Round Table-class landing ship logistics

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RFA Sir Bedivere 1.JPG
RFA Sir Bedivere
Class overview
NameRound Table-class landing ship logistics
Builders
Operators
Preceded by Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank
Succeeded by Bay-class landing ship
Built
  • 1962-1967
  • 1985-1986
In commission1964-present
Completed7
Active1
Lost1
General characteristics [1]
Type Landing ship logistics
Displacement
  • 3,270 tons standard
  • 5,674 tons fully loaded
Length413 ft (126 m)
Beam59 ft (18 m)
Draught13 ft (4.0 m)
Propulsion2 × diesel engines, 9,400 bhp (7,010 kW), 2 shafts
Speed17.25 knots (31.95 km/h; 19.85 mph)
Capacity
Troops402
Complement65
Armament2 × 20 mm guns
Aviation facilities Helicopter deck aft

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).

Contents

All ships were named after Knights of the Round Table. [2]

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 Australian Landing Ship Heavy HMAS Tobruk is a modified derivative of the Round Table class design. HMAS Tobruk (L 50).jpg
The Australian Landing Ship Heavy HMAS Tobruk is a modified derivative of the Round Table class design.

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

NamePennant NumberBuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedFate
Original Design
Sir Bedivere L3004 Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn 28 October 196520 July 196618 May 1967Sold to Brazilian Navy as Almirante Saboia, 2008
Sir Galahad (I)L3005 Alexander Stephen and Sons, Govan 22 February 196519 April 196617 December 1966Sunk following air attack, 21 June 1982
Sir Geraint L3027 Alexander Stephen and Sons, Govan 21 February 196526 January 196712 July 1967Broken up at Gadani, 2005
Sir Lancelot L3029 Fairfields, Govan March 196225 June 196316 January 1964Sold into mercantile service, 1989 and broken up 2008
Sir Percivale L3036 Swan Hunter, Wallsend 27 July 19664 October 196723 March 1968Broken up at Liverpool, 2010
Sir Tristram L3505 Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn 14 March 196612 December 196614 September 1967Moored at Portland as static training ship
Modified Design
Tobruk L 50 Carrington Slipways, Tomago 7 February 19781 March 198023 April 1981Sunk as artificial reef, June 2018
Sir Galahad (II)L3005 Swan Hunter, Wallsend 12 May 198513 December 198625 November 1987Sold to Brazilian Navy as Garcia D'Avila, 2007. Retired in 2019.

Related Research Articles

RFA <i>Sir Galahad</i> (1966) 1966 Round Table class landing ship logistics vessel

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.

Three ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary have been named Sir Galahad, after the knight of Arthurian legend.

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 <i>Sir Bedivere</i> Round Table-class landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Brazilian Navy

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 <i>Sir Percivale</i> 1968 Round Table-class landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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

RFA <i>Sir Tristram</i> Round Table-class landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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 <i>Sir Lancelot</i> Lead ship of Round Table-class landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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 <i>Choules</i> Bay-class landing ship

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 <i>Lyme Bay</i> Bay-class dock landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Lyme Bay is a Bay-class auxiliary dock landing ship of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Ordered from Swan Hunter in 2000, the ship was launched in 2005. However, cost overruns and delays saw the shipbuilder removed from the project, and the incomplete ship was towed to Govan for finishing by BAE Systems Naval Ships. Lyme Bay entered service in late 2007; the last ship of the class to join the RFA.

RFA <i>Mounts Bay</i> Bay-class dock landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Mounts Bay is a Bay-class auxiliary landing ship dock of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She is named after Mount's Bay in Cornwall.

RFA <i>Cardigan Bay</i> Bay-class dock landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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 <i>Sir Geraint</i> 1967 Round Table-class landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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

Bay-class landing ship 2006 class of British landing ships

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dock landing ship</span> Type of amphibious warfare ship

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British logistics in the Falklands War</span> 1982 combat service support operations

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).

Round Table-class trawler

The Round Table class was a small class of trawlers built for the British Royal Navy in 1941–1942. The class were built by two Aberdeen shipbuilding firms Hall, Russell & Company and J. Lewis & Sons Ltd.

References

  1. ↑ "Round Table-class Landing Ship Logistic". globalsecurity.org. 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 "RFA Sir Lancelot". RFA Historical Society. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  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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