RFA ''Orangeleaf'' was a Leaf-class fleet support tanker of the

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 ...

. As MV ''Balder London'', before joining the

RFA RFA may refer to: Government and private organizations * Radio Free Asia, a private news broadcaster and publisher in East Asia, funded in part by the U.S. government * Renewable Fuels Agency, a former UK renewable fuel regulatory agency * Ren ...

, she saw action in 1982, carrying aviation fuel to the Falkland Islands from Ascension. At the end of the conflict, she entered San Carlos water. ''Orangeleaf'' saw action in the

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: ...

in 1991. During early-to-mid-2004, the ship took part in a deployment with a French carrier battle group, centred on the aircraft carrier ''

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

'', to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. She also appeared in the International Fleet Review of 2005. On 23 October 2009, she was moved from Birkenhead dry-docks into the River Mersey and so to the Cammell Laird shipyard to continue a major refit. In 2011, she conducted a light jackstay transfer with . She was decommissioned on 30 September 2015. In late February 2016 she was towed to Aliaga, Turkey to be broken up for scrap. Leyal reported scrapping was completed by June 2016.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583144/DSA_ship_recycling_orangeleaf_Web.pdf

References

External links

Official Webpage
Ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Leaf-class tankers 1975 ships Ships built on the River Mersey Gulf War ships of the United Kingdom {{UK-aux-ship-stub