mr R R Darroch RFA appointed Chief Engineer Officer

January 1959 sailed Hong Kong for Singapore

28 January 1959 RASed HMS Cardigan Bay off Singapore

February 1959 storing at Singapore

14 March 1959 berthed at Fremantle, Australia with HMS Chichester, HMS Cheviot and HMAS Voyager

18 March 1959 sailed Fremantle

31 March 1959 at Singapore for maintenance

14 April 1959 to 28 April 1959 took part in the SEATO exercise 'Sea Demon'

28 April 1959 at Manilla

4 May 1959 at Singapore

25 May 1959 with HMS's Albion and Chichester crossed the Indian Ocean

June 1959 at Durban and Mombassa

July 1959 at Aden and the Persian Gulf with HMS Centaur and 1st Destroyer Squadron

August 1959 at Karachi

11 August 1959 sailed Karachi

13 August 1959 to 21 August 1959 took part in exercise 'JET 59'

August 1959 to Trincomalee to de ammunition the damaged HMS Hogue

27 August 1959 at Penang

September 1959 at Hong Kong

October 1959 at Trincomalee handing over to RFA Retainer

November 1959 arrived at Plymouth to destore and to Milford Haven to de ammunition

December 1959 at Plymouth 

18 December 1959 Captain Walter L Holtam RFA appointed as Master

27 January 1960 Captain J Dines RFA appointed as Master

26 June 1961 sailed Singapore with RFA's Reliant (2), Tidereach and HMS Victorious with other RN units

July 1961 saw service during Operation Vantage - the Kuwait Crisis - along with 12 other  RFA’s

15 October 1961 Mr W E Young RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

5 December 1961 Captain F G Edwards OBE RFA appointed as Master

May 1962 Seaman Francis John Clark discharged dead

15 June 1962 together with HMS ARK ROYAL and other RN and RAN warships involved in Exercise Potluck off Hong Kong

18 June 1962 RAS'ed with HMNZS TARANAKI and HMAS PARRAMATTA off Okinawa

27 June 1962 RAS'ed with HMAS PARRAMATTA

July 1963 accompanied the carrier HMS VICTORIOUS from the U.K. - Far East along with  RFA’s RELIANT (2), TIDESPRING and WAVE RULER (1)

17 July 1963 her Ship’s Badge was officially presented to her

24 September 1963 at Mombassa, Keyna - John Ryan, Civilian Naval Stores clerk, discharged dead after dying in hospital from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in a game park some three weeks before

31 March 1964 Mr C F Gurr RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

21 April 1964 Captain Alistair C Gibson RFA appointed as Master

8 August 1965 to 11 August 1965 took part in the Clyde Royal Review along with RFA‘s BLACK RANGER, OLYNTHUS (2), ROWANOL and WAVE PRINCE

27 August 1965 Mr J W Stuart RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

18 September 1965 Captain N B J Stapleton RD RFA appointed as Master

17 March 1966 along with RFA’s RELIANT (2) and TIDEPOOL was in support of the destroyer HMS CAMBRIAN and the frigate HMS PLYMOUTH on the Beira Patrol in the Mozambique Channel

6 July 1966 Captain J D G Gray RFA appointed as Master

26 August 1966 Mr W E Young RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

4 October 1966 commenced to take part in Exercise Millsail - an advanced weapon exercise - in the Subic training areas, together with RFA's TIDESPRING, FORT DUQUESNE and FORT ROSALIE together with various RN and RAN units

31 October 1966 berthed Sydney, NSW, Australia

7 December 1966 Captain J Gulessarian RFA appointed as Master

13 June 1967 Mr G R Henderson RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

11 October 1967 to 25 January 1968 part of TF 318 - the Aden Task Force formed to cover the final British withdrawal from the area codenamed Operation Magister along with 9 other RFA’s and she took part in the final Fleet Review with 5 of the other RFA‘s involved

13 January 1968 Captain J H McLoughlin RFA appointed as Master

1 April 1968 Mr J P Mair RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

14 March 1969 Humanitarian aid - a Catering Boy aboard developed appendicitis in the South Atlantic and the Ship’s Surgeon radioed for assistance in conducting the necessary operation. A rendezvous  was made with the Russian CHELUSKIN about 600 miles NW of Ascension Island  and the operation was conducted by two Russian Surgeon Commanders with the Ship’s Doctor acting as anaesthetist

June/July 1970 Beira Patrol

February 1971 visited Jamestown, St. Helena

6 June 1971 in the South China Sea responded to a radio message for medical assistance from a Singapore registered cargo vessel 'Ocean Mercury' when a seaman Yeung Siu Fun who had suffered a stroke. Treated onboard by the ship's doctor and then conveyed to a Singapore Hospital for treatment arriving on 7 June 1971

12 February 1972 with HMS Triumph visited Recife, Brazil on good will visit

30 March 1972 sailed Malta with RFA Wave Chief and HMS Bulwalk. RASed with HMS Bulwalk off the island

31 August 1973 at Devonport unloaded a 3 engined Junkers 52 donated by the Portuguese Government for the Imperial War Museum

8 October 1973 Humanitarian aid - she came across the blazing and abandoned Cypriot-registered  vessel NEJMA whilst on passage from La Spezia boarded her, extinguished the blaze and then towed the heavily damaged ship to Majorca

20 January 1976 at Wellington, New Zealand - self maintenance period - sailed 2 February 1976

13 July 1979 conducted her final operational RAS with the carrier HMS BULWARK

18 August 1979 arrived Rosyth to destore.

September 1979 sailed Rosyth for Bermuda, Mayport before transiting the Panama Canal. On arrival in the Pacific she visited San Diego, San Francisco, Prince Rupert (BC), Vancouver, Keyport (Seattle), before returning via the Panama Canal, Bermuda, Devonport and Rosyth to destore and pay off in December 1979

December 1979  laid up for disposal

18 March 1981 sold to Davies & Newman Ltd, London for £189,000 on behalf of Asturamerican  Shipping Co Inc, Panama and was then resold to Desguaces Vige S.A, San Estaban for scrap

5 May 1981 sailed Rosyth in tow of the Panamanian-registered Spanish tug SUZANNE M

13 May 1981 arrived Avilez where some superstructure was removed to lighten her

15 May 1981 arrived for breaking up at San Esteban de Pravia, Spain by Desguaces Vige 

 

Notes:

 

Was one of the 11 store ships employed in the Mozchan on Beira Patrol duties