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RFA Resource (A480)
Encyclopedia
RFA Resource was an armament stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
.
. The ship was captained at that time by Captain Bruce Seymour.
RFA Resource was one of the first vessels on the scene to pick up survivors from HMS Sheffield
(having just supplied her).
Resource was one of several RFA replenishment ships certified to store and supply the fleet with nuclear weapons. After the end of the Falklands conflict, WE.177A
live nuclear weapons from , , and were transferred to RFA Resource and Fort Austin
for transport back to the UK. Inert practice weapons and surveillance weapons (without fissionable material) were also transported.
and IFOR
troops in the former Yugoslavia
. She spent much of the mid 1990s in Split
, Croatia
, fulfilling this role.
on 24 June 1997, having been renamed Resourceful for the delivery run to the Indian breakers
, and arrived at Alang for scrapping on 20 August 1997.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...
.
Falklands War
RFA Resource served in the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. The ship was captained at that time by Captain Bruce Seymour.
RFA Resource was one of the first vessels on the scene to pick up survivors from HMS Sheffield
HMS Sheffield (D80)
HMS Sheffield was the second Royal Navy ship to be named after the city of Sheffield in Yorkshire. She was a Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer laid down by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering at Barrow-in-Furness on 15 January 1970, launched on 10 June 1971 and commissioned on 16 February 1975.An...
(having just supplied her).
Resource was one of several RFA replenishment ships certified to store and supply the fleet with nuclear weapons. After the end of the Falklands conflict, WE.177A
WE.177
WE.177 was the last air-delivered tactical nuclear weapon of the British Armed Forces. There were three versions; WE.177A was a boosted fission weapon, while WE.177B and WE.177C were thermonuclear weapons...
live nuclear weapons from , , and were transferred to RFA Resource and Fort Austin
RFA Fort Austin (A386)
RFA Fort Austin is a fleet stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.Fort Austin was laid down at Scott Lithgow in 1975, launched in 1978 and commissioned in 1979. These ships were designed to carry a wide range of stores to support other ships; ammunition, food, explosives...
for transport back to the UK. Inert practice weapons and surveillance weapons (without fissionable material) were also transported.
Yugoslavia
One of Resources last duties before being decommissioned was to serve as a floating munitions storage for UNUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and IFOR
IFOR
The Implementation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavour. Its task was to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for...
troops in the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. She spent much of the mid 1990s in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, fulfilling this role.
Decommissioning and scrapping
Resource sailed from DevonportHMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
on 24 June 1997, having been renamed Resourceful for the delivery run to the Indian breakers
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
, and arrived at Alang for scrapping on 20 August 1997.
Footnotes
- Guardian Article mentioning RFA Resource - http://www.guardian.co.uk/falklands/story/0,,657867,00.html
- Images of RFA Resource and a Wessex Helicopter - http://www.john.fotoblog.org.uk/p14552235.html
- Images and information about RFA Resource and sister ship Regent - http://www.btinternet.com/~warship/Feature/rfa/pics2.htm
- Hansard entry mentioning final fate of RFA Resource - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030227/text/30227w04.htm
- Falklands day by day from Royal Navy - http://www.navynews.co.uk/falklands/day_april.asp