RFA Olwen (A122)

RFA Olwen in the 1980s
History
RFA EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameRFA Olwen
Ordered4 February 1963 as AO 15
BuilderHawthorn Leslie and Company
Yard number755
Laid down11 July 1963
Launched10 July 1964, as Olynthus
In service12 June 1965
Out of service19 September 2000
RenamedOlwen, 5 August 1967
Identification
Fate
  • Renamed Kea in May 2001.
  • Arrived Alang for demolition 21 July 2001.
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeOl-class tanker
Tonnage
Displacement33,773 long tons (34,315 t) (full load)
Length648 ft (198 m)
Beam84 ft 2 in (25.65 m)
Draught34 ft (10 m)
Depth44 ft (13 m)
Installed power
  • 2x Babcock and Wilcox superheat boilers
  • 26,500 shaft horsepower (19,800 kW)
Propulsion
  • 2× Hawthorn Leslie/Pametrada steam turbines, double reduction geared
  • Single shaft
  • Bow thruster
Speed21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h)
Range10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h)
Complement
  • 88 RFA
  • 40 RN
Armament
  • 2× 20 mm guns
  • Chaff launchers
Aircraft carriedWestland Wessex or Westland Sea King helicopters
Aviation facilitiesHelicopter deck, hangar
Notes[1]
Service record
Operations:

RFA Olwen (A122) was an Ol-class "fast fleet tanker" of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom. She was the lead ship of her class, and launched in 1964 as RFA Olynthus, the second ship to bear this name.

She with her two sisters, were initially known as the Olynthus class. Her design was a development of the two later 1961 Tide-class replenishment oilers. She was renamed Olwen in 1967 to avoid confusion with the Oberon-class submarine, HMS Olympus. The class were then redesignated as the Olwen class and later the Ol class.[2]

  1. ^ Puddefoot 2009, p. 194.
  2. ^ "RFA Olwen - Historical RFA". hstoricalrfa.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2024.