RFA Tidespring

RFA Tidespring

 

 

 

 

Previous name:
Subsequent name:  

Official Number:                     304379                                                                      

Class:                                      IMPROVED TIDE CLASS Fleet Replenishment Tanker

Pennant No:                            A75

Laid down:                               27 July 1961
Builder:                                     Hawthorne Leslie, Hebburn on Tyne
Launched:                                3 May 1962

Into Service:                             18 January 1963
Out of service:                          1992
Fate:                                          Broken up

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data: Authorised under the 1961/62 Navy Estimates, the 2 ships in this Class were developed from the original TIDE CLASS and were highly specialised ships for fuelling and storing naval vessels at sea and were capable of high performance under rigorous service conditions. Their capability was further enhanced as they were the first front-line RFA’s to have a single-spot 50 ft x 70 ft helicopter flight deck and full hangar arrangements incorporated into their design.

 

13 November 1961 Mr J R Warne RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

3 May 1962 launched by Hawthorn Leslie Shipbuilders Ltd, Hebburn as Yard Nr 752  named TIDESPRING. The Lady Sponsor was Lady Jarrett, the wife of Sir Clifford G Jarrett, the Secretary of the Admiralty. She was the 120^th ship to be built at the Yard  for the Admiralty

8 January 1963 laid down

18 January 1963 After bunkering at Spithead she was routed to Trinidad on a shake-down cruise but never reached her destination

27 January 1963 during her maiden shakedown voyage to Trinidad she was diverted to rendezvous with RFA PEARLEAF (2) in mid-Atlantic after the latter had suffered a breakdown and  escorted her to Horta in the Azores to await spares and repairs

6 February 1963 sailed Horta for the U.K.

7 March 1963 during her first exercise with the Home Fleet, a major mechanical defect occurred and she had to be withdrawn from the exercise and returned to her builders for defect rectification

11 April 1963 sailed from the Tyne on completion of defect rectifications

19 April 1963 sailed Devonport after loading cargo with the 4th Sea Lord embarked as a passenger  for Gibraltar and the Mediterranean

28 April 1963 to 25 May 1963 acted as Station Tanker in the Mediterranean before returning to the U.K. for Builder’s Guarantee Surveys

18 May 1963 berthed at Malta on No 8 buoy - open to the public

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

24 August 1963 Captain E Payne RFA appointed as Master

March 1964 took RFA ORANGELEAF(2) in tow after the latter had suffered an engine breakdown and towed her to Colombo where they arrived on Easter Saturday

5 November 1964 Captain G O W Evans DSC RFA appointed as Master

6 November 1964 at Smith's Dock, North Shields for repairs until 10 November 1964

9 November 1964 Mr E Smeaton RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

19 May 1965 sailed Malta for Turkey and Singapore

9 December 1965 berthed at Hobart, Tasmanian with HMS Barrosa and HMS Whitby

10 December 1965 a seaman from the ship appeared at Hobarth Magistrates' Court, Tasmainia, Australia charged that on 7 December 1965 in the territorial waters off Sydney Heads deliberately immobilised the steering gear by damaging a telemotor pipe and deliberately closing four steering gear valves. He was remanded in custody

14 December 1965 sailed Hobart, Tasmania

18 December 1965 Seaman Dennis William Hellewell pleased Guilty to immobilised the steering gear by damaging a telemotor pipe and deliberately closing four steering gear valves on board when he appeared on remand at Hobart Magistrates' Court (see above) - he was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment.

10 January 1966 Mr V J Cooney RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

24 January 1966 Captain Alistair C Gibson RFA appointed as Master

27 February 1966 RASed with HMNZS Taranaki off Singapore

14 July 1966 berthed in Grand Harbour, Malta on Palatorial Wharf

18 April 1967 Captain C G Butterworth RFA appointed as Master

11 October 1967 to 25 January 1968 Was part of Task Force 318 - the Aden Task Force formed to cover the final British military withdrawal from the area codenamed Operation Magister - along with 9 other RFA’s.

12 November 1967 Mr W M Clements RFA appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

28 July 1968 Captain G P A MacDougall RFA appointed as Master

4 April 1970 RAS'ed HMAS Melbourne

April 1972 humanitarian aid - along with RFA STROMNESS she provided assistance to Rodrigues Island 350 miles east of Mauritius after it had been battered by a cyclone and aid was airlifted in

May 1972 in the Indian Ocean RASed with the Royal Yacht Britannia  

8 June 1973 along with RFA REGENT, sailed Portsmouth as part of Task Group 317.1 - the first Group deployment, led by the cruiser HMS TIGER

29 August 1974 arrived at Cape Town, South Africa with various RN ships together with RFA's Tarbatness and Tidereach for exercises with the South African Navy

22 July 1975 Along with RFA’s GOLD ROVER and TARBATNESS sailed U.K. as part of Task Group 317.3 led by the guided missile destroyer HMS GLAMORGAN

24 June 1977 to 29 June 1977 took part in the Silver Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead with eight other RFA's and units of the Royal Navy and foreign navies

30 August 1977 Captain Barry H Rutterford RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Barry H Rutterford RFA

 

31 May 1978 along with RFA’s GREEN ROVER and STROMNESS sailed Portsmouth as part of Task Group 317.7 led by the helicopter cruiser HMS BLAKE.

3 January 1982 Captain Shane Redmond RFA appointed as Master

 

Captain Shane Redmond RFA

 

January 1982 sailed Rosyth supporting HMS Fearless and other RN ships on exercise with US Naval units visiting Puerto Rico, Virgin Gorda, Aruba. On 18 January 1982 during the deployment rammed by FGN frigate AUGSBERG during a RAS (Port side just aft of forward structure the deck was lifted anout five feet) - returned to UK in March 1982

30 March 1982 sailed Gibraltar and was diverted south for Operation Corporate - the Falklands Conflict. Was part of TG 317.8 / 1 - the Main Battle Group - consisting of the County-class destroyers HM ships ANTRIM and GLAMORGAN, the Type 42 destroyers HM ship COVENTRY, GLASGOW and SHEFFIELD, the Type 22 frigate HMS BRILLIANT ,the Type 21 frigate HMS ARROW and the Rothesay class frigate HMS PLYMOUTH.

10 April 1982 Arrived Ascension Island in company with the destroyer HMS ANTRIM and the frigate HMS PLYMOUTH and a small Task Group to retake South Georgia was formed.

11 April 1982 Sailed Ascension Island with 2 x Wessex 5 helicopters from “C” Flight 845 NAS and 87 marines from “M” Company 42 Commando embarked in company with the  destroyer HMS ANTRIM and  the frigate HMS PLYMOUTH

13 April 1982 Rendezvoused with RFA FORT AUSTIN to embark a full RN surgical support unit  for the South Georgia Task Force

14 April 1982 Rendezvoused with the Ice Patrol Ship HMS ENDURANCE and improvised a method to refuel her as she was not equipped to refuel at sea . The whole Group then  proceeded to South Georgia

16 April 1982 RASed with HMS ANTRIM

17 April 1982 Entered the TEZ (Total Exclusion Zone) around the Falkland Islands

21 April 1982 Operation Paraquat commenced and Special Forces from the ship landed on Fortuna Glacier

22 April 1982 two helicopters operating from Tidespring crashed one on lift off, the other when returning to the ship with troops on board

 

Badge drawing by Ed Buscall - with grateful thanks

 

1982, the above unofficial badge was presented to the senior pilot of 'C' flight 845 NAS by his maintainance crew, after the loss of the two Wessex HU 5's whilst attempting to extract special forces from Fortuna Glacier in South Georgia

23 April 1982 rendezvoused with RFA BRAMBLELEAF(3) for a much-needed pump over about 100 miles off South Georgia. This had to be aborted owing to a threat from the Argentinian submarine SANTA FE

24 April 1982 completed the pumpover

26 April 1982 anchored in Cumberland Bay to unload her cargo of Royal Marines and ammunition then spent the night at sea

27 April 1982 returned to Cumberland Bay and embarked 187 PoW’s and  Argentinian / Uruguayan civilians.after the recapture of  South Georgia 2 days earlier

1 May 1982 Sailed South Georgia to rendezvous with the Main Task Force enroute to Ascension Island in company with the destroyer HMS ANTRIM

7 May 1982 Rendezvoused with and helped to refuel the main body of the amphibious assault  vessels, then proceeded northwards accompanied by the frigate HMS ANTELOPE

12 May 1982 arrived Ascension Island with 153 PoW’s, 32 Argentinian and 2 Uruguyan civilians

15 May 1982 replenished HMS/M Onyx alongside at Ascension Island with fuel, distilled water and naval stores

 

HMS/M Onyx alongside at Ascension Island

 

16 May 1982 sailed Ascension Island with 2 new Wessex helicopters embarked, escorted by the frigate HMS ANTELOPE, to rejoin the main Carrier Task Group

12 June 1982 One of her replacement Wessex helicopters was onboard the destroyer HMS GLAMORGAN when she was hit by an Exocet missile and the helicopter was destroyed in  the explosion.

23 July 1982 Arrived back U.K. on completion of Operation Corporate duties

17 August 1982 4th Engineer Officer Henry Lobo RFA discharged dead

1 February 1983 to 4 February 1983 with the frigate HMS ARIADNE she was in Operation Matchstick - a very low  key  operation to destroy the base on the island of Thule in the South Atlantic

17 July 1984 Captain Anthony Pitt DSC RFA appointed in command

4 October 1984 was awarded the Falkland Islands 1982 Battle Honour at Gosport by Captain C.G. Butterworth RFA CMS - her only Battle Honour as she was the first ship with her name

1989 was awarded an inscribed plaque from the General Council of British Shipping to commemorate her service on Armilla Patrol between November 1986 and 20 August 1988 when the “Accompanying Policy” was in force. Other recipients were RFA’s APPLELEAF(3), BRAMBLELEAF(3), DILIGENCE, OLNA (3) and ORANGELEAF(3).

May 1990 In Operation Eldorado - standing by off the coast of Monrovia to assist with any evacuation during the Civil War there supporting the frigate HMS BROADSWORD

August 1991 along with the frigate HMS LONDON was scheduled to visit Soviet Arctic ports to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Operation Dervish - the supply convoy to Murmansk and Archangel - but the visits were cancelled owing to the coup in the Soviet Union.

6 December 1991 arrived at Portsmouth to destore for disposal.

18 December 1991 laid up at Z Moorings at Portsmouth on the Disposal List. During her career she had  steamed a total of 1,270,388 nautical miles

20 March 1992 towed out of Portsmouth enroute to the ship breakers

2 July 1992 arrived at Arlang, India to be broken up by Incom Shiptrade.

20 July 1992 breaking up began