RFA Sir Galahad

RFA Sir Galahad

RFA Sir Galahad (1)

 

 

 

 Previous name:
Subsequent name:  

Official Number:                     309790                                                                             

Class:                                    SIR LANCELOT CLASS Landing Ship Logistics

Pennant No:                          L3005

Laid down:                            22 February 1965  
Builder:                                 Alexander Stephen & Sons
Launched:                             19 April 1966
Into Service:                          17 December 1966
Out of service:                        8 June 1982 destroyed during Falklands War
Fate:                                     Sunk as a war grave 

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

 

22 February 1965 laid down as LSL 02

19 April 1966 launched by Alexander Stephen & Sons Ltd, Linthouse as Yard Nr 690 named SIR GALAHAD (1) for the Ministry of Transport

17 December 1966 completed and placed under management of British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd., London

29 June 1968 together with mv Sir Lancelot (before RFA service), HMS INTREPID, two SRN6 hovercraft, 10,000 members of the Armed Forces and 100 Aircraft involved in Exercise Lath on the East Coast of Malaysia 

29 August 1968 was the first ship to berth at the Penang Port Commission's new deep water wharves at Butterworth to load a Royal Navy Buccaneer Aircraft to be taken to RAF Changi, Singapore for repairs. The aircraft had come from HMS HERMES

17 December 1968 in Singapore Roads

31 December 1968 berthed at Singapore Docks

28 May 1968 in Penang Roads

18 June 1969 in Singapore Roads

7 March 1970 management transferred to the RFA

17 March 1970 Captain Richard Thorn RFA appointed as Captain

31 March 1970 in the Western Roads at Singapore

19 June 1970 in the Western Roads at Singapore

23 September 1970 sailed Singapore for Calcutta with members of the Commonwealth Expedition Comex 4 as passengers

2 October 1970 berthed alongside at Penang Harbour

21 October 1970 in the Western Roads at Singapore

19 November 1970 to 11 December 1970  humanitarian assistance - was part of  Operation Burlap - the U.K. military relief operation to East Pakistan following extensive damage and flooding caused by a cyclone along with  HM ships TRIUMPH, INTREPID and HYDRA and RFA’s  RESOURCE, OLWEN (2) and STROMNESS

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

 4 May 1971 the Thai cargo ship Pichai Samut exploded off Singapore. The Shell tanker Hyria and Sir Galahad searched for survivors - 14 crew members of the Pichai Samut were rescued and landed at Singapore

13 July 1972 sailed Malta for Marchwood

19 October 1972 arrived at Malta

2 October 1973 arrived at Malta from Cyprus with RFA Sir Lancelot. Both ships carried members of 41 Commando, Royal Marines

25 July 1974 arrived at Malta from Gibraltar to load stores

3 August 1974 sailed from Malta

August 1976 Captain A S McWilliam RFA in command

March 1977 Captain David R Thompson RFA in command

3 April 1982 arrived Devonport to discharge her ex-Norwegian exercises cargo

6 April 1982 sailed Devonport for service during Operation Corporate - the Falklands Conflict - with 350 Royal Marines and 3 Gazelle helicopters from 3 Commando Brigade Air Squadron embarked

7 April 1982 the Amphibious Landing Group assembled at sea. The other ships involved were  RFA’s SIR LANCELOT, SIR GERAINT, SIR PERCIVALE and PEARLEAF (2).and were escorted by the LPD HMS FEARLESS and the frigates HMS ALACRITY and HMS ANTELOPE

19 April 1982 the Group arrived Ascension Island

29 April 1982 sailed Ascension Island  in company with RFA‘s SIR GERAINT, SIR LANCELOT, SIR PERCIVALE, SIR TRISTRAM and PLUMLEAF(2) and HM ships FEARLESS, INTREPID and ANTELOPE

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

21 May 1982 entered San Carlos Water with the Amphibious Landing Group

24 May 1982 was hit by a 1000 lb bomb in San Carlos Water which did not explode

26 May 1982 the unexploded bomb was successfully removed

1 June 1982 returned to full operational service

8 June 1982 sailed San Carlos Water in the early morning for Fitzroy Creek

8 June 1982 was again bombed by Argentinian Skyhawk aircraft at Port Pleasant, Fitzroy Creek and was seriously damaged by three bombs. One bomb went through the open upper deck hatch and deflagrated, causing a massive fireball which swept through the tank deck causing heavy casualties amongst the embarked Welsh Guards who were billeted there. The second bomb exploded in the galley area, killing the butcher and the third  one burst in the engine room, killing the Third Engineer Officer and trapping others in the thick smoke which resulted.  The fires aboard  raged for over a week. The wounded were transferred to the LPD HMS  INTREPID and then to the Hospital Ship UGANDA which anchored in  Grantham Sound

 

(Memorial on a seat beside the Scott Monument, East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh)

 11 June 1982 the remainder of her Ship’s  Company were transferred to  ATLANTIC CAUSEWAY for onward movement to the requisitioned BP tanker  BRITISH TEST  which transported them to Ascension Island from where they were flown back to RAF Brize Norton in the U.K

25 June 1982 was towed out to sea by the tug RMAS TYPHOON and was torpedoed and sunk by HMS/m Onyx off the Falkland Islands as a war grave at  50°12’ S, 56° 46’ W  The ship is designated a Protected wreck under the Protection of Military Remains Act. and the following died on board in the attack: -

 

Sir Galahad Crew

2nd Engineer Officer Paul Anderson Henry, GM

3rd Engineer Officer Andrew J. Morris

3rd Engineer Officer Christopher  F. Hailwood

Electrical Fitter Leung Chau.

Butcher Sung Yuk  Fai

 

1^st Battalion Welsh Guards

 Lance Corporal  Anthony  Burke

Lance Seargeant  James  R. Carlyle

Guardsman  Raymond G. Thomas

Lance Corporal  Stephen  J. Newbury

Guardsman  Ian  A. Dale

Guardsman  Michael  Dunphy

Guardsman  Peter  Edwards

Sergeant  Clifford  Elley

Guardsman  Mark  Gibby

Guardsman  Glenn  C. Grace

Guardsman  Paul  Green

Guardsman Gareth  M. Griffiths

Guardsman Denis  N. Hughes

Guardsman Gareth  Hughes

Guardsman  Brian  Jasper

Guardsman  Anthony  Keeble

Lance Sergeant  Kevin  Keoghane

Guardsman  Michael  J. Marks

Guardsman Christopher  Mordecai

Guardsman Gareth  D. Nicholson

Guardsman  Colin  C. Parsons

Guardsman  Eirwyn  J. Phillips

Guardsman  Gareth  W. Poole

Guardsman  Nigel  A. Rowberry

Lance Corporal  Phillip  A. Sweet

Guardsman  Glyn  K. Thomas

Lance Corporal  Nicholas  D. M. Thomas

Guardsman  Andrew  Walker

Lance Corporal  Christopher  F. Ward

Guardsman  James  F. Weaver

Sergeant  Malcolm  Wigley

Guardsman David  R. Williams

 

Army Catering Corps

 

Lance Corporal Barry  C. Bullers

Private  Albert  M. Connett

Private  M. Anthony  Jones

Private Richard  W. Middlewick

 

Royal Army Medical Corps

 

Lance Corporal  Ian  R. Farrell

Major Roger Nutbeem

Private  Kenneth  Preston

 

Royal Engineers

 

Corporal   Andrew  G. McIllvenny

Sapper  Wayne  D. Tabard

 

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

 

Craftsman  Mark W. Rollins

Lance Corporal  Anthony  R. Streatfield

 

 

Notes:

 

 

1. Was named after one of the 35 Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend  who managed to pull the sword Excalibur out of a stone and who, along with Sir Percival and Sir Bors, was one of the achievers of the Holy Grail. He was the son of Sir Lancelot.

2. Her bell was recovered by RMAS TYPHOON and after being on display at South Shields Marine and Technical College for a while, it was handed over to the Falkland Memorial Chapel, Pangbourne College in Berkshire for permanent exhibition in a chapel there

 

RFA Sir Galahad 2

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:                 Garcia D'Avila

Official Number:                      713026                                                         

Class:                                    Landing Ship Logistics

Pennant No:                          L3005

Laid down:                            12 May 1985 
Builder:                                  Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd, Wallsend
Launched:                             13 December 1986 
Into Service:                          25 November 1987

Out of service:                       Into reserve 20 July 2007

Fate:                                    Sold out of service

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 Background Data:  She was ordered in 1984 as a replacement for the earlier ship of the same name which had been sunk as a War Grave after the 1982 Falklands Conflict. She differed from the earlier LSL’s inasmuch as she was fitted with a bow visor instead of the conventional side-opening bow doors like the remainder of the LSL’s and a 22 tonne capacity scissor lift amidships

 

13 December 1986 Launched by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd, Wallsend as Yard Nr 125 named SIR GALAHAD (2). The Lady Sponsor was Lady Tippet, wife of Vice Admiral Sir A Tippet, the Chief of Fleet Support

10 July 1987 commenced her sea trials in preparation for a scheduled handover in 9/87

25 November 1987 finally completed at a cost of £40m

27 November 1987 delivered

3 December 1987 maiden arrival at Marchwood Military Port

21 May 1988 entered operational service

7 December 1988 was presented with the Falkland Islands 1982 Battle Honour at Marchwood

6 September 1990 her deployment to the Gulf Area was authorised, along with that of RFA SIR TRISTRAM, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

8 October 1990 sailed Marchwood for service during  Operation Granby -the Gulf War

9 November 1990 at Jebel Ali embarked the Fleet Support Unit and sailed in support of  the British  Mine Countermeasure  vessels

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

9 February 1991 at sea at 24.04.5N 52.20.1E 2nd Cook Maurice Jospeph Foy discharged dead - stabbed through the heart. His death is recorded on the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum for the 1991 listings

donated by and © Terry Hissey

21 December 1991 Captain Brian J Waters OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

21 July 1992 Captain Peter Robinson RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

6 June 1994 in Caen for the 50th Anniversary of D-Day celebrations along with RFA SIR  BEDIVERE

9 June 1994 Captain Anthony F Pitt DSC RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

 

Captain A F Pitt DSC RFA

 

6 April 1995 to 23 August 1995 humanitarian aid - in support of Operation Chantress - was deployed to Lobito, Angola to provide assistance to UK elements of the United Nations Stabilisation Force

6 April 1996 Captain Pat Thompson OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

January 1997 sailed U.K. as part of Task Group 327.01 - the Ocean Wave 97 Deployment to the Far East led by the carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS - along with RFA’s DILIGENCE,  FORT AUSTIN, FORT GEORGE, OLNA (3), SIR GERAINT and SIR  PERCIVALE

15 July 1997 was subsequently awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace for this role at Chippenham 

3 December 1997 Captain William Walworth RFA appointed in command

3 September 2002 to 6 September 2002 berthed at Cartagena, Spain

25 October 2002 to 30 October 2002 berthed at Malaga, Spain

15 January 2003 deployed on Operation Telic - the 2^nd Gulf War - along with 13 other RFA’s

28 March 2003  humanitarian relief - arrived in the recently-captured south Iraqi port of Umm Qasr in  the  glare of international publicity, preceded by the MCMV HMS SANDOWN and followed by  USS FIREBOLT and 2 Kuwaiti patrol boats OUHA and  SAMBOUX carrying 650 tonnes of aid

5 August 2003 returned to Marchwood on completion of Operation Telic duties

23 September 2004 was awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace at Marchwood for her above relief  work

13 June 2005 Temporary Acting Captain (E) Mike New RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

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

2 May 2006 Captain (E) Robert Settle RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 May 2006 arrived Pembroke Dock for her final visit prior to disposal

22 June 2006 on passage to Marchwood she provided medical assistance to the injured Captain of the Liberian  registered chemical carrier LIQUID ERA

23 June 2006 arrived Marchwood for the final time

20 July 2006 sailed Marchwood for the final time and entered reserve at Portsmouth

26 April 2007 announcement made that she had been purchased by the Brazilian Navy for £5.2 million pounds

13 November 2007 delivered to the Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brazil) at Portsmouth

 

 

5 December 2007 commissioned as the Brazilian Navy's Garcia D'Avila (G 29) with Captain-of-Mar-e-Guerra Paulo Cesar Mendes Biasoli in command. The ship is the third ship in the Brazilian Navy to bear the name of Garcia D'Avila 

 

Captain-of-Mar-e-Guerra Paulo Cesar Mendes Biasoli

 

3 March 2008 commenced sea trials from Portsmouth

11 April 2008 to 14 April 2008 berthed at Lisbon, Portugal

14 April 2008 sailed Lisbon on her delivery voyage to Rio de Janeiro

19 April 2008 berthed at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Isles

9 May 2008 docked at Rio de Janerio

6 March 2009 to 9 March 2009 berthed at Simonstown, South Africa in support of 3rd Sea Power for Africa Symposium

9 March 2009 to 12 March 2009 berthed at Cape Town, South Africa

26 March 2009 to 29 March 2009 visited Diego Garcia, BIOT

7 April 2009 to 9 April 2009 at Singapore

23 April 2009 took part in the China Fleet Review off Qingdao, China in celebration of the 60th anniversary of China's PLA (Navy) - review conducted by China's head of state - President Hu Jintao

 

 

Brazilian Navy's NDCC Garcia D'Avila

 

7 September 2009 at the Naval parade commemorating Independence Day at Rio de Janeiro

8 October 2009 berthed at Niterói, in Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)

29 January 2010 Captain-of-Mar-e-Guerra Anderson de Oliveira Mendes appointed as Commanding Officer

28 February 2010 sailed Brazil to Haiti to bring Humanitarian Aid after the Earthquake in that Country, arriving on 22 March 2010

20 August 2010 Captain-of-Mar-e-Guerra Rene Pacheco Son appointed as Commanding Officer

23 December 2011 berthed at Rio de Janerio

8 April 2012 berthed at Rio de Janerio

30 October 2012 sailed on Exercise Haiti XV which ended on 21 December 2012

 

NDCC Garcia D'Avila alongside

NDCC Garcia D'Avila opening her bow doors

 

3 April 2013 sailed Rio de Janerio for Exercise Haiti XVI

20 May 2013 berthed at Rio de Janerio at the end of Exercise Haiti XVI

 

Notes:

 

1. Replaced RFA SIR CARADOC.

2. Was built as a replacement for the ship lost in the Falklands War and was named after one of the 35 Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian legend  who managed to pull the sword Excalibur out of a stone and who, along with Sir Percival and Sir Bors, was one of the achievers of the Holy Grail. He was the son of Sir Lancelot