RFA Eddyfirth

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RFA A261 Eddyfirth.jpg
RFA A261 Eddyfirth approaching Portsmouth
History
British-Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary-Ensign.svg United Kingdom
NameRFA Eddyfirth
Builder Lobnitz & Co., Renfrew, Scotland
Laid down28 April 1952
Launched10 September 1953
Commissioned25 April 1954
DecommissionedApril 1981
Identification
FateScrapped at Seville on 28 March 1982.
General characteristics
Length287 ft 1 in (88 m)
Beam44 ft 1 in (13 m)
Draught17 ft 3.5 in (5 m)
Propulsion3 cylinder Triple expansion steam
Speed12 knots
Complement8 officers, 18 ratings
ArmamentNo armament carried but fitted for two 50-cal machine guns on bridge wings and two 20mm AA guns aft.

RFA Eddyfirth (A261) was an Eddy class coastal tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Contents

Construction and design

Eddyfirth was launched at Lobnitz & Co.'s Renfrew shipyard on 10 September 1953 and completed on 10 February 1954. The ship had an overall length of 286 feet (87.2 m) and a length between perpendiculars of 270 feet (82.3 m). Beam was 44 feet (13.4 m) and draft 17 feet 2 inches (5.23 m). The ship displaced 1,960 long tons (1,990 t) light and 4,160 long tons (4,230 t) full load, with a capacity of 1650 tons of oil. Two oil fired boilers fed a triple-expansion steam engine rated at 1,750 indicated horsepower (1,300 kW) and drove a single propeller shaft, giving a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). [1]

Service history

Initially, Eddyfirth was based in Malta as support for the Motor Minesweeping Flotilla. In 1966 she returned to United Kingdom coastal waters, reclassified as a harbour oiler. Withdrawn from service in 1981, she was scrapped in Seville in March 1982. [2]

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References

  1. Blackman 1971, p. 376.
  2. "Eddy Class Vessels". Historical RFA. Retrieved 29 November 2023.

Bibliography