RFA Tide Austral

RFA Tide Austral

RFA TIDE AUSTRAL

 

 

HMAS SUPPLY

Previous name:
Subsequent name:                  HMAS Tide Austral, HMAS Supply  

Official Number:                        186246                                                        

Class:                                         Tide Class Fleet Replenishment Tanker

Pennant No:                               A99 / AO 195 / O 195 / A195

Laid down:                                 5 August 1952

Builder:                                       Harland & Wollf, Belfast
Launched:                                 1 September 1954
Into Service:                              28 May 1955
Out of service:                           15 August 1962
Fate:                                           Returned to Royal Australian Navy

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

 

Background Data:   The 4 ships in this Class were the first Admiralty-designed purpose-built Fleet replenishment tankers intended for enduring front-line support. They evolved from the valuable practical experience gained from HMS BULAWAYO, RFA OLNA (2) and from a number of the WAVE CLASS tankers. Their forward defensive armament fit was a gun platform designed to carry a 4-inch gun and it’s director. Single 20mm Oerlikon mounts were fitted to both bridge wings and twin 40mm Bofors, together with their directors, could be mounted to port and starboard of the funnel. Accommodation was also provided for DEMS Ratings, although in practice these guns were not mounted. All 4 vessels gave valuable world-wide service and were the pioneers of aspects of RFA life which later became standard. 3 of them were near Suez when the Suez Conflict broke out in 1956 and 1 of them was short on fuel and was ordered back to Malta to replenish her tanks. Unfortunately it was the wrong one who returned and it was discovered that in 2 of them their  names were too similar so they were renamed in 1958.

Built for the Royal Australian Navy but operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

1 September 1954 launched by Mrs J B Foley wife of Captain J B Foley CBE, RAN, then Royal Australian Naval Liaison Officer in London.

5 October 1958 Mr G D J Garside RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

15 July 1959 Captain James Jolly RFA appointed as Master

10 October 1959 with HMS Birmingham, HMS Dainty, HMS Daring and HMS/m Tally Ho and RFA's Fort Langley and RFA Fort Duquesne sailed Malta to take part in Anglo-Spanish exercises in the Western Mediterranean

22 November 1959 sailed Malta to RAS with HMS Victorious, the 2nd Destroyer Squadron and the 4th Frigate Squadron

3 April 1960 berthed at Malta 

1960 along with RFA FORT DUQUESNE shared the Bulawayo Cup for the most conspicuous efficiency in replenishment-at-sea in the Mediterranean area

1 August 1960 Mr P Ryan RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

17 April 1961 sailed Malta on Exercises with RN and other Allied ships together with RFA Wave Baron, RFA Sea Salvor, RFA Brown Ranger and RFA Fort Duquesne

14 July 1961 Captain A R Wheeler RD RFA (Commander RNR (Rtd)) appointed as Master

September 1961 Became the first TIDE CLASS oiler to berth alongside at Portland when she loaded there prior to a voyage to Malta

31 May 1962 commenced her final refit at Southampton prior to handing over to Australia

15 August 1962 handed over to the Royal Australian Navy and commissioned as H.M.A.S Tide Austral at Southampton. Captain (X) Geoffrey V Gladstone DSC and Bar RAN appointed in command. Captain Gladstone, Commander Goble, Commander(E) Lade and Chief Petty Officer Bob Brett were seconded to RFA Olna to learn the ropes for approximately 3 to 4 months.  Subsequently sailed for refuelling trials with a RANGER Class oiler off Portland which did not go very well owing to a burst hose which covered the  RANGER crew in FFO

 

 

7 September 1962 renamed and commissioned as H.M.A.S. Supply at Portsmouth, England.

 

 

10 September 1962 sailed Portsmouth for work-up at Portland

1 October 1962 Sailed Portsmouth for Australia, acting as Mother Ship for the 6 newly-acquired ex-Ton Class minesweepers which now formed the Bird Class 16th Minesweeping Squadron  and which had been renamed HMAS CURLEW, GULL, HAWK, IBIS, SNIPE and TEAL proceeding to Gibraltar

6 December 1962 arrived at Sydney, NSW, Australia

11 December 1962 refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard until January 1963

1963 accompanied the 16th MSS to the Solomon Islands for a live sweep in Tonolai harbour to get rid of wartime mines

23 January, 1964 HMAS Supply flooded to a depth of 20 feet in the engine room while at Garden Island Naval Dockyard, Australia

9 March 1964 Acting Commander (E) Lindsay A D Sladdin appointed as senior Engineer Officer

22 December 1964 Captain William J Dovers DSC RAN appointed in command

5 December 1966 Commander John Lancaster RAN appointed in command

5 January 1967 Captain Brian S. Murray RAN appointed in command

2 March 1967 anchored at Sydney, NSW

30 June 1967 in company with HMNZS Taranaki with RAN units on passage between Singapore and Manila

13 December 1967 Captain Dacre H.D. Smyth RAN appointed in command

1 November 1968 refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard until 8 April 1969

28 November 1969 refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard until April 1970

6 January 1970 Captain Howard E. Bailey DSC RAN appointed in command

16 April 1970 together with 47 other ships from 10 nations was at Sydney, NSW for the Bicentenary of CAPT James Cook’s landing

16 December 1970 refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard until 16 November 1971

21 June 1971 Commander J.L. Curtis RAN appointed in command

18 October 1971 Captain V.A. Parker RAN appointed in command

14 March 1972 berthed at Singapore with other RAN units prior to an ANZUK exercise

13 December 1972 Captain Robert G. Loosli CBE RAN appointed in command

February 1973 along with the frigates HMAS PERTH and DERWENT, she made a goodwill  cruise to a number of countries bordering the Indian Ocean including Mauritius and Kenya

25 June 1973 sailed Australia to support HMNZS CANTERBURY and OTAGO while the later observed the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

19 July 1973 RASed with HMNZS CANTERBURY which was on observation duties at the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

21 July 1973 RASed with HMNZS OTAGO which was on observation duties at the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

22 July 1973 RASed (stores and fuel) with HMNZS OTAGO which was on observation duties at the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

23 July 1972 RASed with both HMNZS's CANTERBURY and OTAGO which were on observation duties at the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

31 July 1973 RASed with HMNZS CANTERBURY which was on observation duties at the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

4 August 1973 RASed with HMNZS CANTERBURY which was on observation duties at the French nuclear tests at Mururoa Atoll.

14 January 1974 Captain B.H. Loxton RAN appointed in command

16 December 1974 Captain J.D. Stevens RAN appointed in command

28 December 1974 was part of the Relief Force sent from Sydney to Darwin following the destruction caused by Hurricane Tracy and was one of 12 RAN ships in Operation Navy Help

13 December 1975 Captain B.L. Cleary RAN appointed in command

8 February 1977 Captain J.B. Snow RAN appointed in command

4 August 1978 Captain D.J. Martin RAN appointed in command

19 January 1979 Captain P.H. James RAN appointed in command

29 September 1980 Captain Ian D.G. MacDougall RAN appointed in command

26 January 1982 Captain B. Nobles RAN appointed in command

8 June 1983 Commander T.W. Jones RAN appointed in command

2 August 1983 Captain P.D. McKay RAN appointed in command

18 February 1985 Captain L.M. Sulman RAN appointed in command

11 November 1985 arrival at Port Jackson where she was taken out of service and was replaced by HMAS SUCCESS

16 December 1985 finally paid off.

13 January 1987 left Sydney in tow of the Dutch tug SMIT LLOYD 109 bound Kaohsiung for to be broken up in Taiwan

February 1987 arrived at Kaohsiung for breaking up