RFA Resource (A480)

RFA Resource was an armament stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

For Royal Navy and RFA ships named Resource, see HMS Resource.
RFA Resource (A480) cruises next to HMS Eagle (R05), during "Operation Peacekeeper" on 24 September 1969.
History
United Kingdom
Name: RFA Resource
Ordered: 24 January 1963
Laid down: 19 June 1964
Launched: 11 February 1966
Commissioned: 6 June 1967
Decommissioned: 1 May 1997
Renamed: Resourceful in 1997
Stricken: 1997
Identification:
Honours and
awards:		 Falkland Islands 1982. Kuwait 1991.
Fate: Scrapped at Alang in 1997
General characteristics
Class and type: Regent-class armament stores ship
Displacement: 22,890 tons full load
Length: 640 ft 1 in (195.10 m)
Beam: 77 ft 1.25 in (23.50 m)
Draught: 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × AEI steam turbines DR geared to a single shaft
  • 2 × watertube boilers.
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement:
  • 125 RFA personnel
  • 44 RNSTS personnel
  • 11 Naval Air dept
Aircraft carried: 1 × Wessex 5 helicopter
Aviation facilities: Landing platform capable of landing several different classes of helicopter

Falklands War

Resource served in the Falklands War, captained at that time by Captain Bruce Seymour. She was one of the first vessels on the scene to pick up survivors from HMS Sheffield, having just supplied her.

RFA Resource was one of several RFA munitions replenishment ships certified to store and supply the fleet with munitions, including WE.177A live nuclear weapons. Other ships capable of carrying (stored in deep magazines) or deploying these weapons were HMS Hermes, HMS Invincible, HMS Broadsword and HMS Brilliant, they were transferred to various Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships with their specialist magazines. This was initially RFA Regent, and when RFA Resource exited San Carlos, they were transferred to her, and then to RFA Fort Austin. After the end of the conflict they were transported back to Britain aboard RFA Fort Austin and RFA Resource.[1] Inert practice weapons and surveillance weapons without fissionable material were also transported.[2]

Yugoslavia

One of Resource's last duties before being decommissioned was to serve as a floating munitions storage for UN and IFOR troops in the former Yugoslavia. She spent much of the mid 1990s in Split, Croatia, fulfilling this role.

Decommissioning and scrapping

Resource sailed from Devonport on 24 June 1997, having been renamed Resourceful for the delivery run to the Indian breakers, and arrived at Alang for scrapping on 20 August 1997.

  • RFA Resource ship's badge.

Footnotes
  1. http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4625B8A4-C533-4DAD-9FA5-0BFEE58F8D69/0/op_corporate1982_nuclear_weapons.pdf
  2. http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4625B8A4-C533-4DAD-9FA5-0BFEE58F8D69/0/op_corporate1982_nuclear_weapons.pdf


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