RFA Bayleaf (A109)

For other ships with the same name, see RFA Bayleaf.

History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Bayleaf
Builder	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Yard number	1366
Laid down	1 February 1975
Launched	27 October 1981
Completed	25 March 1982
Decommissioned	21 April 2011
In service	26 March 1982
Out of service	28 April 2011
Identification	IMO number: 7342031 Pennant number: A109
Honours and awards	Falkland Islands 1982 Kuwait 1991 Al Faw 2003
Fate	Scrapped 2012
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Leaf-class support tanker
Tonnage	20,086 GRT 11,522 NRT 29,999 DWT
Displacement	37,390 t (36,799 long tons)
Length	170.7 m (560 ft 0 in)
Beam	25.9 m (85 ft 0 in)
Height	43.85 m (143 ft 10 in)
Draught	11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Depth	15.7 m (51 ft 6 in)
Installed power	14,000 hp (10,440 kW)
Propulsion	2 x Crossley Pielstick 14PC 2V engines one shaft
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	56
Armament	2 × Oerlikon 20 mm guns 4 × 7.62 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried	None

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.

She was involved in the Falklands War in 1982, the Gulf War in 1991, and from January 2003 to April 2003 she was deployed for Operation Telic (Op TELIC), the codename for the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq. Bayleaf had three Leaf-class sisters Oakleaf, Brambleleaf and Orangeleaf and all four were originally designed as commercial tankers and underwent major conversions to bring them up to RFA standards and equip them for naval support.

She was the third Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel to bear the name.

Construction

Bayleaf was one of four ships ordered from Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in 1973, and laid down in 1975 as the Hudson Sound. When the ordering company ran into financial difficulties, the ships were laid up, and later were offered for sale or charter. The ship was finally launched on 27 October 1981, the Lady Sponsor was Mrs Angela Pritchard, the wife of Mr K Pritchard, Director General of the Naval Stores and Transport, Ministry of Defence (MoD). In January 1982 Captain A.E. Hunter, RFA, was appointed as Master and between 20 to 23 March she ran trials and when completed on 25 March she was then bareboat chartered to the MoD and renamed Bayleaf.

Service history

1980s

She was almost immediately put into active service, and sailed to Gibraltar and Ascension Island en route for service in "Operation Corporate" – the Falklands War – in company with the amphibious warfare ship HMS Intrepid. She arrived in the Total Exclusion Zone on 9 June 1982, finally returning to Devonport on 31 August.

On 30 September 1982 Bayleaf sailed from HMNB Devonport in support of the Dartmouth Training Squadron's Mediterranean deployment. She arrived at Gibraltar on 4 October and then throughout the months of October and November she called at the italian city of Naples, followed by Brindisi in Southern Italy, then onto Salonika in Greece, next to Istanbul in Turkey and then the city and seaport of Trieste in Italy, before returing to the United Kingdom, arriving at Plymouth 24 November.

In December 1982 she sailed Plymouth to Liverpool and entered refit, exiting March 1983, then sailed Liverpool to Plymouth to re equip. Bayleaf spent two weeks in April undergoing Basic Operational Sea Training (BOST) at Portland and spent May in the Mediterranean taking part in Exercise “Distant Drum”. Between June and August, Bayleaf sailed from HMNB Portsmouth to Singapore and back, via Port Said and Bahrain. By the end of 1983 she was back in Gibraltar.

1990s

In January 1991 she sailed from the UK to relieve RFA Orangeleaf during "Operation Granby" – the First Gulf War.

On 1 March 1997 she collided with the Royal Yacht HMY Britannia while carrying out a replenishment at sea (RAS) off Karachi.

2000s

In 2001 Bayleaf was purchased outright by the MoD.

On 28 June 2001 she deployed to relieve Leaf-class sister ship RFA Orangeleaf and was permanently based in the Gulf. During June and August she performed replenishment at sea (RAS) with various RN, HMCS, USN and other Allied ships, returning to either anchor off Dubai or berthing at Port Rashid. In September she took part in Exercise Argonaut 2001, which included Exercise Saif Sareea, together with the Invincible-class HMS Illustrious, fourteen other Royal Navy warships and the RFA’s replenishment ships Fort Victoria, Fort Rosalie and Fort Austin, the Round Table class landing ship logistics Sir Tristram, Sir Bedivere, Sir Percivale and Sir Galahad (II), sister ship Oakleaf and forward repair ship Diligence.

RFA Bayleaf (left) with USS Carter Hall (right) in 2006

From January 2003 to April 2003 she was deployed for "Operation Telic" – the Second Gulf War.

2010s

Following the reductions to the Royal Navy fleet outlined in the 2010 "Strategic Defence and Security Review" it was decided that Bayleaf would be paid off in April 2011. The RFA Ensign was scheduled to be lowered for the final time on 20 April 2011 at HMNB Devonport. Following this, the ex-RFA Bayleaf was towed out of Portsmouth on 2 August 2012 to Aliaga in Turkey where the ship was broken up.

See also

• Bristol Group