RFA ''Olna'' (A123) was the third and final of the three ''Ol''-class "fast fleet 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 ...

. ''Olna'' saw service in 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 ...

Background

Her design was a development of the ''Tide''-class ships of the late 1950s. She was commissioned in 1966 and served in the RFA for 34 years. ''Olna'' was the third ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary to bear the name.

Operational history

''Olna'' entered service as the UK was pulling back from its final large imperial garrisons. Much of the ship's early life was spent supporting routine deployments around the world.

1967-1968

In Operation Magister, ''Olna'' was part of the fleet covering the final British military withdrawal from

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

, along with nine other RFAs.

Falklands War

In 1982 ''Olna'' left for the

South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

as part of the second wave of ships to leave the UK during the

. That group was centred on the destroyer HMS ''Bristol''. Once ''Olna'' reached theatre, her time was primarily spent fuelling the carrier battle group.

1983-2000

In 1990, another wartime deployment beckoned. As forces built up 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 ...

, ''Olna'' joined the British task force on station. ''Olna'' arrived in August 1990, shortly after

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

invaded

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, and apart from a short maintenance period in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

was on station for the whole duration of the conflict. ''Olna'' operated further north than any other tanker as the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

was wary of mines after two ships had been severely damaged. At the end of the 1990s, retirement was in sight. 1999 and 2000 were spent in mothballs at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

until the outbreak of a crisis in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

called for ''Olna'' to make one last deployment. The ship did not proceed to Sierra Leone, but instead relieved other RFA vessels of participation in a major exercise off

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Following this exercise, the ship returned to reserve and decommissioned soon thereafter.

Decommissioning

In March 2001, ''Olna'' was sold to a Turkish shipbreaking firm, but owing to the high quantity of asbestos aboard she was diverted to Greece before finally going to Indian breakers.

References

O Class Fleet Replenishment Tankers

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olna Ol-class tankers (1965) Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom 1965 ships Gulf War ships of the United Kingdom