 A75Tidespring moored at Gosport in 1979 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | RFATidespring |
| Ordered | 28 February 1961 |
| Builder | Hawthorn Leslie and Company |
| Yard number | 752 |
| Laid down | 24 July 1961 |
| Launched | 3 May 1962 |
| In service | 18 January 1963 |
| Out of service | 18 December 1991 |
| Identification |
|
| Honours and awards | Falkland Islands 1982 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1992 |
| Notes | [1][2] |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Tide-classreplenishment oiler |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 27,400long tons (27,840 t) |
| Length | 583 ft 8 in (177.90 m) |
| Beam | 71 ft 3 in (21.72 m) |
| Draught | 32 ft 1 in (9.78 m) |
| Depth | 40 ft 6 in (12.34 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 17knots (20 mph; 31 km/h) |
| Complement | 110 - plus embarked RN flight party |
| Aircraft carried | 3 ×Westland Wessex helicopters |
| Aviation facilities | Helicopter deck,hangar |
| Notes | [3] |
| Service record | |
| Operations: |
|
RFATidespring (A75) was aTide-classreplenishment oiler of theRoyal Fleet Auxiliary. As a replenishment oiler, her main purpose was to refuel other ships. The ship had a long career in the RFA, entering service in the early 1960s, and finally being decommissioned in 1991.
Tidespring took part in theFalklands War, particularly in the recapture ofSouth Georgia. At the time, she was carrying "M"Company of42 Commando Royal Marines. The ship accommodated prisoners of war taken during operations. The Falklands conflict provided a reprieve of ten years forTidespring which had been due to decommission in 1982.[4]
Tidespring had a normal complement consisting 110 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel with provision for up to twenty-four Royal Navy personnel. She was designed with abeamreplenishment at sea rigs, which had automatic tensioning winches and she had an astern fuelling rig.Tidespring was also fitted with a single spot 50 x 70 fthelicopter deck, designed to be capable of handling the Royal NavyWestland Wessex helicopters used at the time. She hadhangar facilities for a single helicopter and could support aviation refuelling. The ship was built to carry 9,500 tons ofFurnace Fuel Oil, 5,500 tons ofdiesel oil and 2,000 tons ofavcat and the forward hold could take dry cargo.[5]
The construction ofTidespring was carried out by the shipbuilderHawthorn Leslie, at Hebburn. The ship was laid down on 24 July 1961 and launched the following year on 3 May 1962. She displaced, fully loaded, 27,400 tons, was just under 584 ft in overall length and was capable of 17 knots.[3]
Tidespring was completed and entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary on 18 January 1963, replacing the fleet support tankerWave Master.[6]
Tidespring was included in Task Group 318, the Aden Task Force, which was formed to secure the British military withdrawal from theState of Aden, and also known as Operation Magister, between 11 October 1967 and 25 January 1968. Along withTidespring, the RFA contingent within the group were sister shipTideflow, fast fleet tankerOlna, the mobile bulk tankerDewdale, the support tankerAppleleaf, two armament support shipsRetainer andResurgent, the fleet stores shipStromness, an air stores support shipReliant and the armament stores carrierFort Sandusky. The Royal Navy warships consisted fouraircraft carriers, onedestroyer, twoassault landing ships and fiveLanding Ship Tanks, along with onesubmarine.[7]
From 20 September until 13 October 1968,Tidespring was deployed participating in Exercise Coral Sands which took place in theSolomon Sea, theCoral Sea andShoalwater Bay, together with RFAsOlna, the ammunition, explosives and stores supply shipRegent and the fleet stores shipTarbatness, and alongside theRoyal Navy’s aircraft carriersAlbion andHermes, the destroyersGlamorgan andFife, the amphibious warfare shipIntrepid and the heavy repair shipTriumph, theRoyal Australian Navy’s aircraft carrierSydney, the replenishment oilerSupply and the Escort Maintenance shipStalwart, and theRoyal New Zealand Navy’s frigateWaikato.[8]
On 8 June 1973, along withRegent,Tidespring deployed fromHMNB Portsmouth as part of Task Group 317.1, the first Group deployment, led by its Flagship thecruiserTiger. The group also included theLeander-classfrigatesDido andHermione, and theRothesay-class frigateRhyl. The Task Group arrived back to the United Kingdom on 21 December.[1]
She departed the United Kingdom as part of Task Group 317.3 on 22 July 1975 along with RFAsGold Rover andTarbatness to provide auxiliary support for the County-class guided missiledestroyerGlamorgan, the groupflagship.[2] The8th Frigate Squadron provided the rest of the Royal Navy warships with theLeander-class frigateAjax, theRothesay-class frigatesBerwick,Plymouth and thelead shipRothesay. The Task Group arrived back to the United Kingdom on 14 April 1976.[1]
On 25 June 1977Tidespring was present at theSilver Jubilee Fleet Review, with eight other RFA vessels.[9][10]
On 31 May 1978, along with RFA’sGreen Rover andStromness, she departed HMNB Portsmouth involved in Task Group 317.7, led by the Royal Navy’s converted helicopter cruiserBlake, the task group’s flagship,[2] and accompanied by the Royal Navy'sLeander-class frigateJuno. The deployment was for six and half months, covering thePacific, theAtlantic and theCaribbean. Completing the group fromHMNB Devonport were theAmazon-class frigateAmbuscade and theLeander-class frigatesHermione and name shipLeander.[1]
While on this deploymentTidespring visitedNaval Base San Diego, theUnited States Navy’s facility at San Diego, California, on 28 August. She returned to the United Kingdom for 13 December 1978.[11]
Tidespring was involved with the operation to recapture the island ofSouth Georgia fromArgentine military control, designatedOperation Paraquet, during the early stages of theFalklands War. She was part of the task force led by the destroyerAntrim, which also included two frigates:Plymouth andBrilliant, plus the Royal Navy’s icepatrol vesselEndurance.[12]
TwoWestland Wessex HU.5 troop transporter helicopters,serial nos. XT464 and XT473, of845 Naval Air Squadron, ‘C’ Flight, embarked on 11 April 1982.[1] On 22 April both helicopters were lost when attempting toairlift D Squadron, 22Special Air Service (SAS), from theFortuna Glacier.[12]
The island was restored toBritish control on 25 April andTidespring sailed forAscension Island on 2 May with forty civilians fromLeith Harbour and 150 ArgentinePOWs embarked.[13]
In 1983, between 1 and 4 February,Tidespring was involved in Operation Matchstick.[2] This was an understatedobjective to prevent any attempt by Argentina to return toThule Island, the southernmost of theSouth Sandwich Islands, in the South Atlantic. Crews from theLeander-class frigateAriadne andTidespring demolished the buildings of the former base, but left a flagpole, two weather beacons, and a fully provisioned hut.[14]
November 1986 sawTidespring deployed to thePersian Gulf on theArmilla Patrol, the Royal Navy's permanent presence in the area at the time.[1] She operated with the Royal Navy's Type 42 destroyerCardiff, along with the lead ship of her class, the Type 22 frigateBroadsword, as well as the United States Navy’s aircraft carrierEnterprise.[2] Between October and December 1987 aWestland Lynx helicopter detachment of 241 Flight parented by815 Naval Air Squadron, from the destroyerBirmingham, was embarked inTidespring. Her Armilla patrol deployment ended in 1988.[1]
From 1 June through to August 1988 she was part of Operation Eldorado, a safety deployment[15] and she stood by off the coast ofMonrovia,[16] the capital and largest city ofLiberia, to assist with any evacuation required during theFirst Liberian Civil War, once again supporting the frigateBroadsword,[11] as well as theLeander-class frigate Phoebe.[17]
By December 1991 she was laid up at Portsmouth and was eventually towed out on 20 March 1992 forthe breakers, arriving at theAlang Ship Breaking Yard, India, for demolition on 2 July 1992.[4]
On 4 October 1984Tidespring received herFalklands Islands 1982Battle honour, presented by Captain Cyril Gordon Butterworth, Chief Marine Superintendent (CMS).[18][19]
 Royal Navy |
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 Royal Australian Navy |
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 Chilean Navy |
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