RFA Engadine (K08)

History
Engadine, somewhere between 1969 and 1973, Falmouth, on the south coast of England (Falmouth Submarine pier in foreground).
United Kingdom
Name:	RFA Engadine
Ordered:	18 August 1964
Builder:	Henry Robb Ltd, Leith
Laid down:	9 August 1965
Launched:	16 September 1966
Commissioned:	15 December 1967
Decommissioned:	March 1989. Laid up at Devonport.
Fate:	Arrived Piraeus on 18 February 1990 after sale to Greek owners reportedly for a new service which never materialised and the ship was laid up, name unchanged. Arrived Alang for demolition on 7 May 1996
Badge:	Two crossed alphorns surrounded by 12 edelweiss flowers on a dark blue background.
General characteristics
Type:	Helicopter Support Ship
Displacement:	8,950 tons (full load)
Length:	129.31 meters (424.25 feet)
Beam:	17.86 meters (58.6 feet)
Draught:	7 meters (22.5 feet)
Installed power:	5,500 bhp
Propulsion:	1 × 5 cylinder Sulzer diesel. One shaft.
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement:	63 RFA + 32 RN + 131 under training
Aircraft carried:	4 × Westland Wessex Or 2 × Westland Sea King and 2 × Westland Wasp helicopters

RFA Engadine (K08) was a helicopter support ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.^[1]^[2]^[3] The need for Engadine was seen in the mid-1960s as more and more helicopters were deployed from Royal Navy aircraft carriers and surface combatants. The ship was ordered in August 1964, from Henry Robb of Leith, and commissioned in December 1967, replacing HMS Lofoten. She was named after the Engadin valley in south-east Switzerland, which is represented by the alphorns and edelweiss on her badge.

Engadine's homeport throughout her career was Portland, Dorset. The most notable events in those 25 years were the 1976 crisis in Lebanon, where she was deployed as part of contingency planning to evacuate British citizens, the Silver Jubilee fleet review in 1977 when she followed HMY Britannia and the Falklands War in which she was a helicopter support and refuelling ship in San Carlos Water. By the mid-1980s Engadine was becoming obsolescent so the container ship MV Contender Bezant was bought for conversion, becoming RFA Argus. Engadine was decommissioned in 1989 and sold to new owners in Greece who intended to use her in civilian merchant service. This came to nothing, and so she was broken up in Alang, Gujarat, India in 1996.

References

↑ Marriott,Leo, 'Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers 1945-1990', pages 113-115, ISBN 0-7110-1561-9, Published by Ian Allan Ltd (Surrey, UK), 1985
↑ Adams,T.A., Smith,J.R., 'The Royal Fleet Auxiliary - A Century of Service', page 118, ISBN 1-86176-259-3, Jointly Published by Chatham Publishing (London, UK) & Stackpole Books (PA, USA) in association with the RFA Association, 2005
↑ James,Tony, 'The Royal Fleet Auxiliary 1905-85', page 127, ISBN 0-907771-21-1, Published by Maritime Books (Cornwall, UK), 1985

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RFA Engadine (K08).

British Naval Forces of the Falklands War

Royal Navy	Active Alacrity Ambuscade Andromeda Antelope ^S Antrim Ardent ^S Argonaut Arrow Avenger Brilliant Bristol Broadsword Cardiff Conqueror Cordella Courageous Coventry ^S Dumbarton Castle Endurance Exeter Famella Fearless Glamorgan Glasgow Hecla Herald Hermes Hydra Intrepid Invincible Junella Leeds Castle Minerva Northella Onyx Penelope Pict Plymouth Sheffield ^S Spartan Splendid Valiant Yarmouth

Royal Fleet Auxiliary	Appleleaf Brambleleaf Bayleaf Blue Rover Engadine Fort Austin Fort Grange Plumleaf Pearleaf Olna Olmeda Regent Resource Sir Bedivere Sir Galahad ^S Sir Geraint Sir Lancelot Sir Percivale Sir Tristram Stromness Tidespring Tidepool

Ships Taken Up From Trade	Alvega Anco Charger Astronomer Atlantic Conveyor ^S Atlantic Causeway Avelona Star Balder London Baltic Ferry British Avon British Dart British Enterprise III British Esk British Tamar British Test British Trent British Wye Canberra Contender Bezant Eburna Elk Europic Ferry Fort Toronto G.A.Walker Geesport Iris Irishman Laertes Lycaon Nordic Ferry Norland Queen Elizabeth 2 Rangatira Salvageman Saxonia Scottish Eagle St Edmund St Helena Stena Inspector Stena Seaspread Strathewe Tor Caledonia Uganda Wimpey Seahorse Yorkshireman

Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service	Goosander Typhoon

^S - Sunk

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