RFA Sir Bedivere

RFA Sir Bedivere

 

 

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:              NDCC Almirante Saboia  

Official Number:                   309987                                                                      

Class:                                     SIR LANCELOT CLASS Landing Ship Logistics

Pennant No:                          L3004

Laid down:                            28 October 1965
Builder:                                  Hawthorn Leslie
Launched:                            20 July 1966

Into Service:                          1970
Out of service:                      18 February 2008
Fate:                                       Sold to Brazillian Navy

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:   In December 1961 the following announcement was made: War Office Military Supply Ship: “A 6000t ocean-going twin screw military supply vessel has been ordered by the MOT from the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co Ltd at Govan, who are to develop the final specifications of the ship, which is expected to cost about £1million. Building will start around February 1962 and the ship is expected to be in service late in 1963 or early in 1964. The design calls for a fast troop and vehicle carrier capable of discharging onto beaches. She will have bow and stern loading facilities for tanks and military vehicles, ramp loading hatches, cargo handling cranes and provision for carrying and launching pontoons. A helicopter will be carried aft, and on completion she will have a Merchant Navy crew and will be managed by the British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd” In March 1963 it was announced that tenders were to be invited for a further two vessels at a cost of £2 million each and all 3  would then replace 13 former Tank Landing Ships and would be part of an eventual Class of 5 or 6 ships, all of which would be named after Knights of the Round Table. The final 3 vessels were ordered in April 1965, and in December 1968 it was announced that as from January 1970, the management of these 6 vessels, as well as that of 1 ex-LST, would be transferred to the RFA

28 October 1965 laid down as LSL 03

20 July 1966 launched by Hawthorn Leslie Shipbuilders Ltd, Hebburn as Yard Nr 760  named SIR BEDIVERE for the Ministry of Transport. The Lady Sponsor was Mrs W Campbell, wife of the Chairman of British India Steam Navigation Co

18 May 1967 completed and placed under management of British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd., London

14 January 1970 management transferred to the RFA

25 January 1971her Ship’s Badge was officially presented to her

19 September 1971 sailed Singapore to Hong Kong with 300 members of the 1st Bat. 2nd Ling Edward VII Own Gurkha Rifles

31 October 1971 a steam past to mark the end of the Far Eastern Fleet took place with the salute being taken by the Commander in Chief Far East Forces Air Marshall Sir Brian Burnett and the Commander of the Far East Fleet Rear Admiral J A R Troup from the Sir Bedivere

26 January 1972 to 7 February 1972 along with HMS FEARLESS and RFA’s SIR GERAINT and SIR TRISTRAM she was part of the British Amphibious Task Force patrolling off British Honduras to provide an anti-invasion force

 9 January 1973 Captain Barry H Rutterford RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Barry H Rutterford RFA

 

18 August 1974 sailed Malta for Cyprus

2 April 1982 while serving on the West Coast of Canada she was recalled to the U.K. for service during Operation Corporate - the Falklands Conflict - and sailed from Vancouver

25 April 1982 arrived Marchwood Military Port from Vancouver

29 April 1982 sailed Marchwood Military Port for service during  Operation Corporate - the Falklands Conflict

14 May 1982 arrived Ascension Island en route to join up with the rest of the Amphibious Landing Force in San Carlos Water later that month

18 May 1982 entered the TEZ (Total Exclusion Zone) around the Falkland Islands

24 May 1982 whilst anchored in San Carlos Water she was hit by an Argentinian bomb which  cut through her crane’s steel plating and then bounced into the sea before exploding and caused minor damage. She also claimed one Mirage splashed

 

RFA Bedivere in San Carlos Water with an Argentinian Dagger aircraft passing overhead on 24 May 1982

 

16 June 1982 became the 2nd ship to enter Port Stanley after RFA SIR PERCIVALE

31 October 1982 sailed Falkland Islands for home

16 November 1982 berthed at Marchwood Military Port after Operation Corporate with the remains of sixty four Servicemen (52 from the Army, 11 from the Royal Marines and I Chinese laundryman from HMS Coventry ) for burial or cremation at home. Lance Sergeant Iain Mackinnon, Scots Guards played 'Flowers of the Forest' in tribute to fallen colleagues as those being repatriated were ashore from the ship

 

Picture courtesy of The Southern Daily Echo

2 June 1984 to 7 June 1984 served as Control and Accommodation Ship at Caen for the 40th Anniversary of D-Day celebrations

25 September 1984 was awarded her Falkland Islands 1982 Battle Honour at Marchwood by Mr A Kemp   DST (SF)

10 October 1988 sailed UK for Hong Kong on a maintenance run in place of RFA SIR GERAINT which had run aground in Norway

11 October 1988 suffered minor structural damage and cargo loss and damage due to heavy weather   while crossing the Bay of Biscay

13 October 1988 returned to Devonport for deck cargo to be resecured then sailed for Marchwood for   repairs

10 May 1990 played the role of a stricken ferry in Exercise Common Aim 2  - purported to have been in collision with a warship off Portland. Over 300 firefighters, medical personnel and technologists were co-ordinated by Weymouth Coastguards with “serious cases” airlifted to hospital from the ship. The Exercise was a complete success

27 September 1990 sailed U.K. for Bremerhaven to load equipment for the Gulf Area following the Iraqi  invasion of Kuwait

28 September 1990 sailed Bremerhaven with tanks and other military vehicles of the 17^th Armoured   Division, in company with the Danish ro-ro MERCANDIAN QUEEN 11and the Italian ro-ro JOLLY TURCHESE for service during Operation Granby - the Gulf War

20 October 1990 arrived Al Jubayl for Gulf War Support Duties

25 December 1990 suffered a main engine defect while on passage back to the Gulf Area and diverted to  Gibraltar for repairs

28 February 1991provided Stores Support in the Forward Area

1991 was awarded the Kuwait 1991 Battle Honour along with 10 other RFA’s

2 September 1991 Captain (E) E M Quigley RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

October to December 1992 was part of Operation Grapple - sailed to the Adriatic to support British elements of the UN Protection Force in former Yugoslavia along with RFA’s RESOURCE and ARGUS

6 June 1994 in Caen for the 50th Anniversary of D-Day celebrations

14 November 1994 Arrived Rosyth for a Ship Life Extension Programme carried out by Babcock Rosyth Defence Ltd, which involved cutting her in 2, inserting a new midship section, new engines and then replacing the original aluminium accommodation block with one of  steel

June 1998 SLEP completed at a cost of £68.8m

12 November 2000 part of the Amphibious Ready Group led by the assault ship HMS OCEAN which arrived off the coast of Sierra Leone on Operation Silkman - a high visibility demonstration of the U.K. commitment to Sierra Leone - along with RFA’s ARGUS,  FORT AUSTIN and SIR TRISTRAM

April 2001 Captain Richard Bliss RFA in command

15 January 2003 to 28 May 2003 sailed U.K. for service during Operation Telic - the 2nd Gulf War - along with thirteen other RFA’s

29 April 2003 Captain Shaun Jones RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

29 May 2003 returned to Millbay on completion of Operation Telic duties

23 July 2003 represented the RFA at a presentation by the Queen of New Colours to the RN aboard the LPD HMS OCEAN in Plymouth Sound along with RFA’s ARGUS and WAVE KNIGHT (2)

7 June 2005 involved in an accident with a dock wall at Bidston Dry dock, Liverpool causing slight damage

15 June 2005 sailed from Liverpool after refit

28 June 2005 with the Princess Royal embarked she took part in the International Fleet Review  for Trafalgar 200 at Spithead along  with RFA’s  ARGUS, FORT GEORGE,  FORT VICTORIA, ORANGELEAF (3), SIR GALAHAD (2), SIR TRISTRAM and WAVE RULER (2)

26 August 2006 to 27 August 2006 acted as Guard Ship at the Dartmouth Royal Regatta

10 February 2007 Captain Shaun Jones RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

1 April 2007 became Mother Ship and Afloat Training Platform for the Iraqi Navy and Iraqi Marines

18 February 2008 arrived Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood to decommission and was met on arrival  by the Commodore-in-Chief RFA HRH Prince Edward and Commodore RFA Commodore Bob Thornton RFA. Was awarded the RFA Centenary Wedgewood Bowl for 2007 in recognition of her services  in the Northern Arabian Gulf

25 February 2008 final arrival Portsmouth to prepare for disposal

19 November 2008 sailed Portsmouth for Falmouth in tow of tug URAN after sale to Brazil

25 May 2009 sold by MOD to Brazilian Navy for £10 million pounds and renamed ALMIRANTE SABOIA ( G 25) after a late Brazilian Naval hero. His widow and other Family members were present at the handover ceremony. The Commanding Officer was Oscar Moreira da Silva Filho

 

 

 

23 June 2009 sailed Famouth to Lison, Portugal and then to Tenerife, in the Canary Islands

31 July 2009 berthed at Rio de Janerio

7 September 2009 attended the Independence Day Naval Parade at  Rio de Janerio

10 December 2009 attended the Sailor Day parade at Santos, Brazil

17 December 2009 sailed Santos to Rio de Janerio

12 January 2010 to 30 January 2010 took part in Operation ASPIRANTEX-2010

31 January 2010 commended loading supplies for operations at Haiti

1 February 2010 sailed Rio de Janerio with 700 tons of material for Brazilian Marines and the Brazilian Army and humanitarian aid to the Haitian people

17 February 2010 arrived at Haiti for a 30 day deployment

11 to 16 May 2010 was at Port au Prince, Haiti

24 September 2010 underway at Manaus, Brazil

16 November 2010 to 25 November 2010 took part in Operation ADEREX-II/2010 with other units of the Brazillian Navy between Rio de Janerio and Santos

1 December 2010 to 12 December 2010 carried 85 tons of cargo and research materials to Trinidade Island

7 January 2011 to 28 January 2011 took part in in Operation ASPIRANTEX-2011 with other units of the Brazillian Navy. berthed at Buenos Aires between 13 January 2011 to the 17 January 2011 and later Rio de Janerio

26 April 2011 to 6 May 2011 deployed giving logistical support to the Oceanographic Station on the Trindade Island (Poitou). A Super Puma helicopter was used making 58 VERTREP carring 53 tons of stores

19 May 2011 berthed at Santos in the morning. Sailed the same evening

 

 

20 May 2011 berthed at Santos (again)

24 May 2011 berthed at Rio de Janerio

May 2011 Captain Son Vernon Citavicius took over command

29 November 2011 at Fortaleza, Brazil

11 December 2011 at Isla da Trinidade

23 December 2011 berthed at Rio de Janerio

January 2012 the ship took part in Operation ASPIRANTEX-12 in the sea area between the Rio de Janeiro and the Argentine and Uruguayan coasts

19 to the 23 January 2012 the ship was at Mar Del Plata, Argentina

27 to the 30 January 2012 at Itajai

1 February 2012 while arriving at Rio de Janerio after Operation ASPIRANTEX-12 was involved in a security exercise where the ship reported that she had been taken over by pirates. The ship and its crew were rescued by other units of the Brazillian Navy.

29 February 2012 involved in a survey of Aviation Safety where helicopters landed onboard.

6 March 2012 further training with a SH-3 Helicopter Squadron Anti-Submarine (HS-1) was held with a total of 18 landings on the ship

 

Notes:

 Was named after one of the 35 Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend who was also Cup Bearer to King Arthur. He was with Arthur at the Battle of Camlan where Arthur was fatally wounded. As he lay dying he commanded Sir Bedivere to throw his sword Excalibur as far as he could into a nearby stretch of water and when Sir Bedivere did so, the hand and arm of the Lady of the Lake came out, shook the sword 3 times and then vanished beneath the water