RFA ''Salvestor'' (A499) was a ''King Salvor''-class salvage vessel of the post war Royal Fleet Auxiliary. ''Salvestor'' was built by Wm. Simons & Co. Ltd. of

Renfrew Renfrew (; sco, Renfrew; gd, Rinn Friù) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former ...

, Scotland. Laid down on 20 September 1941 as ''Assistance'', and launched on 28 August 1942 as HMS ''Salvestor''. The ship was decommissioned in September 1959, laid up at

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

, and sold for breaking up to Thos. W. Ward at

Briton Ferry Briton Ferry ( cy, Llansawel) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, ''llan'', is protected from the wind, ''awel''. Alternatively, ''Sawel'' may be a derivative ...

in July 1970.

Service history

During the Second World War the ''Salvestor'' was one of two Royal Navy ships manned by South African Naval personnel (SANF). She remained the property of the Royal Navy, but was under SANF control from 31 August 1944. She served in the Mediterranean and then participated in the war against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

with the British Eastern Fleet. In 1945 ''Salvestor'' assisted a merchant ship that had encountered problems more than 200 km from

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...

, New Guinea. After the war ''Salvestor'' salvaged a number of wrecks from

Hong Kong Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental ...

, including a Japanese tug. The SANF crew was gradually replaced by Royal Navy personnel, she was handed back to the Royal Navy in 1946. For services rendered in the war against Japan, the ''Salvestor'' received the "Pacific 1942-45" battle honour, the only South African-manned naval vessel to be honoured in this way.

References

External links

''King Salvor''-class salvage vessels

Ships built on the River Clyde 1942 ships King Salvor-class salvage vessels {{UK-aux-ship-stub