Round Table-class landing ship logistics

	RFA Sir Bedivere
Class overview
Name	Round Table-class landing ship logistics
Builders	Fairfields ; Stephens ; Hawthorn Leslie ; Swan Hunter ;
Operators	Royal Army Service Corps ; Royal Fleet Auxiliary ; Royal Australian Navy ; Brazilian Navy ;
Preceded by	Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank
Succeeded by	Bay-class landing ship
Built	1962-1967 ; 1985-1986;
In commission	1964-present
Completed	7
Active	1
Lost	1
General characteristics
Type	Landing ship logistics
Displacement	3,270 tons standard ; 5,674 tons fully loaded;
Length	413 ft (126 m)
Beam	59 ft (18 m)
Draught	13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines, 9,400 bhp (7,010 kW), 2 shafts
Speed	17.25 knots (31.95 km/h; 19.85 mph)
Capacity	Tank deck: 12 Challenger tanks, 31 large vehicles, 56 Land Rovers or 26 cargo containers ; Vehicle deck: 19 large vehicles, 50 Land Rovers or 20 containers;
Troops	402
Complement	65
Armament	2 × 20 mm guns
Aviation facilities	Helicopter deck aft

Last updated September 27, 2024

The Round Table class, also known as the Sir Lancelot class, was a British ship class designed for amphibious warfare missions in support of the main amphibious warfare ships. They were designated landing ship logistics (LSL).

Class history

In December 1961, the Ministry of Transport ordered the first in a new class of 6,000-ton military supply vessels from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan. The class was designed to replace the World War II-era Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank vessels in service.^[2] The first ship, Sir Lancelot, was launched in June 1963.^[3] In March 1963, two more vessels were ordered, with Sir Galahad and Sir Geraint launched by Alexander Stephen and Sons of Linthouse in April 1966 and January 1967. The final three ships were ordered in April 1965; Sir Bedivere and Sir Tristram were launched by Hawthorn Leslie and Company of Hebburn in July and December 1966, followed by Sir Percivale from Swan Hunter of Wallsend in October 1967.^[3] At 6,390 GRT, Sir Lancelot was slightly larger than her successors, and was powered by two 12-cylinder Sulzer diesel engines, while the others were 4,473 GRT and had two 10-cylinder Mirrlees Monarch engines.^[4]

The ships had both bow and stern doors leading onto the main vehicle deck, making them roll-on/roll-off, combined with ramps that led to upper and lower vehicle decks. Thanks to their shallow draught, they could beach themselves and use the bow doors for speedy unloading of troops and equipment. The ships also had helicopter decks on both the upper vehicle deck and behind the superstructure.

The ships were operated and managed by the British India Steam Navigation Company for the Royal Army Service Corps until January 1970, then were transferred to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.^[5] One vessel, Sir Galahad, was lost during the Falklands War, while another, Sir Tristram, was badly damaged. The former was replaced by a new, 8,861 GT vessel of the same name, while the latter was rebuilt and returned to service. All of the vessels in this class were replaced by the Bay class,^[6]^[7] with Sir Bedivere the last to leave service in 2008.

HMAS Tobruk, formerly operated by the Royal Australian Navy, was based on the Round Table design.^[8]

Ships

Name	Pennant Number	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Original Design
Sir Bedivere	L3004	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn	28 October 1965	20 July 1966	18 May 1967	Sold to Brazilian Navy as Almirante Saboia, 2008
Sir Galahad (I)	L3005	Alexander Stephen and Sons, Govan	22 February 1965	19 April 1966	17 December 1966	Sunk following air attack, 21 June 1982
Sir Geraint	L3027	Alexander Stephen and Sons, Govan	21 February 1965	26 January 1967	12 July 1967	Broken up at Gadani, 2005
Sir Lancelot	L3029	Fairfields, Govan	March 1962	25 June 1963	16 January 1964	Sold into mercantile service, 1989 and broken up 2008
Sir Percivale	L3036	Swan Hunter, Wallsend	27 July 1966	4 October 1967	23 March 1968	Broken up at Liverpool, 2010
Sir Tristram	L3505	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn	14 March 1966	12 December 1966	14 September 1967	Moored at Portland as static training ship
Modified Design
Tobruk	L 50	Carrington Slipways, Tomago	7 February 1978	1 March 1980	23 April 1981	Sunk as artificial reef, June 2018
Sir Galahad (II)	L3005	Swan Hunter, Wallsend	12 May 1985	13 December 1986	25 November 1987	Sold to Brazilian Navy as Garcia D'Avila, 2007. Retired in 2019.

Related Research Articles

RFA Sir Galahad (L3005) was a Round Table-class landing ship logistics vessel belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom. The ship saw service in the Falklands War of 1982, where she was bombed and set afire at Fitzroy on 8 June.

RFA <i>Sir Galahad</i> (1987) Landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Brazilian Navy

RFA Sir Galahad (L3005) was a landing ship logistics (LSL) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, later in service with the Brazilian Navy as the Garcia D'Avila.

RFA Sir Bedivere (L3004) was a Landing Ship Logistic of the Round Table class. She saw service in the Falklands War, the Persian Gulf and Sierra Leone. In 2009, she was commissioned into the Brazilian Navy and renamed NDCC Almirante Saboia (G-25), where she saw service in Haiti.

RFA Sir Percivale (L3036) was a Round Table class landing ship logistics (LSL) vessel belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary of the United Kingdom.

TV Sir Tristram (L3505) formerly RFA Sir Tristram, is a Round Table-class landing ship logistics that was converted to a Special Forces Training Vessel in 2008. She was launched in 1966, and accepted into British Army service in 1967. As with others of her class, she was transferred to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1970, and was crewed by British officers and Hong Kong Chinese sailors. The ship saw service in the Falklands War of 1982, and was badly damaged at Fitzroy on 8 June.

This is a list of the naval forces from the United Kingdom that took part in the Falklands War, often referred to as "the Task Force" in the context of the war. For a list of naval forces from Argentina, see Argentine naval forces in the Falklands War.

RFA Bayleaf (A109) was a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom, which served with the fleet for 30 years, tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.

RFA Oakleaf (A111) was a Leaf-class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom. Formerly the Swedish vessel MV Oktania, built by A. B. Uddevalla, Sweden, and completed in 1981, Oakleaf was added to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1986, before being decommissioned in 2007.

RFA Sir Lancelot (L3029) was the lead ship and prototype of the Round Table class landing ship logistics, an amphibious warfare design operated by the British Armed Forces.

HMAS Choules (L100) is a Bay-class landing ship that served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) from 2006 to 2011, before being purchased by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The vessel was built as RFA Largs Bay by Swan Hunter in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. She was named after Largs Bay in Ayrshire, Scotland, and entered service in November 2006. During her career with the RFA, Largs Bay served as the British ship assigned to patrol the Falkland Islands in 2008, and delivered relief supplies following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

RFA Mounts Bay is a Bay-class auxiliary landing ship dock of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She is named after Mount's Bay in Cornwall. As of 2024, Mounts Bay is the principal vessel assigned to the Royal Navy's Littoral Response Group (North).

RFA Cardigan Bay is a Bay-class landing ship dock of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Built by BAE Systems, the ship was dedicated into the RFA at the end of 2006.

RFA Sir Geraint (L3027) was a Landing Ship Logistic of the Round Table class. She saw service in the Falklands War and Sierra Leone.

The Bay class is a ship class of four dock landing ships built for the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) during the 2000s. They are based on the Dutch-Spanish Royal Schelde Enforcer design, and replaced the Round Table-class logistics ships. Two ships each were ordered from Swan Hunter and BAE Systems Naval Ships. Construction work started in 2002, but saw major delays and cost overruns, particularly at Swan Hunter's shipyard. In mid-2006, Swan Hunter was stripped of work, and the incomplete second ship was towed to BAE's shipyard for completion. All four ships, Largs Bay, Lyme Bay, Mounts Bay, and Cardigan Bay had entered service by 2007.

A dock landing ship is an amphibious warfare ship with a well dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Some ships with well decks, such as the Soviet Ivan Rogov class, also have bow doors to enable them to deliver vehicles directly onto a beach. Modern dock landing ships also operate helicopters.

The 1982 British military campaign to recapture the Falkland Islands depended on complex logistical arrangements. The logistical difficulties of operating 7,000 nautical miles from home were formidable. The Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands came at a time when the Royal Navy was experiencing a reduction in its amphibious capability, but it still possessed the aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and Invincible, the landing platform dock (LPD) ships HMS Fearless and Intrepid, and six landing ship logistics (LSL) ships. To provide the necessary logistic support, the Royal Navy's ships were augmented by ships taken up from trade (STUFT).

The Bluff Cove air attacks occurred 8 June 1982, during the Falklands War. British troop transport ships were bombed by Argentine Air Force (FAA) Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter bombers at Port Pleasant, off Fitz Roy, while transferring troops to Bluff Cove, with significant damage and casualties.

References

↑ "Round Table-class Landing Ship Logistic". globalsecurity.org. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
1 2 "RFA Sir Lancelot". RFA Historical Society. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
1 2 White, Christopher J; Robinson, Peter (2012). "RFA Sir Lancelot". historicalrfa.org. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
↑ "The LSL Class". merchantnavyofficers.com. 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
↑ "British India SN Fleet list – Managed vessels". biship.com. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
↑ Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2008). Jane's Fighting Ships 2008–2009. Jane's Fighting Ships (111th ed.). Surrey: Jane's Information Group. p. 876. ISBN 978-0-7106-2845-9. OCLC 225431774.
↑ "Bay Class LSD(A) Alternative Landing Ship Logistic (ALSL)". naval-technology.com. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
↑ Jones, Peter (2001). "Towards Self Reliance; A Period of Change and Uncertainty". In Stevens, David (ed.). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. Vol. III. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. p. 222. ISBN 0-19-555542-2. OCLC 50418095.

External links

"Sir Lancelot Class". battleships-cruisers.co.uk.

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[1] "Round Table-class Landing Ship Logistic". globalsecurity.org. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

[Historical_RFA-2] 1 2 "RFA Sir Lancelot". RFA Historical Society. Retrieved 5 August 2017.

[historicalrfa-3] 1 2 White, Christopher J; Robinson, Peter (2012). "RFA Sir Lancelot". historicalrfa.org. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

[4] "The LSL Class". merchantnavyofficers.com. 2007. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

[5] "British India SN Fleet list – Managed vessels". biship.com. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

[6] Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2008). Jane's Fighting Ships 2008–2009. Jane's Fighting Ships (111th ed.). Surrey: Jane's Information Group. p. 876. ISBN 978-0-7106-2845-9. OCLC 225431774.

[7] "Bay Class LSD(A) Alternative Landing Ship Logistic (ALSL)". naval-technology.com. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

[8] Jones, Peter (2001). "Towards Self Reliance; A Period of Change and Uncertainty". In Stevens, David (ed.). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. Vol. III. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. p. 222. ISBN 0-19-555542-2. OCLC 50418095.

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