The Ol-class tankers were

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

"fast fleet tankers" tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

vessels around the world.

Class history

The three ships in the class, , and , were an evolution of the earlier s. The lead ship of the class was launched as RFA ''Olynthus'', thus becoming known as Olynthus class although she was renamed RFA ''Olwen'' in 1967, to avoid confusion with . Consequently, the class became Olwen class, and thereafter Ol class. Similarly, RFA ''Olmeda'' originally entered service as RFA ''Oleander'', but was later renamed to avoid confusion with . The three ships saw service in a wide range of locations, including during the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

, which saw ''Olmeda'' take part in the recapture of Thule Island, and in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

during the 1990/91

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. The ships were replaced by the . One modified Ol-class vessel, , was built for the former

Imperial Iranian Navy The Iranian Navy traditionally located in the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf, has always been the smallest of the country's military forces. An Iranian navy in one form or another has existed since Achaemenid times in 500 BC. The Phoenician n ...

in 1977. The vessel was delivered to the

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy , ''Daryādelān''"Seahearts" , patron = , motto = fa, راه ما، راه حسین است, ''Rāh-e ma, rāh-e hoseyn ast''"''Our Path, Is Hussain's Path''" , colors = , ...

in 1984, and was lost on 2 June 2021.

Construction programme

File:RFA Olwen (A122) DN-SC-87-05080.jpeg, RFA ''Olwen'' in 1982. File:Bristol Group May 1982.jpg, Bristol Group - A Type 21 frigate conducting replenishment at sea (RAS) with RFA ''Olna''. May 1982. Picture taken from

References

External links

O-class fleet replenishment tankers
{{Ol class tanker Auxiliary replenishment ship classes Ol Ship classes of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy