RFA ''Brambleleaf'' (A81) was a 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 ...

. Originally built as MV ''Hudson Deep'' she was chartered by the Ministry of Defence in 1980.

Operational history

In April 1982, ''Brambleleaf'' was diverted from Armilla Patrol duties in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

for service during the Falklands Conflict. Due to damage sustained due to severe weather, ''Brambleleaf'' transferred her cargo to off

South Georgia South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east� ...

and returned to the UK for repairs during May prior to returning to the South Atlantic in June, and again in August. On 18 November 1983, ''Brambleleaf'' sailed along with the assault ship HMS Fearless to support Operation Offcut, providing naval support for British troops in the multi-national force in the

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

. In 2003, ''Brambleleaf'' was one of 13 RFA ships deployed in support of the second Gulf War. On 18 August 2009 she was towed to Ghent for scrapping.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brambleleaf (1980) Tankers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Leaf-class tankers Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom 1976 ships